Savannah Knott

Industrial Design

My name is Savannah, and I am a recent graduate of a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Swinburne University. Raised in a creative household, I was encouraged to be curious and passionate about learning and creativity.

I initially pursued a Bachelor of Education, studying bioscience, chemistry, history, and psychology. However, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, I reassessed my interests and shifted to Industrial Design. The flexibility of online learning allowed me to make this change, and once in-person classes resumed, I commuted from Bendigo to Melbourne a minimum three days a week to complete my degree.

Throughout my studies, I explored a wide range of subjects, including Exhibition Design, 3D Character and Environment Design, Visual Communication, Web Design, Typography, and Package Design. My passion lies in crafting beautiful, functional, and innovative solutions to design challenges, with a strong focus on sustainability.

Beyond my studies, creativity is central to my life. I enjoy hobbies such as jewellery making, sewing, painting, and drawing, and I am always eager to learn new skills and incorporate them into my design projects. I value collaboration and communication, particularly within a creative community, as I believe this leads to the best outcomes. I am dedicated to growing my skills and knowledge and am confident in my ability to succeed in any challenge I pursue.

Chrysalis

This is my graduating project Chrysalis. Chrysalis is a beautifully crafted ceramic vessel to contain ashes as a lasting memorial. Designed to balance sustainability and function with emotional connection and beauty, Chrysalis incorporates soft, organic shapes and delicate vertical openings which allow the light of the candle inside to reflect and shine when lit. The Chrysalis ritual involves lighting a candle on any occasion you wish to honour and remember your loved one. The light shining through. the upward reflections offer universal symbols of hope and comfort and create a time of reflection and connection.

Country Road Home

The aim of this project brief was to create a dog hydrating and/or food solution for Country Road Home. I focused on designing a travel bowl for dog walking. This design incorporates both signature Country Road style while being convenient and practical. The bag unzips into a double dog bowl and is made from leather and TPU fabric.

Wabi Sabi

This is an environment created in Maya. I was inspired by the concept of ‘Wabi-Sabi’, a Japanese term for the beauty of something imperfect or flawed. I wanted to create a feeling of nostalgia through everyday items, clutter, and home tasks.

Glitch

This is personal artwork created in Sketchbook Pro, then edited in Adobe InDesign and After Effects to create a glitch effect. This experimental artwork was designed as a potential landing page for a website.

Ryobi Leaf Blower

The aim of this projects brief was to redesign the Ryobi Leaf Blower, using the same motor and nozzle, to create a product that is sustainable. My group focused on designing the main body to include a lid that opens. This is so that the motor, encased and screwed into the body, can be removed for easy fixing.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.