Research & writing
Most of my research and writing is on aspects of design, engineering, technology and industry's impact on the world, in various ways. While at present my writing achievements are fairly slight, and all of this research is effectively a part-time hobby, in the longer term I intend to develop this area much more. Please feel free to get in touch - dan@danlockton.co.uk - if there's anything you'd like to discuss or suggest, though I'm not always able to reply as quickly as I'd like. See also my portfolio.
Architectures of Control in Design
Architectures of control are features, structures or methods of operation designed into physical products, software, buildings, city layouts - or indeed any planned system with which a user interacts - which are intended to enforce, reinforce, or restrict certain modes of user behaviour.
While the use of architectures of control in computing is a current issue of much debate (in terms of digital rights management, 'trusted' computing and network infrastructures themselves), it is apparent that technology - and a mindset that favours controlling users - is also offering increased opportunities for such architectures to be designed into a wide range of consumer products; yet, this trend has not been commonly recognised.
Starting with my research for my MPhil Technology Policy dissertation [750k PDF] at Cambridge, I've been investigating this subject since late 2004 (with a blog launched in late 2005) examining some of the applications of architectures of control, the intentions behind them, the wider consequences and their future uses. The assumption is made that products and systems can be engineered and designed with rationales and intentions behind them beyond the functionality or appearance requirements of a conventional specification or brief: to answer Langdon Winner's question, artefacts can have politics.
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'Architectures of control' Blog, Nov 2005 to date
Link to blog |
Article for Engineering
Designer, the journal of the Institution
of Engineering Designers, March/April 2006
Download [1.43 M PDF] |
MPhil Technology Policy dissertation, University
of Cambridge, July 2005
Download [750 k PDF] |
The Reliant Motor Company
Over 66 years of production, Reliant was one of the most innovative companies in the British motor industry. This small Staffordshire firm, driven by relentless pursuit of niches ignored or abandoned by the larger manufacturers, did pioneering work on many technologies and aspects of vehicle design which are, even today, still extremely relevant, and ahead of the game in some cases. From composite materials for lightweight car body production to the use of aluminium alloy for engines, from the 'sporting estate' to the 'package deal motor industry', and from the early support of Britain's first industrial design consultancy to the production of the first wheelchair-accessible London taxis, Reliant either initiated or was involved with the development of some of the most exciting achievements in the evolution of motor vehicles.
Yet the company has received so little recognition: Reliant is almost universally treated as if were either 'just another' failed British underdog, or a joke company which hopelessly peddled a 'ridiculous' product for so many years.
I've been researching Reliant, its history and its products, on and off since I was 10 years old; like many young boys, I was interested in car design, and became especially fascinated by the 'specialist' parts of the motor industry, from sports cars to microcars. There was, relatively, so little information available on Reliant and its activities, that I set myself the task of researching and compiling the definitive history of the company and its products, three- and four-wheeled, as well as its involvement with other car companies and in diverse non-automotive projects, and the changing corporate structure which enabled the company to rise and later fall so dramatically.
Rebel Without Applause, the first half of that history, was published in 2003, and I'm currently working on the sequel, The Unquiet Survivor, to bring the story up to date. For a while I have been planning a series of short articles on aspects of Reliant's history, and these will be posted as they are completed, on the Reliant section of this website.
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Rebel without Applause, published by Bookmarque of Minster Lovell, 2003, ISBN 1870519647
Buy the book from Amazon |
More information about the book, chapter listings, articles on Reliant, etc
Link to Reliant section of site |
Information on The Unquiet Survivor, the second volume of the book, currently in preparation, and how you can help.
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First in an occasional series of articles:
The early years of Reliant |
British Petrol Stations: Design & Branding History
The cultural icons of roadside America, especially gas stations, are widely celebrated and a common theme of commentary on design, architectural and social history, as well as being supported by a large base of enthusiastic collectors of 'petroliana'. In Britain, however, there has never been quite the same level of public interest in petrol stations, and the last couple of decades have seen a vast percentage of our roadside heritage lost, mainly as a result of the closure of thousands of independently run small and rural garages (and their suppliers). Economies of scale and focus on consistent branding mean that there is also a tendency towards homogeneity among the survivors.
As a designer and a classic car enthusiast, as well as someone who enjoys exploring and photographing the British countryside, I've gradually built up a collection of photos and notes on 'interesting' British petrol stations: the changes in branding, signage, petrol pumps and the histories of the companies involved, together with the historical context for the changes. Nevertheless, this is a vast subject, and in order to attempt some kind of more comprehensive synthesis of the research, I thought it was worth inviting collaboration, so in December 2005 started the British Petrol Stations: Design & Branding History website, with the initial aim of creating an illustrated list of all brands of petrol & diesel sold in Great Britain since 1953, aided by gratefully received contributions from others interested in this field.
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British Petrol Stations: Design & Branding History
Introduction |
British Petrol Stations: Design & Branding History
Illustrated list of brands (image-intensive) |