PORTFOLIOcollecting highlights of my best projects so far

hello, my name is MARTA MONGE and this my

PROJECTS

DE SILVA GARAGE

BORDER CROSSINGS

layout and visuals for exhibiton proposal

ANALOG DESKTOPexploring more physical interactions with technology

an unusual view on the EU migration crisis

transitioning to a cashless economySMALL CHANGE

making in-shop purchases a digital experience

THREAD

product design

communication design

research and art direction

SMALLCHANGE

group project

CSM + VISA

2015

We were asked by VISA Europe to

explore the escalating di�usion of

contactless payment technologies

and propose new ways of embed-

ding them into objects that can be

more specific, communicative and

engaging than a card.

Contactless payments currently

have a 30 £ cap, limiting them to

small purchases usually made with

coins or notes. In transition towards

an increasingly cashless society,

we thought of a device capable of

sweeping up small change.

PRODUCT | concept, prototyping, cad modelling, UX/UI, video

can design

TRANSITION

towards a

support the

LESS society?

CASH-

Small Change is a device aiming at

facilitating the transition towards

fully cashless payments, while

keeping a reference to the very

human act of exchanging money.

The coin, iconic representation of

currency, is turned into a smart

device belonging to the internet of

things - keeping the tangibility of

cash that digital is still missing. The

product developed allows to visu-

alise the abstract nature of

modern money and puts, through

constant feedback, the user in

control of its budget.

The digital coin consists of an ink

screen to display the value, while

the tactile edges invite the user to

rotate the coin like a watch dial.

The device is connected to your

personal bank account and can be

used to transfer funds from / to

another coin.

(VIDEO)click on it to

open webpage

We focused on interactions

revolving around the smart coint

and its ability to work o� the wrist

and create more natural payment

methods. The scenarios picked all

share a certain discomfort in man-

aging cash - sharing a bill, giving

pocket money to your kid, deposit-

ing money on a piggy bank -.

A brief video shows how the coin

would make such transaction

e�ortless.

THREAD

group project

CSM + VISA

2015

We were asked by VISA Europe to

imagine the form and functionality

of contactless wearable devices

by 2020.

How can payment systems be

located on the body without

being wrist-based?

Can VISA create a device with its

technology in it, but a more

high-end appeal?

Thread is a fashion-oriented pay-

ment device which borrows the

language of fashion accessories,

and aims to enhance customer

loyalty, bridging the gap between

the online and in-store shopping

experiences.

PRODUCT | concept, prototyping, cad modelling, UX/UI, video

purchases be

can in store

a DIGITAL

experience,

and vice

versa?

Considering the growing role

played by social media in guiding

purchases, we looked at ways of

connecting digital “opinion leaders”

(fashion bloggers, trend spotters,

professionals or amateurs) to the

intuitive act of spotting an outfit

while rooming the streets.

Thread in fact connects the payment

device directly to a fashion-

oriented digital network.

Consumers wearing the brooch

and related app can detect each

other through their phone’s

camera, see each other’s purchases

and rate them. Many positive

ratings on a specific garment are

turned into advantages - such as

discounts, VIP tickets, private

views - issued by the brand itself

to the wearer.

We set ourself the brief of designing

for a specific brand and its target

user - developing the device as if

it had to be sold in their stores.

Given its more feminine feeling,

we focused on brooches, material

finishes such as copper and

marble. We embedded into the

device key technology require-

ments - biometric authentication,

connection to mobile-based app,

RFID chip - set by VISA, as much

as materials and shapes matching

the fashion partner’s brand image.

Inside the shop, the detacheable

part can be lifted over the payment

terminal to authorise the specific

purchase of fashion-related

products. A finger vein scanner in

fact ensures safe purchases

through a biometric authenti-

cation system.

Outside of the shop, the brooch

acts as identification sign,

making the wearer’s purchases

detectable by other device

owners.

FINGER VEINSCANNER

RFID TAG

LOW ENERGYBLUETOOTH

(VIDEO)click on it to

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A brief video gives an under-

standing of how the user interface

of the AR app would look like.

It renders a simple scenario when

a user’s attention is caught by

someone else’s look.

While checking the garment

brand, he’s spotted himself by

another user - action which

triggers a series of rewards.

GRAPHIC | layout, print, digital sketching, logo

group project

Yet|Matilde for Volkswagen

2013

The project is a proposal developed

in collaboration with Italian studio

Yet|Matilde for Volkswagen,

aimed at celebrating their head of

design Walter Maria de Silva's life

and practice on the occasion of his

retirement. The proposal was pre-

sented through a printed catalogue

- collecting all materials related to

his professional development and

ethos - and an app, showcasing an

exhibition proposal.

I was involved in the ideation of

the exhibition and developed

layout of the print and digitally

sketched visuals displayed on

the app.

DE SILVAGARAGE

turned into

can a LIFE be

CHAPTERS and

chapters turned

into SPACES ?

Research brought us to identify 7

main steps in the life of the

designer. We conveyed them in

the catalogue through di�erent

chapters and reproduced such

timeline in the exhibition, with a

modular structure made of 7 iden-

tical containers, playing with the

metaphor of a garage.

Each of them was conceived as a

light metal frame, with walls made

of white fabric panels - creating a

closed yet not oppressive space,

where all surfaces could be used

for projection.

A first introduction to the exhibi-

tion was given by an app, that

progressively explored all

sections, providing scenographic

representations together with few

more technical visuals.

THE ANALOGDESKTOP

We were asked to envision future

developments of the workplace,

by looking at current trends,

depicting scenarios populated by

personas, surrounded by a brand

new set of products or systems.

The outcome would be a day in the

life of a character that describes

her/his ordinary work day.

We looked at the most traditional

and less technologically advanced

of desk-based jobs.

The o�ce secretary.

work be like?

group project

Central Saint Martins (UK)

2014

RESEARCH | prototyping, cad modelling, UX / UI, video

What could the future of such o�ce

OBIQUITOUS

can

digitalisation

feel more

HUMAN ?

We observed the ubiquitous

digitalisation of tasks by looking

at o�ce desks all over the world.

Much less paper, way more flat

screens, but still the urge for some

leftovers from yesterday's analog

world. Post-its, paper notes, all

kinds of stationery. Small actions

that still happen to be more

meaningful than their digital

counterpart. We though of a basic

stationary kit that allows to

accomplish all basic o�ce work

tasks through a more physical and

rewarding experience, where

technology is not invisible but can

instead be seen, touched, adjusted.

(VIDEO)click on it to

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BORDER

RESEARCH | ethnography, craft, art direction, print, video

CROSSINGS

graduation project

Central Saint Martins

2015

“Border Crossings” explores the

phenomenon of illegal migration,

focusing on Sub-Saharan and

Maghrebi migrants and the perilous

journeys they face, chasing the

elusive European dream. The project

twists the traditional vision of

clandestine immigration provided

by media, by creating a fictional,

even though realistic, development

of the current situation.

It exaggerates the public hysteria

and fear fuelling anti-immigration

feelings, portraying the migrant as

a threat lurking outside the gates

of Europe.

what does

when you are

an

travelling mean

ILLEGAL?

With the migrant’s point of view, I

tried to look at the journey to

Europe and the many ordeals that

the status of “clandestinity”

entails. The result is a series of

atypical travel tools, rendering the

ingenuity and craftiness of an

illegal traveller. Looking at the map

of the leading migrant routes,

every object belongs to a di�erent

border, being it a natural - the

Sahara desert, the Mediterranean

sea - or political - the frontier

between France and the UK - one.

Behind them there’s not a designer,

but an illegal migrant, determined

to complete his journey.

THE STOWAWAYLUGGAGE SET

i tem name

LADDER

LAUNDRY BAG

location of finding

"THE JUNGLE" CAMP,

CALAIS, FRANCE

mode of use

Used as luggage to transport per-

sonal items. The bag handles have

been modified to create a small

ladder, with the aim of facilitating

the climb on commercial vehicles

queuing at Calais Ferry Port to

cross the Channel and enter the

UK.

i tem name

FARADAY SHOULDER

STRAP BAG

location of finding

"THE JUNGLE" CAMP,

CALAIS, FRANCE

mode of use

Disguised as a shoulder strap bag

- it contains a collapsible mylar

structure. The material used for

thermal blankets - distributed by

ONGs to keep warm - is here

adopted by illegal stowaways to

hide from border control’s thermal

imaging cameras used to scan the

inside of trucks.

THE STOWAWAYLUGGAGE SET

i tem name

WOVEN NASSA

FLOAT

location of finding

LAMPEDUSA HARBOUR,

ITALY

mode of use

Traditional fishing net, can be

frequently found on old fishing

boats used as migrant vessels.

A clear plastic bag has been

inflated and insered inside,

turning it into a makeshift

floatation device - to be used in

case of lifevests shortage on

illegal vessels sailing from Libyan

coasts.

THE CLANDESTINELIFEVEST

i tem name

BAKSHEESH

ROLL UP BAG

location of finding

BUS STATION,

AGADEZ, NIGER

mode of use

Long rolled up bag used as make-

shift seat. It's filled with personal

items, to be o�ered as bribes

(”baksheesh in Persian) at every

checkpoint on the Sahara route, in

exchange for permission to

continue the journey to Libya,

where Europe-bound boats sail.

THE DESERTCROSSING BAG

(VIDEO)

(PRINT)

click on it to

open webpage

click on it to

open webpage

you can get in touch with me at

marta@martamonge.org

martamonge.org

07463541024