Des Com

Design Communication this quarter was seriously so much more effective and informative that ID studio... it was great to learn about things in a logical manner and practice developing our skills. Thanks to Roller, Brian, and Jenna...I seriously learned a ton from you guys!

This is going to revolutionize the hot dog vending business...

Here is my final board for my ID Studio...

Bug Juice...doesnt come in a jar...

Here is my final board for my Design Communication project to redefine a beverage experience.

the blogosphere

I think blogs are a cool way too share ideas, opinions, knowledge, photos, funny links, etc, etc. For a generation of kids like us who spend all our time surfing the interwebs...i think to communicate design through this medium is great.

favorite things

Other than snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes (...i bet only the girls get that reference), here are some of my favorite designed things:
1. It separates your milk from your cereal so that is crunchy the entire time!...awesome
2. Calculator watches are still cool...right?
3. I love the Fab 4 and they often inspire me.

some ?'s

When I met real, working, successful, designers there are a few questions that pop into my head that I would like to ask them. Three of those are:
1. How did you find out/ get into ID?
2. What is your definition of innovation?
3. What inspires you?

I need goals because I move like a jellyfish...too much going with the flow

My goals at the beginning of the quarter were to get better at sketching...like always... and to try to develop better rendering/ 3d modeling skills. I think I got a lot of practice on both of these things and I'm starting to see some improvement!
....sketch, sketch, sketch... render, render, render...

Strengths

Whenever people would ask me in interviews what I thought I was best at I was never too sure of what to say. Luckily I had a super intentional, very straight-forward boss on my last co-op that told me "when people ask you that...tell them this:".... He went on to say that I was pretty good at switching gears quickly with no needed transition time between project, tasks, etc.
...I'll take that...

Solution

My proposed solution.

Problem

For my main ID studio I'm designing a hot dog stand so here are the problem and solution story boards.

What the...?

I often hear people talking about things that they think are innovative and desgnerly but what does that really mean? ...those things have to be more than just buzz words, right?
I think "good design" is something that is created that inspires more creation. I am always looking for new forms, ideas, etc that I can somehow interpret and reinterpret in a way that continues to inspire new design. I feel similarly about the definition of "innovation". Ultimately, innovation is something new or fresh. To achieve innovation one must be able to interpret and solve a problem in a way that could have never been thought of if in its original context, which could be defined as "design thinking".

USB 3-D and sketch render continued

USB 3-D and Sketch renders

This is a continuation of the previous USB project where I tried mixing different levels of 3-D rendering and Photoshop sketching and rendering.

Stan Lee

When thinking about illustrators there is only one man that comes to mind...Stan Lee. Stan Lee is the genius behind the Marvel empire and is a master of conveying emotions via illustration. The movement that is shown in Lee's comics and the facial expressions make the comics dynamic and interesting. Stan Lee's level of detail is amazing and the way he highlights points of interest by pumping up the level of detail is something that can be easily applicable to any type of story boarding.

USB Project Continued 2

USB Project Continued

USB Drives Project

Through this USB Drives project I learned a lot about making something that is completely flat much more dynamic. I'm loving my classmates' hot highlights on their projects... contrast is so important. My favorite projects are the ones that have the most character and I think what defines character in our renders is boldness. Overall, three things set apart certain renders: Boldness, Dynamics, and Contrast.

One of my favorite designers to look at their work and get inspired is Harry Bertoia. Not only do I love Pop Art but I love Pop Design and Bertoia was influential in these movements. The silhouettes of his work are beautiful and his obvious sculptural skill is evident. My favorite of Bertoia's designs is the Diamond Chair. This chair looks effortless and strong at the same time. The crossing lines of the diamond seat structure are so appealing in the way they create interesting contour lines.

My portfolio

Check out my portfolio

Technologies

Because we are designing work stations this quarter, I have been focusing a lot on crazy innovation that could help bring hot dog carts out of the 1970s. One technology that I think could work well in mobile concession carts is solar power. Hot dog carts need umbrellas or awnings, right? Why not use solar powered fabric for these awning and channel the that power to heat the food in the cart. It could work...

Fantastic

After first seeing this movie trailer, I have been counting down the days until it opens. I think this trailer shows good communication through its continual movement. The opening line is "and so it begins" and from that point on the main characters aren't seen being still. This fact draws me and leads me to believe that this film will be a whirlwind of adventure. In the short two and a half minutes of the trailer, I already feel some sort of connection to the characters because of their catchy one-liners and obvious expressions. Overall I feel that Fantastic Mr. Fox will not disappoint. Fantastic!

one for one

It is pretty well know by now that I’m a fan of Toms shoes due to the fact that I wear them nearly every day in rain, snow, or sun. Toms shoes are a win-win situation for me… buying shoes that I like in the first place and my purchase supplies a pair for a child in need… I’ll take several pairs please! Toms shoes displays a clear picture of their purpose as a company in their idea of One for One. For every pair of shoes that is sold, another pair is given…pretty simple. They change the graphics on the shoes often so that their costumers don’t just buy once but continue to buy them. Toms has branched out a little with a few side projects that also employ the One for One idea. They did a series of skateboards that for each one sold; one was donated to a skate camp for troubled youth. They have established this as “their thing” and they stick to it. At Toms, all the employees are called “shoe givers”, from the CEO (or chief shoe giver) to the interns.
I’m simply inspired by Toms. I can apply a few of their ideas to my own work but there is one in particular that is easily applicable. Toms thrives on an idea that can be applied to any project, job, relationship, etc, etc; this is collaboration. Toms often partners with artist and other brands to develop a product that will profit a greater partnership with those in need. Collaboration is important when developing any product because if one relies on only their own ideas and thoughts, they will never be able to develop a product that meets the needs of others. Toms was founded for the people, not for the profit and I think, as designers, we need to center our designs around the needs of the people.

look at stuff...get inspired

In the words of Jedi Steve Dohler, “Lie, cheat, steal.” I agree with this statement for the most part… in the design world that is. As design students, we are always looking for things that catch our interest and inspire us. I think what Master Dohler is saying is to be aware of beautiful things all around us and pull all we can out of those things and use them for our own creations. OK, ok… maybe I’m reading a bit too far into that but you’re picking up what I’m putting down… right? Anyway, I read this post about how to have a good portfolio review so it doesn’t exactly relate to building a portfolio but I think there is some real good advice. Point 4 is really good and can apply to creating a good layout where you need to tell the entire story of your project. Check it out: http://jdweissdesign.blogspot.com/2009/02/industrial-design-portfolio-review-tips.html

New stuff/ Goals

I’m not sure why and I’m not sure how, but I left good ol’ PA and headed to Cincinnati, OH to start a glamorous career of an industrial designer. I like cool stuff and I thought that designing cool stuff that makes peoples’ lives easier is something that I could do forever. So far I’ve worked in Southern California at a medical place, in Philly at the toy company K’Nex, and in Boston at a company that makes products for babies. I’m not sure what kind of design I want to pursue but I’ve learned that I enjoy this co op/nomadic lifestyle and I know I want to design things that truly improve people’s everyday life.
As for this quarter… I want to improve my drawing skills, foremost. I also want to work on rendering… money shots here I come. I’ve got high hopes for this quarter and I’m pumped to see things pan out!

alternative energy is ugly

Can a light be powered by body heat? I think its possible. Anyone know anything about it?

ID is getting Ugly