Phase 2: Travel MOD Families

Three families for Travel MOD with a focus on travel size rounded forms in retro colors.

Phase 2: Travel MOD

Our Design Communications group will be moving forward with the Travel MOD category. We anticipate our new brand will be located in the narrow inexpensive market. It offers travel focused good design at affordable prices. Multi-media renderings coming soon!

Design Awards

Check out the Cecily & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Awards 2009.

Here is the link to the panoramic view of the display.
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/rigg2009/virtual.html

You can click on the chairs for pictures and more information.

Phase 1 Critique

A sample of the concepts presented at Thursday's critique. Travel Active, Travel Mod, and Travel Executive.

Executive Image Board

Executive image board for luxurious and business travel. Bold, strong, and feminine forms portrayed in white, black, metal, leather, glass, and wood.

Design Communications Group Project

This quarter in Design Communications will be focused on a group project. I will be designing travel beauty products with Alicia and Megan. The products are a compact, shampoo and conditioner, and a hairdryer. They may or may not be travel sized but should give the user the experience of travel.

Portfolio Teaser

I can always tell you what I have done.

I can't always show you what I have accomplished.

But I would prefer to tell you how I have grown.

Let me take you on a journey of self discovery.

Experience the challenges I have undertaken.

Discover the treasure that has enriched me.

And meet the people who helped me along the way.

The story can begin today.

Emotion and Design

Here are some links on the relationship between emotion and design from Mike Roller.

http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/a_periodic_table_of_form_the_secret_language_of_surface_and_meaning_in_product_design_by_gray_holland_12752.asp

http://www.design-emotion.com/2008/06/29/getting-emotional-with-dan-hill/

http://www.slideshare.net/farreaching/intro-to-emotion-design-pleasurability-and-emotional-design-experience-dynamics-web-seminar-presentation-854443

http://www.slideshare.net/trevor.vangorp/emotion-arousal-attention-and-flow-chaining-emotional-states-to-improve-human-computer-interaction

Emotion is key to creating a good user experience. It helps create a memory of a product and can help build brand loyalty.

Welcome Back!

Last quarter I Co-oped at the Live Well Collaborative in Cincinnati, Ohio. I collaborated with students from business, design, and engineering to develop products for the 50+ baby boomer market in a studio sponsored by General Mills. My work included extensive research, consumer interviews, ideation, concept refinement, 3D modeling and rendering, and presentations. I also assisted with research and planning for a collaborative P&G studio for Summer Quarter 2009. I will be taking the P&G studio as a studio elective this quarter.

At the end of my Live Well Co-op I attended an inspirational presentation on storytelling that leads nicely into this quarter. In ID Studio I will be designing a beautiful artifact: a chair. I am hoping to create a poetic object that makes meaningful connections with the user. I am also excited that I will be able to more eloquently describe previous and future projects.

As I began to revisit my portfolio this quarter I noticed the lack of poetry and storytelling and also noted that I do not have a sustainable project. I am hoping to learn more about sustainable materials for chairs in Materials and Processes and incorporate these into either the chair project or the Design Communications group project.

Goals for the quarter coming soon!

Course Evaluation

Design Communications this quarter was very helpful. In class presentations and posted examples were very beneficial. I learned new techniques and improved my abilities. I liked the variety in critique types: sometimes in small groups, sometimes whole class. I enjoyed group evaluations and the personal feedback. The blog was an excellent way to keep track of my thoughts but a group website/blog would be very helpful. Thanks for a great quarter.

Spring Goals

This quarter went well. I am happy with most of my DesCom projects and very satisfied with my HP computer project. My goals for next quarter are to learn more about packaging (especially sustainable packaging), improve my design communication skills, and have fun.

Blogging About Design

Blogging and reading blogs is an excellent way to communicate and learn about design. Next quarter while I am on Co-op I intend to continue to update my blog. I hope everyone continues to do the same and I look forward to reading yours. Good luck next quarter. See you in the Summer!

T1 Kettle Box

Final tea kettle inspired by London phone boxes.

Sustainable Packaging

If anyone is interested in learning about sustainable packaging, AIGA Cincinnati is holding a Green Salon resource fair and panel March 24, 2009 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Student fee is $10.

Check out http://www.cincinnati.aiga.org/ecoshift/greensalon/ for more information and to register.

Co-op Update!

Last week I accepted a co-op position at the Live Well Collaborative for Winter Quarter 2009. I will will be working on the General Mills Studio and other LWC projects. To learn more about LWC check out: http://www.livewellcollaborative.org/.

Carousel of Progress

My goals for the beginning of this quarter were to find a co-op job and improve my design communication skills.

At this time, I do not have a co-op job for Spring quarter. I have had three interviews and I am waiting to hear from one of them. When I accept a job I will post more information about where I will be going.

During this quarter I have learned several new visualization techniques. One of these is a combination of 2D and 3D rendering that was used for the USB project. Rough models were made in Alias and more detail was added in Illustrator and Photoshop. This is a quick and accurate way of communicating forms without modeling and rendering all the details.

Mine is More of a Kettle...

My current project for Design Communications it to design a tea kettle for young business professionals in England. I am looking into the functional act of making tea and all the pieces involved. My goal is to make the tea preparation faster so there is more time to enjoy the tea.

After talking with my brother (who studied abroad in England) and researching online I learned several things I didn’t know about tea.

• Wire mesh used in strainers can rust and ruin tea
• Lime scale is an issue in electric kettles
• Longer steeping time does not make the tea better, it makes it bitter.
• Black tea should be used with boiling water. Therefore the tea cup or tea pot needs to be warmed so that the water doesn’t cool and ruin the flavor.

Designs coming soon! Until then, check out this cute little penguin timer that removes the tea bag so that the tea does not become bitter

Storyboard

Final Design Communications storyboard for HP computer concept.

USB Final Design

The final design for the Tiffany & Co. USB sticks. 4G in sterling silver with yellow quartz, 6G in white gold with green jade and diamonds, and 8G in platinum with carnelian and diamonds.

USB Exploration

Exploratory ideation for the Tiffany USB Family.

USB

Tiffany & Co. USB Sticks for Design Communications.

Good Design

Good design is beautiful. Good design elicits emotion. Good design is practical.

The Eva Solo Smiley bowl is an example of good design. The shape is beautiful, fun, and inviting. It elicits joy and provokes thought. It solves a problem in a clever yet functional way.

Ever host a party and find you have to collect everyone’s trash at the end of the night? A small solution to your problem is the Eva Solo Smiley bowl. Snacks, candy, and nuts can be placed inside while candy wrappers or nut shells can be placed on top.

If I were a busy hostess, the candy would go on top where it can be seen and eaten by the guests. This would also allow me to easily know, just by glancing at it, when to refill it. The trash would go inside so it is hidden from sight in the bowl and not on my counters or in my couch. This would also make it faster and easier to carry over to the trash can and dump without dropping wrappers. Alternatively, chips or veggies could go inside and dip on top.

If I had one, I would sometimes reverse the roles of the top and inside. For example, if I was not having a party, candy would go inside where it is hidden and somewhat protected from dust. Trash would go on top so I would know when to clean it off.

So much thought for one little bowl. I want one.

Inspiration and Designer Spotlight

Some of my favorite designers are Charles and Ray Eames. They worked on graphic design, art, architecture, furniture, exhibitions, and films. Their furniture inspires me to consider new materials and ways of thinking about products. Their films such as Powers of Ten remind me to look at the world through the eyes of a photographer and find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Check out Powers of Ten at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2cmlhfdxuY

Computer Research

Based on my research for my HP computer project I have identified several technologies which seem to be drivers for the next generation computer. Of these, three stand out.

• All-in-one computers offer the portability and space saving design of a laptop with the power and flexibility of a desktop.
  
• OLED flexible screens allow curved or foldable viewing surfaces. This could easily translate into large portable screens or sleek wearable computers.
  
• Projection is also emerging. Small portable projectors could replace large bulky ones in offices and homes. Projected keyboards allow characters on keys to be changed to accommodate several alphabets.

Teaser

Like what you see? Check out my portfolio at: http://www.uc.edu/propractice/ind_design/Wilson_Jessica_10.pdf.

Movie Trailers

Pirates of the Caribbean
1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7z74BvLWUg
2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkDimbvviCc&feature=related
3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXPDw_nh4KI&feature=related

These movie trailers act as good teasers because they create mystery and lay out the story without giving away the ending. Why do the pirates want the gold? What is in that chest? How are they going to get Jack back? While you are thinking about these questions, they quickly show pieces of exciting or interesting parts of the movie paired with dramatic music to grab your attention and make you want more.

A good teaser portfolio should do that. Build up suspense, create interest without giving away everything, and leave the viewer wanting more.

Brand Spotlight: KitchenAid

The brand pillars of KitchenAid are:

• timeless design
• easy to use performance
• quality you can feel

The KichenAid stand mixer is an excellent example of these brand ideals. KitchenAid brand products are used by professional chefs and housewives aspire to own them. If you watch Food Network, try to spot them on the chef’s counters or in use.

The stand mixer design is timeless: the design has changed very little since its debut in 1937. KitchenAid stand mixers are available in many colors and finishes to compliment any kitchen. The intuitive stand mixer is a time and labor saving tool. A plethora of interchangeable accessories is available for many uses. The motor head tilts back or the bowl lifts for easy access to its contents and the accessory. The metal bowl has an ergonomic handle. The KitchenAid stand mixer has superb craftsmanship and is assembled mostly by hand (How It’s Made featured it). Its durable, all metal construction is designed to last. Because it is metal, the stand mixer is heavy allowing it to stay in place and be very durable.

Check out KitchenAid products at: http://www.kitchenaid.com/

Portfolio Design

My current portfolio design is simple and straightforward. It is arranged in reverse chronological order. By using Illustrator to create my portfolio, I am able to quickly place pictures in my portfolio and use clipping masks. Storyboards and other Illustrator drawings can be placed, edited, and resized. I save each page individually so that my portfolio is modular. The modularity of my printed and digital portfolios allows me to pick projects appropriate to each job. I tend to move files around, backing them up on external hard drives throughout the quarter. Unlike placing files in InDesign, Illustrator pictures do not disappear when the source file is moved.

Two pages are dedicated to each project. The first page of each project shows a quick overview of the design process. It explains the problem and shows research, inspiration, sketches, early renders, and quick models. The second page highlights the final direction with final models, renders, and call outs. Headers and footers identify each page to give clear distinctions between projects. In some portfolios all the projects seem to blend together, and that bothers me. In digital portfolios, I also dislike when text and visual elements seem to jump with each page. My grids and guides allow me to keep these things consistently placed.

My portfolio is designed to give a quick overview of my abilities. For some of the more recent projects, I have process books which go further in depth.

This week I will be updating my portfolio and adding my light project from PreJunior year. I am always looking for ways to improve. Please feel free to take a look at my current portfolio and make comments. www.uc.edu/propractice/ind_design/Wilson_Jessica_10.pdf

The Wisdom of ID

Welcome to The Wisdom of ID. My name is Jessica Wilson and I am a 4th year Industrial Design Student at the University of Cincinnati. This blog was created for my Design Communications class to keep track of my thoughts about Design. Excellent idea. I have been looking for a better place to put those. :)

As for work experience, I have enjoyed two co-op quarters at Evenflo and two co-op quarters at Whirlpool. I had the opportunity to work on many interesting projects at both, but due to confidentiality agreements I am unable to share most of my co-op work with you. I can tell you that my major refrigeration project from Whirlpool last quarter is being sent to Streng Design for further development and brand differentiation. Models will be made from my ideas for usability testing early first quarter 2009.

My main goal for this quarter is to find a new co-op job. This is not because I didn’t like my previous job, but because I would like to take advantage of the opportunities that the UC co-op system offers and thus broaden my knowledge base. I would consider both Evenflo and Whirlpool for jobs after graduation in 2010. For Spring quarter co-op, I will be looking for a job at either a design firm or a corporation that lets me explore packaging and manufacturing processes. At both Evenflo and Whirlpool I was able to go on tours of the manufacturing facilities and gained valuable insights into manufacturing concerns.

Other goals for the quarter include improving my sketching, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Alias work.