Monday, March 10, 2014

Beginning Photos

Bike Riding









We watch as she gets on her bike and then rides off away from me.

Eating







Watching Katie take a spoonful of her food.

Mask Peeling






We watch as she slowly peels off her mask.

Beach Pictures
Watching a person walk across the beach with the ocean in the background.

Summary of the Vessel Project


This project used the skills of an industrial designer. For me, I enjoyed the project becuase I like making things with my hands. The beginning was difficult for me because I didn’t know what type of design I wanted to use. I chose a geometric shape, which I knew once I got to the wood cutting part it would be difficult but I accepted that challenge. After the final model I made with cardboard, I went to the band-saw with cardboard. I didn’t get the exact shape of my original design as I was hoping for, but I liked the new shape it created. After the cardboard I bought my wood and then eventually began to cut the wood. The hardest part for me in this project was not cutting the wood but gluing it and having to clamp it down. The clamps were confusing and I never quite understood how to use them but I did my best. Overall, I felt my vessel was successful and met the requirements of what was asked.

Description of the Vessel Project


In this project, we were presented with the task of designing and creating our own sentimental vessel. The designing process was where we had to come up with multiple different ideas for the three objects we chose that are sentimental to us. From there we narrowed the nine design ideas we had into three designs and make a model of each of those. After the critiquing, we went right to the drawing board and modified our favorite/most dynamic model we had. Once we were okay’ed to go on we started our experimenting with the band saw using cardboard. This helped us get the feel of the machine and helped us decide whether our design was plausible on the band saw machine. The final steps of this project were to buy your wood, glue it up, and then start your cutting. Once the cutting of the box was finished, all you had left was the sanding and the finish primer.

Final Vessel


The finished product was a hexagonal shaped diamond that had an opening on top. The opening only fits a certain way on the box of because of the stopper so it won’t fall off. The shape symbolizes the uniqueness of my bracelet because diamonds themselves are all unique. The bracelets monogrammed heart makes this piece different then other Tiffany bracelets and I wanted the uniqueness to be shown through my vessel.



Band-Saw Experimenting


The band-saw was strange and awkward at first considering I’ve never used one before. After a while I started to get the hang of it and felt more comfortable with using it. Cutting the wood seemed easy to me and the overall cutting experience was positive for me and I would enjoy doing it again.



The Nature and Design of Aesthetics


When it comes to design, many people look for the “cheapest” way to make a new product. We often say “better” when we mean “cheaper.” Design seems to be set on limitations. A designer can present a shape to workman and they can make it for them but only with the given materials they have. The economy has had a major influence on design whether we may recognize it or not. Many techniques are taken into use when making a design piece. Techniques of altering materials, such as constructing, shaping, wasting, forming, and casting have been used when designing pieces out of certain materials. More techniques are used because most know, you can cut almost any shape out of a material and join anything to anything. Processing materials are the only way to extend the limitation on materials. Altering their properties, like hardening steel with heat or making fiber out of glass is processing materials but it is still rudimentary. For wood, the design of an object is endless. The restriction is the amount of wood we have. This ties to our project because we really have endless oppurtunities when working with wood. We can cut and shape the wood to any figure we want, it all just depends on the materials we were given in the first place.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Summary of Tim Brown's Video


Tim Brown, the speaker in this video, realized that design isn’t about making something beautiful and easier to use. He wanted to focus more on design thinking and not what you make from it. With design thinking, you are able to solve wayfinding. But since early design, design has grown bigger again. Designs important and works better when it is taken out of the hands of designers and put in the hands of everyone else. This helps to make a bigger impact on our world, not just the design world. Design works better though when building is used in order to think. Prototypes of design helps speed up the process. But in times of change we need new ideas. Questions are new choices so we need to start to ask the right questions.