ZZ 2016 – Aesthetics of Design

Aesthetic Explorations, Aesthetic Explorations 2020

Apple introduced changeable wallpaper beginning with system 7 for Mac OS, which was released in 1991, almost 30 years ago. Although the early versions of these wallpapers were very choppy and not aesthetically pleasing, they were unique and changeable, and they laid the framework for where the default wallpapers are now. Mac OS System 7…

Aesthetic Exploration: Crust Punk

January 22, 2020

Miles Radakovitz

Aesthetic Explorations, Aesthetic Explorations 2020, Student Work

Crust punk is a sub-genre of punk music made with acoustic instruments including but not limited to guitar, banjo, mandolin, washboard, washtub bass, or whatever else you could realistically transport easily while being homeless. Crust punk generally relies on the idea of complete rejection and disillusion with modern opulence and rebellion against traditional values. The…

Exploring Gears and Bolts/Steampunk Aesthetics

January 20, 2020

Joseph Knapp

Aesthetic Explorations, Student Work

For my upcycling project, I am exploring the steampunk/mechanical aesthetic. I have seen a couple examples of this online where sculptures are made out of scrape gears and parts. I am looking to do the same thing from bicycle scrapes I attained from old bikes that I have owned as well as scrape parts found…

Aesthetic Exploration 2020: Steve Jobs and Apple

January 18, 2020

Daniel Straub

It is possible that this post will be divisive in some way. The majority of my peers in engineering shun Apple computers either because of the price, the “weak” computer specs, or the inability to run certain softwares. Regardless, the aesthetic of Apple and the careful consideration put into its products is a big reason…

21 Aesthetics Game Redux: Timeline Engagement

March 20, 2017

Jean Hertzberg

Aesthetics Game, Course, Lecture notes

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016, Top 5 Constraints 2017, zy 2017

Today we had team time, including application of the major 20th and 21st century design movements to everyone’s project, and suggestions of other aesthetics in preparation for this week’s post. Students were also invited to the Zotero online library for the course. Make yourself a login at http://zotero.org, then request to join the AeDes group.…

Top 5 Constraints: Shipping Pallet Garden

March 8, 2017

Sofi Leroux

1) Materials: The most important constraint for this project is whether I can procure the correct materials. Hopefully, I can find a derelict shipping pallet, but if not, I’ll have to build it all out of wooden planks. I am confident in my wood working skills, so the latter would not be a huge issue.…

Top Five Constraints: Main Project

March 6, 2017

Oksana Schuppan

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016, zy 2017

apple, constraints, iPad, thinking inside the box

Currently, my top five constraints in the design of my final project are as follows: Constraint #1: I will use only neon colors; no purely primary colors. Constraint #2: I must design my hologram for an apple product. Constraint #3: I am limited in the size of my hologram by the size of the device…

Tyler, Sam, and Sophia’s Aesthetics of Design Game

May 5, 2016

Major Design Movements Aesthetics Game, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

For Our team’s aesthetic of design game categories were the modern style aesthetic and LAMPS. The essence of modern style is to use angular, geometric shapes with swooping curves, and simplicity. We know that there are other possible definition, but these were the key aspects of the design that we were trying to capture. The…

Erick Pena final report (Part 1 and 2) Bluetooth speakers

May 4, 2016

Erick Pena

Final Product Starting out with the cost of the project as seen in Table 1, the total price to complete this project came out to be a little over $160 dollar. My budget that I set out for this project was $150 dollar, but one thing to take into consideration is that I did not…

Spider Toy: Wednesday Update March 30th – Industrial Aesthetics

May 4, 2016

Impact of 20th Century design movements plus update Weds March 30 2016, Student Work

Just got back from spring break, and the project is coming along slowly. I went to McGuckins Hardware Store to collect several “solar powered hobby cars” to collect small plastic gears and metal parts to build a prototype of my design, and then salvage the parts for the final design. I also bought spring steel…

The “Electric” Hourglass: Final Report pt.2

May 4, 2016

Why and What’s Next? Much of my intention for this class was to construct pieces which were art in themselves. While, the electric hourglass does not function to serve any purpose other than visual art, I believe it conjures an interesting aesthetic space. The design is far-fetched in nature but provides depth for further contemplation.…

Spider Toy: Wednesday March 16th Update – Fabrication Timeline

May 4, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds March 16, 2016

The wind-up spider toy is off to a rocky start! There have been a few issues related to collecting my materials through online distributors, because some particular crucial components for building sets of 125 plastic gears only cost $13.oo but two months to ship from China. These gears would not arrive at my apartment until…

Fabrication Timeline

May 4, 2016

Update Weds March 16, 2016

For my design, I will need to fabricate both a wood structure for my hourglass and a light installation to go inside. As of now, I am not settled on the details of my light installation so I will focus on fabricating the wood base. Taking inspiration from traditional hourglass forms, I want the wood…

Nixie Clock | Case Update

May 3, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds April 20 2016, ZZ 2016

Boom! A block of the finest Silver Maple- so fresh, it’s still kind of damp, and has wax sealed sides! This was an unexpected extra step; I definitely wasn’t planning on having to spend time drying out (“seasoning”) my wood. This block was purchased from an exotic woods dealer online. I picked this silver…

Nixie Clock | Electronics Update

May 3, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds April 13 2016, ZZ 2016

Progress! After receiving all the parts, I spent 6 hours straight soldering. The board arrived blank, with a bag of components- all it took was some caffeine, and one late night! http://www.aesdes.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_2523.mp4 I’m really excited with how these turned out! While I was debating on a case at first, I’m really glad I decided to…

20th Century Design Influences

May 3, 2016

Impact of 20th Century design movements plus update Weds March 30 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

My project is heavily inspired by 20th Century Design Influences. I really wanted to mimic this modern look: Straight sides, sharp corners, constant finish- this is the goal of my nixie clock. I was very inspired by a lot of furniture from this era. This is another piece I really like: Simple…

Pre-Spring Break Aesthetics Game

May 3, 2016

Aesthetics Game, Major Design Movements Aesthetics Game

Dang! Didn’t see this up, so I wanted to add it to the Aesthetics Game section. Ashley Zimmer, Dennis Can, Yusen Ji, and I had “Post Modern” and “Office trash receptacle. These are the two designs we came up with! The right-side-up one is a curvey, three-piece set that nests together, and is made…

Ferrofluid Sculpture: Final Report part 2

May 2, 2016

Background and What’s To Come I chose to pursue this project because of my overwhelming fascination with ferrofluid. It is such a unique liquid that typically is used in automotive applications where normal oil will not hold. The magnetic attribute gives it an advantage in industrial applications, and a pleasing look. I wanted to take…

Ferrofluid Sculpture 4/13

May 2, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds April 13 2016

I have spent the past week attempting to make the ferrofluid glass encasing completely sealed so the ferrofluid has no chance to leak (that would be bad). It has turned out to be a significantly more difficult process then i originally thought. The silicone sealant I am using requires at least 12 hours to cure,…

Ferrofluid Sculpture: Fabrication Timeline

May 2, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds April 6 2016

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Fortunately, my project does not involve too much machining. I will be able to get away with a few laser cuts and 3D printed parts. The only complicated fabrication piece will be cutting the glass encasing. Below is a layout of my current schedule for fabrication and assembly. 14 February – Acquire and test ferrofluid…

Alcohol Stove Final Report Part 2

May 1, 2016

Kenzy O'neill

Why and What’s Next? I began this project with the intent to build a minimalist styled alcohol stove and for the most part I would say I achieved my goals. I started with the idea of making a stove that had a built in pot stand, variable temperature control and some sort of external fuel…

Alcohol Stove Final Report Part 1

May 1, 2016

Kenzy O'neill

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Introduction I created an alcohol backpacking stove following a minimalist aesthetic. The stove uses denatured alcohol for fuel, features legs which function as a built in pot holder, and has a “simmer ring” to control temperature. Concept The general concept of how this style of stove works is illustrated well by these two images.…

20th Century Design Movement: Mysticism

May 1, 2016

Impact of 20th Century design movements plus update Weds March 30 2016

While thinking of a design movement to report on, I wanted to choose one that reflected the aesthetic intent of my project. I had difficulty narrowing down the aesthetic of my project since it is meant to create a more personal experience than convey a certain aesthetic. However, if I had to decide upon a…

Progress Update 4/13–The “Electric” Hourglass

May 1, 2016

Update Weds April 13 2016

As mentioned in my last update, my initial concepts of incorporating a plasma globe or electric arc were dissuaded against by Tim May. Moving forward, I am now focusing on creating a light display through use of a centralized object and light source. I intend for the central element to produce an interesting ambient lighting…

Illuminated Branch Divider Final Report (Part 2)

May 1, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

In my previous post, I described the process I took to bring this project to completion. It involved the design and assembly of a number of different pieces, and helped me grow my skills in woodworking, electronics and painting. But aside from seeking to sharpen these skills (and complete the assignment for class), I had…

Final Report 2 Longboard

May 1, 2016

Sophia Glik

The final product, as you can see, is a custom made longboard, optimized for cruising. Aesthetically, the board maintains a classic beach wood look with curvyness. This is both designed as a functional athletic piece of technology and as an art piece. Moving forward, this board will make its way to New York City/…

Link to ‘Lazy Susan Kitchen Device’ final report

April 30, 2016

Alex Peters

Student Work, ZZ 2016

Lazy Susan Kitchen Device (LSKD) I am not sure if this is needed or not, but here is a link, just in case you need help finding my page.

Wind Chimes in C Major Final Report Part 1

April 29, 2016

Jacob Mccormick

Introduction: For my final project, I created a set of wind chimes played tuned to play notes in C major. I felt that I could mold a set of wind chimes into the aesthetic that I wanted, specifically a mix of engineering and naval aviation. To accomplish this aesthetic I wanted to use an…

Thundercloud Final Report Part 2

April 29, 2016

Elizabeth Whitman

Inspired by nature I tried to create a piece that accurately mimicked a thundercloud. Much like the organic design movement took inspiration from different aspects of nature. I think the results were successful. At expo, the light fixture was received well by the public! Many comments were made about how realistic the lightning flashes…

Road Worn Speaker Guitar (Why and What Next)

April 29, 2016

Ethan Gehring

Looking back over my posts from the start of this project to the end there is a very clear connection and for the most part I accomplished what I set out to do. This project began with inspiration. For me it was images of guitars being smashed and burned as well as those with custom modifications.…

Bladeless Fan Final Report Part 2

April 29, 2016

Brandon Boiko

Description Just as a brief recap to my project, I created a 3D printed bladeless fan. The design is inspired off of the Dyson fans, but on a smaller scale. My product was designed to be handheld, and portable. One of the major design aspects of my product is the removable head. I wanted the…

Personal Tattoo Machine – Final Report Part II

April 28, 2016

Joseph Graff

Overall, I was fairly pleased with the final product that I was able to produce. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, in terms of what I thought I was capable of producing the first time around, but I have a lot of notes to take forward with me when I do decide to…

Infinity mirror final project report: part 2

April 28, 2016

Yusen Ji

Why this project? I didn’t have a lot of experience with electronics in the past. So I think it might be a good chance for me to play with some electronics in this class. So, making an infinity mirror becomes a great choice for me. Public reaction A lot of people are attracted by this…

Barn Door Report – Part 2

April 28, 2016

Laura Bonney

The barn door likely would never have happened if not for this class. In our day-to-day lives there are always things vying for our attention – classes, family, homework, housework, and work-work; not to mention all the things we do on the side to have a well-balanced fulfilling life: exercise, reading for fun, time with…

How Its Made: Desktop Radial Engine

April 28, 2016

Brendan Warren

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

My journey to building a desktop radial engine was a challenging one, but one I am very happy I completed. I went into this project with very limited machining skills and only classroom knowledge of design for manufacturability and assembly. I knew the aesthetic I wanted to achieve, but doing it through new mediums would…

The future of the Carboner

April 28, 2016

Albert Como

Final Project Report Continued: Why and What next? Reflection on the semester. Compare your original project intent to what you ended up with. How did the public react? What did you learn from your project, and from the class? What will you do next with the project? What do you wish you had done differently?…

Desktop Radial Engine: Reflection

April 28, 2016

Brendan Warren

Ultimately I was very happy with the result of my project. While it had its up and downs, as with any project of this magnitude, the end result was something I was truly proud of. I was able to get much more out of this project than I had initially expected and have found a…

Surreal Stirling Engine Final Report (Part 2)

April 28, 2016

Nicholas Flood

engine, stirling, surreal, surrealism, whale

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Looking back on the project, there are a few things that I’ve learned. It turns out that I really enjoy working with clay. It is soothing and relaxing, and being able to see something take shape in 3D is exciting. I also gained a lot more experience with 3D printing, especially with trouble-shooting. I really…

From Fists and Steel to Jungle Bicycle Part 2

April 27, 2016

Daniel Moody

aesthetics, bamboo, bamboo bicycle, bike, bikes, Dan, Daniel Moody, Moody

I initially set out to make a café racer style bicycle, using among other things the Joe Lewis Detroit fist as my inspiration. After spending quite a bit of time in my friend’s shop trying to perfect my welding skills, I bailed on this idea. I did not feel confident enough welding the thin walled…

Sand Frame: Final Project Report Part 2

April 27, 2016

Aly Badran

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

fluid, frame, Sand, wood

I am really happy with how my project turned out. Finally the long hours of prototyping payed off. I think people at the expo liked my project. I am glad I build a wooden frame to go around the glass it really made a difference. What it means? I thought of what this means for a while…

Macro Music Box – What’s Next

April 27, 2016

Mathew Tabor

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Overall, I’m very satisfied how the project turned out, though if I were to do it again I’d definitely do a few things differently. First, I’ll focus on what I think was accomplished in the current version. Functionality The music box plays, and even plays a tune, though not very loudly. I learned…

Mechanical Jewelry Final Report: Part 2

April 27, 2016

Katie Hortik

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Why this project? My love for art began many years ago when I took my first jewelry class as a freshman in high school. I considered going to art school because I got a full ride scholarship. Because this class offered so much freedom, I knew from the start I wanted to do jewelry. I…

Borderlands Digital Display: Lessons Learned

April 27, 2016

Dennis Can

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

The journey of designing and manufacturing this digital display was both frustrating and time consuming, but there were a lot of good lessons taken away despite the troubles. Wanting to pursue a cheaper option for manufacturing but also wanting to learn a new fabrication technique, I found tutorials online on how prop makers work their…

Desk Garden Final Report Part 2

April 27, 2016

Ashley Zimmerer

desk, garden, modern, planter, plants

The desk garden is currently a nice addition to my desk. I made it because I like plants and wanted to start keeping some. My desk is a little bare, so the desk garden livens it up. Originally, I thought I would use a square footprint and that the planter would have an overhead watering…

LED Orb Final Report Part 2

April 27, 2016

Shawn Sprinkle

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

When I started this project I had a pretty good idea what I wanted my final product to look like and what kind of experience I wanted the viewers to have. It’s supposed to be cool, fun, entrancing, and interactive. At this point in the process I’m sad to say that the product is still…

Honda Cafe Racer Final Report Part 2: Moving Forward

April 27, 2016

Chad Alvarez

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Overall I am extremely pleased with my final design for this class. Building a bike is extremely time consuming though, especially without the proper tools and garage, so I wasn’t able to finish it to my final desire. This was expected though and I believe I did enough to change the overall aesthetic of the…

Wine Knife Final Report pt. 2

April 27, 2016

Ryan Yankowsky

During the expo the Wine Knife was displayed, and the comments were generally positive, there were some sharp corners and potentially hazardous edges that will round out with use, as well the material selection for the foil knife was a concern, 6061 aluminum is a bit soft for a blade, however as a prototype the…

Sami’s Final Report Part 2

April 27, 2016

Samantha Maierhofer

When I first started this project I had a very strong idea of what experience I wanted the viewer to have. Throughout the process of creating this piece of art, the actual design has changed multiple times, but the original intent has always stayed the same. When I set out on the project I had…

Why Carbon Fiber Short Board and What’s next?

April 27, 2016

Gardner Nichols

Carbon Fiber Longboard, Gardner Nichols

I originally wanted to explore the construction of carbon fiber spoilers and splitters on race cars. I thought a fun way to do this would be to build a skateboard using a similar construction method. This project served to practice my carbon fiber fabrication skills, which I’ll definitley be using more in the future. After…

Final Project Report #1: Wind-UP Spider Toy

April 27, 2016

Student Work, Update Weds April 20 2016

INTRODUCTION: This is the first part of my final report blog, and it will cover my inspiration behind the design, explain the aesthetics in greater detail, walk through the dynamic components of the spider toy’s drive train, fabrication of the overall design, and the mishaps that happened along the way. The purpose of this report…

Final Project Report, Part 2: Glass Writing Boards

April 26, 2016

Matthew Sturm

Reflection Overall, I believe that the two best things about going through the experience of this project were getting practice at thinking creatively and solving problems. No aspect of this project had an easy answer and it was up to me to find a solution that would work. Sometimes these answers were harder than others…

Light Up Pearl: Final Design Report Part 2

April 26, 2016

Elyse Skinner

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

final, LED, light, pearl, report, street

I believe I accomplished the main intent I was going for with this project, but it didn’t turn out aesthetically exactly how I had envisioned it to. This was due to a combination of lack of skills and money. I had very ambitious goals for this project and wanted to create/design something I had never…

Final Report MIDI Drum Pad (aka Koala 1)

April 26, 2016

Jakob Oreskovich

Inspiration I really like making music in Ableton Live. I’ve wanted to buy some MIDI drum pads for a while to use when making music, but I haven’t been able to justify the cost. So, I decided to make my own (hopefully for a fraction of the cost). When I began work on the MIDI…

Fiber Optic Chandelier Final Post Reflections

April 26, 2016

Brittany Warly

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Reflections: Simple is better: I really struggled with my Arduino code for a few weeks trying to get the sensor to work. I kept on adding more into the code, running it, and then the problems only seemed to add up. What worked out better was to first take a step away from the project,…

A Few Videos

April 26, 2016

Jean Hertzberg

Course, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Here are videos of a few of the class projects presented at the Engineering Design Expo last Saturday, April 23 2016, and at the ATLAS Expo, April 27:

Infinity Mirror Clock Final Report Part 2

April 26, 2016

Rachel Grosskrueger

I really liked the pace of this project. Whenever I had enough free time I could devote hours to working on this project then set it aside for a while once my other classes started to require the majority of my time. This down time gave me the opportunity to reflect on my current progress…

Run Ralphie Run: A Mechanical Buffalo (Final Report Part 2)

April 25, 2016

Sreyas Krishnan

How did it turn out? Overall, I’m pretty ecstatic with how this project turned out. Amazingly, my scope and vision turned out to be nearly identical to my initial idea and conceptual design. However, the way that I executed that vision (internal components) turned out to be quite a challenge and rather unexpected. I ended up…

Update 4/27/2016 LSKD (Lazy Susan Kitchen Device)

April 25, 2016

Alex Peters

Student Work, ZZ 2016

My project was a Modern kitchen appliance; it is supposed to be both functional, and aesthetically pleasing. People should like at it and think that it looks like it would be nice to have in the kitchen not only because it holds spices and paper-towels, but also because it has a Modern look to it; thus…

Thundercloud Final Report Part 1

April 25, 2016

Elizabeth Whitman

Introduction I created a thundercloud light fixture. It contains many LEDs that flash randomly like lightning. It is made to hang from a ceiling. I was inspired to create a light fixture that mimicked something in nature. Materials Polyfiber pillow stuffing LEDs 100′ 22 AWG White Wire Arduino UNO Mux Shield II Small breadboard…

Final project part 1

April 24, 2016

Yusen Ji

Project description I decided to make an infinity mirror because it can not only give me some chances to playing with some electronics but also creating some really cool optical effect after finishing this project.Why can the infinity mirror creates “tunnel” effect? The secret is that the infinity mirror actually contains two mirrors with different transmissivity…

Final Report: Ferrofluid Sculpture

April 24, 2016

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, Update Weds April 20 2016, ZZ 2016

First Impression The goal behind the ferrofluid sculpture was to have it capture people’s attention. The way ferrofluid moves around a magnetic field has a certain appeal to the human eye due to its ability to flow and transform shape. Using an all glass case would add a sharp edge to the display by making…

LED Orb Final Report Part 1

April 24, 2016

Shawn Sprinkle

Description The LED Orb is a device that spins three LED’s (one red, one green, one blue) at very high speeds in three different axis with varying flash rates to create a cool light effect. I was inspired to make this after I saw a video (linked in the references below) of the first LED…

Neo Parasol – Completed Project Update (4/20)

April 24, 2016

Rena Yang

Somehow I forgot to post this, so here we go! The last and final update! Now that all of the lace and brown dye have been applied to the parasol, all that is left is painting on the design. However, testing the lace with extra scrape lace showed that I would not be able to…

Backlit Panorama Final Report: Part 1

April 24, 2016

Roshan Misra

Introduction This project I chose to do was a backlit panorama. I wanted this project be reminiscent of a static art piece which would slowly over time change lighting in the background. This report serves to discuss the more technical details of this project. Inspirations The inspirations for this project come from a variety of…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Final Report Part 2

April 23, 2016

Thomas Brunsgaard

Results Despite demoing the project at the design expo, I was unable to get the levitation audio visualizer to work as originally intended. The original idea for the levitation audio visualizer was to read in audio and change the height of levitating ping pong balls/color of lights to visually display the music. Although I was able to get the audio…

Bladeless Fan Final Report Part 1

April 23, 2016

Brandon Boiko

Recap I am building a bladeless fan, similar to the Dyson fans but on a smaller scale and it is wireless and handheld. The whole frame will be 3D printed. The head piece will be removable and different designs will be made. Progress My prints have come completed and I am quite happy with the…

Illuminated Branch Divider (Final Report Pt 1)

April 22, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work, Update Weds April 20 2016, ZZ 2016

The divider wall is complete, and has been installed in the ATLAS Black Box theatre for the production run of Quantified Self. I am pleased. Here is a report of the process. After presenting my initial plan for the construction of this project at our PDR, I set to work on modeling the major wood…

Desk Garden Final Report Part 1

April 21, 2016

Ashley Zimmerer

I made a desk garden. I wanted to work with water, plants, and light, and while it took me a very long time to settle on something, I finally did. I want a nice looking, modern planter for my desk. Here’s an image of the CAD for my final design. I really didn’t want to make…

Surreal Stirling Engine Final Report (Part 1)

April 21, 2016

Nicholas Flood