Portfolio

This semester in Aesthetics of Design, I learned how to choose an aesthetic and create a design based on my choice. In doing so, I grew my design skills significantly as I focused on both my Upcycle Project and later my Final Design Project. My Upcycle Project focused on using recycled materials to design and build a project that surrounded a chosen aesthetic. The project that I chose to build was a shop stand for my metal shrinker stretcher machine which would allow me to more easily form sheet metal. For this project, I incorporated a utilitarian aesthetic as I wanted to prioritize functionality of the design above anything else. After searching for recycled materials, I was able to source steel tubing and use SolidWorks to draft up a design.

Some challenges that I faced in this project included the sourcing of materials as a wanted to craft the stand from 2 inch by 2-inch box tubing. Smaller tubing would have struggled to create a rigid platform for my tooling, while tubing that was larger would sacrifice mobility in the design. Luckily, I was able to source some tubing from an individual on Facebook Marketplace that was scrapping steel from a previous project. After overcoming this challenge, the remainder of the project went very smoothly and I am very satisfied with my finished design. I ultimately decided that I would incorporate a finish coat of paint of the work stand to add to the finished look of the project.

My final endeavor in this class was the Final Main Project. For the topic of this project, I decided to design and machine a set of purpose-built front suspension uprights for my 1965 Ford Mustang Race Car utilizing an aerospace aesthetic. This aesthetic focuses on the incorporation of geometric shapes and patterning of components to reduce the overall weight of the design and maintain most of the strength.

The main challenge that I ran into during this project was the tight time constraints that I faced and difficulties sourcing materials for all of the components. Unfortunately, I was unable to source the steel needed to make some of the components. However, I was able to pivot and still complete this project by using 3D printed materials as a prototype for these specific components so that I could exhibit the product during Expo. In the upcoming months, I plan to return to this project and machine the remaining components from alloy steel. However, I am proud with the current project progress, and I am looking forward to seeing an operating system.

Links to Projects

Upcycle:

Shrinker/Stretcher Tool Stand Design – Aesthetics of Design

Main:

Race Car Uprights: Report Part 1 – Aesthetics of Design

Race Car Uprights: Report Part 2 – Aesthetics of Design