Nate Olson

6 posts

Main Project Inspirations – Celtic Puzzle Box

March 8, 2023

Post 6: Main Project plans and inspirations 2023, Student Work

Since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated with puzzles and mechanical challenges – counterintuitive box openings, linkages, and physical brainteasers to solve have always been of interest to me. I would like to create my own puzzle box which can only be opened in a secret way, and I plan to have the main component of…

Admired Designer – Jeremy Fish

March 1, 2023

Nate Olson

Post 5: What designer do you admire? 2023

Jeremy Fish is an illustrator that I learned of due to his work with 303 Boards, a local skate shop in Boulder. Born in 1974, he has been commercially active as an artist since 2007, when he created a series of 40 pieces called “Seasons of Change” representing the four seasons. …

Musician’s Garden Report

February 22, 2023

Nate Olson

Post 4: Upcycle Design Report 2023

My inspiration for this project came from my love of music and retro styles, as well as my desire to implement nature and greenery into everyday objects and environments. I began creating my artifact by sketching concepts of what I wanted to produce and speaking with staff at the manufacturing resources around campus to determine…

Upcycling Progress Report – Succulent Garden

February 15, 2023

Nate Olson

Post 3: Upcycle progress report 2023, Student Work

As elaborated in my previous post, I am creating a succulent garden centered around upcycled music equipment and accessories and displaying a 70s aesthetic. After experimenting with molding records, I realized that full 12″ EP/LPs would be too large to comfortably fit inside any hole I could bore in the fretboard. I reached out to…

Upcycling – Succulent Garden

February 8, 2023

Nate Olson

Post 2: What is your Upcycling project aesthetic and why? 2023

My upcycling project will center around a music-themed succulent garden. The basin for the plants and soil will be a molded vinyl record with the label at the base. I have several scratched or otherwise damaged records with vintage 70s surf-style record labels which I plan to mold using a plastic cup and heat gun.…

Aesthetic Exploration – Blobject

February 1, 2023

Nate Olson

Post 1: Aesthetic Explorations 2023

A blobject is characterized by flowing curves and the absence of sharp angles or brutalist styles. They’re typically brightly colored and feature friendly childlike design. This style reached ultimate popularity in the early 2000s, especially with the rise of Apple iMac computers, which took a much different path than the boxy, gray, sharp Commodore 64…