Daniel Rankin

15 posts

Illuminated Branch Divider Final Report (Part 2)

May 1, 2016

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work

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…

Illuminated Branch Divider (Final Report Pt 1)

April 22, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work

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…

Rankin Progress Update 3

April 13, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Update Weds April 13 2016

This week, I spent some time cutting and gathering branches for the wall, then weaving them together out in the yard. I only got enough branches to make a single panel because I underestimated the number of boughs I would need, but I’m thinking I might end up just making one of these pieces instead of…

Rankin Progress Update 2

April 6, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Student Work, Update Weds April 6 2016

This week I’ve been spending a lot of time in the BTU lab, both helping setup streaming of some of our lab activities for ATLAS’ Twitch Creative stream, as well as working on some preliminary wiring of the lights. I’ve managed to get ahold of a couple of these small MOSFET controller boards that another…

20th Century Design Influence

April 3, 2016

Daniel Rankin

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

Early in my design studies, I was a die-hard modernist- bowing to the mighty power of grids and minimalism. I could have practically tattooed a big Helvetica “form follows function” on my forehead at that point. And although this aesthetic still figures heavily into the final project that I’m working on for this class, it’s far…

Rankin Progress Update

March 27, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Student Work

Up to now, I’ve essentially spent time prototyping IR motion sensors for the interactive features of this exhibit, and I’ve had basic success getting those to react and drive the illumination of a light. Now comes the actual fabrication, where I start building the casing and the exterior of the enclosure. I’m experimenting with a wood…

Rankin Top 5 Constraints

March 10, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016

No Comments

For this project, I have a lot to get done- I need to create the designs, build an interactive circuit, construct a couple of huge boxes, weave a bunch of branches together and then move it all to campus. Here are what I can see being my top 5 contraints/challenges to overcome. Time. With the…

Design Review Report – Reactive Branch Divider

March 4, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Main Project Design Review 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

For this project, I’ll be constructing a woven branch dividing wall that will be featured in the set of “Quantified Self”, a theatre production that some friends of mine are producing here at CU. The play takes place in a dystopian near future, and the aesthetic of the set is largely centered around something we’re…

Inspiration Post.

February 28, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Main Project Inspirations 2016, Student Work

For my project, I’m developing a dynamic, illuminated divider wall for a theatre piece that I’m a part of. I’ve been fascinated by the fusion of organic materials and technology for a while, and I’ve done some pieces along these lines in the past: lightnest- a reactive sound and light installation canopy- a big…

Danny R. Aspirations

February 21, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Aspirations 2016, ZZ 2016

I think I mentioned this in my skill sets post, but my background is pretty diverse, and it’s been a long road to the point where I have an idea what I might like to do after school. But here goes. I did my undergrad in Environmental Studies here at CU, and I focused primarily on sustainable…

Danny Rankin Skill Set Post.

February 14, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Skill Sets 2016, ZZ 2016

I’m Danny Rankin- a 1st year masters student in the ATLAS Institute’s Creative Technologies and Design program. Before starting my Masters, I worked as a software instructor for Apple- I have 6 years experience teaching software, specifically video editing with Final Cut Pro, audio engineering with Logic Pro, and design in Adobe Illustrator. I’m also an experienced…

Cardboard Hexagon Lamp

February 4, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Upcycle Project Report 2016

One of my primary gripes with most upcycling projects is that they often seem to leave behind just as much trash as there was before the project started- after sawing apart a bicycle, or stripping the components and plastic from some discarded tool just to use a component in the name of recycling, I thought I would…

Cardboard Hexagon Lamp

January 31, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Student Work, Upcycle Progress 2016, ZZ 2016

Is it weird if I have a thing for corrugated cardboard? Maybe it’s weird. I don’t know. Anyway, my goal for this project was a laser cut, cardboard light fixture. I’ve seen some interesting concepts that use a laser cutter to cut shapes out for a light assembly, and I felt inspired. That said, I…

Design Flowchart- Alpha Group: Warren, Shu, Rankin

January 25, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Design Loops 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

No Comments

The Aesthetic of Wes Anderson

January 20, 2016

Daniel Rankin

Aesthetic Explorations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

film, wes anderson

I love Wes Anderson films. Primarily, I love his aesthetic- regardless of which film you’re watching, you can always recognize his distinct style. Specific elements that I think underscore this. First, his shot and scene composition are super-intentional. Visual symmetry and balance are huge elements of each shot he constructs. This video from Vimeo user…