20th Century Design Movements
After looking into a number of 20th century design movements I feel as though I have a more clear goal as to how I want my finished jewelry box to look. There were two 20th century design movements that really helped narrow down what design I wanted to incorporate into my project, and those design…
Bear Spray Light Presentation
My presentation video can be seen here! https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3PYkaDeD-Z6eWxkWVB2aU4zNG8
Main Project Presentation: Laser Cut and Etched Nightstand
Laser Cut and Etched Nightstand
32 Wrapping Up
Hi. I’ll try to collect all of the end-of-semester details here, in rough chronological order. Make a post for Monday 4/24 with your project name as the title. This will be a placeholder for your presentation video only, so your pod can comment on your presentation regardless of the state of your final blog…
31 Design Awards
Today we finished our discussion of contemporary designers by looking at Steve Jobs and Jonny Ive, and their shared design philosophy. Then we broke into groups to sift through a variety of design competitions, looking at the winners. 31 Design Awards
Final Project Presentation: Bamboo Fly Rod
This was the video of my final presentation for Aesthetics of Design. For the project, I built a bamboo fly rod by hand, in an effort to convey a “naturalist” aesthetic as a tribute to the craftsmen and early pioneers of the sport.
Ben Fried Presentation: Chess Board
Please see this link for my presentation: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3ZZBmiuULbENko0MkcweXRJd1E
Rick Totem Presentation
This post serves as a place to store comments about the Rick Totem presentation, which can be found in the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2I-NXqB9Y
End-of-Semester Final Portfolio Template
Hello everyone! I would like to provide a written explanation to be used as a reference for creating the final summary portfolio for your project. What you can expect from reading this is how to create portfolio (not a post), apply a template, and some of the available features for customization. This is simply a…
30 Current Designers: Hadid, Pagani, Jobs
We are all done with sketching instruction. Now it’s up to you. Notice what you are seeing around you, and practice! Today we looked at the work of Zaha Hadid (‘Queen of Curves’), Horacio Pagani and Steve Jobs. In Jobs’ case we were able to talk about early influences and how they were expressed as…
29 Current Designers: Stewart, Rashid, Lovegrove, Behar
Today we looked at how to represent metal in sketches; neutral, desaturated colors and fake reflections, suggesting a photography studio environment. We also looked at the work of a range of current designers: Martha Stewart – what is unique about her work? Organized clutter! Karim Rashid’s biomorphic shapes Ross Lovegrove: Captain Organic. Rejects biomorphism/blobism/consumerism, but…
28 Glass sketching and Phillipe Starck
Today we looked at how to represent glass in sketches; show something inside the glass, show its refractive effect, its shadow and glossy surface. Then we started discussing current designers; who comes to mind. Just a few from students: Martha Stewart Dyson Apple; Jonny Ive Elon Musk David Kelly IDEO/Stanford D-school Martha Stewart and Jonny…
Final Stretch: LED Heartrate Monitor
At this point, I have received all of the parts in the mail, and have started putting everything together. The step was to do quality control. I started by hooking up the Arduino UNO R3 and make sure I had proper connectivity. After properly configuring the simulated com port, I struggled to get a connection.…
Shipping Pallet Garden: Final Stretch Progress
Currently, I am a little behind schedule but not by much. As of today, I have finalized the design, purchased and stained all the lumber, and built all 6 flower boxes. Below are three sketches: the first displays the overall design, and the other two, on the piece of wood, included calculations and the exact…
Final Stretch: Bed Stand
Hello readers, I have fallen behind on my final project but for what its worth I did really well on my midterms last week. The thing is I sacrificed working on this project to study for some applied math classes. Any how, I have purchased the wood for my bed stand. That’s all I’ve done.…
Final Stretch: Vanity Mirror
Time has gotten away from me a little bit on this project. I need to get going on this again! I have been researching ways to mount my mirror in a really sturdy way, however I have really strict rules about hanging stuff on the walls of my apartment. I also will be moving out…
20th Century Design Movements: Upside Down Fish Tank
I explored a few of the 20th Century Design movements both on the fish tank portion and the drawer portion of my project. I wanted to keep the functionality of my project for both the drawer and the fish tank. To keep the upside down aesthetic as well as a new aesthetic is quite challenging.…
Design Loop Reality | Cardboard Lamp
Above is my design loop reality. In retrospective, I should have gone to the laser cutter first to see the approved materials list. Waiting until the last minute put me in a bind and although I am happy with the final product I believe that the design could have been more elaborate with the aid of…
Final Stretch Progress | Gear Clock
I have made a lot of progress on my final project. I would project that I am 90% complete with the project and plan on completing the remaining 10% this upcoming weekend. CAD model was finalized and all dimensions were finalized Material was purchased and parts were cut using the laser cutter Parts were assembled…
Final Stretch: Tori Herfert, Lazy Susan
For my project, I have already stained the wood and carved out the certain design and aesthetic I wanted to have on the wood. I will be finishing the project today or tomorrow by assembling the wood top to the turn table. I then will add the bucket and try and see how many different…
Construction Timeline
For my project a number of things must happen to build the jewelry box of quality I hope to achieve. First I must create a CAD of the box so that the cutting process will go smoothly. Once the CAD is done I will move onto cutting the wood in the Idea Forge makerspace. Drawings…
Top 5 Constraints
After some thought I have come to the conclusion that my jewelry box will not be as easy to build as I previously thought. Here is a list of 5 constraints I will have to consider while constructing my box: Time: Although we do have a number of weeks to work on and finish the…
Skills and Aspirations
As a 22 year old ready to graduate from CU Boulder with a major in Mechanical Engineering I have acquired a number of skills related to the major. The department I have the most skill in is probably manufacturing, and this is because I was the Manufacturing Engineer for my groups Senior Design project. Along…
Final Stretch: Wine Coffee Table
I have purchased almost all of the materials I will need to finish my wine inspired coffee table. I purchased a very nice, light colored coffee table from goodwill for only $20. The table was measured and then disassembled into pieces for further fabrication. I am currently in the process of converting two wine boxes…
Final Stretch: Jewelry Box
I hit a bit of a predicament. As I entered the wood shop on Friday to being working on my jewelry box I first spoke to Marc in the ITLL to ask him a quick question. It was at that point that he informed me that the wood I have purchased was not going to…
Final Stretch: Bamboo Fly Rod
Thus far the bamboo fly rod is coming together well but has not been without it’s hiccups and learning curves. It has been a unique opportunity to learn about how true craftsmen employ carefully acquired techniques to fabricate rods properly, and how I am comedically under-skilled to achieve the same success. However, if at first…
Final Stretch Nightstand
As of today, I have acquired all the materials needed for my project. This includes the wood siding, 2×4’s, drawer slides, and screws. All that I need to do now is to cut and assemble the wood. I have all the laser cut designs finished on Rhino3D and I’ve scheduled a time to cut for…
Final Stretch: Candle Holder
According to my plan on implementing the project I am happy with the progress so far, I have been able to get a 3D printer once to make the base of my candle. I have also acquired all the necessary materials. The following are the things left to finish the project: Finalizing Pattern designs on…
Final Stretch Progress: Origami PopUp Book (Main Project)
I really need to get going on my book. April hit me like a brick wall, but I finally have a lot of time to finish my project. I purchased and gathered all of my final materials, as well as practiced marbling the paper. I left my practice pages at my parent’s home, so unfortunately…
Project Aesthetics Compared to 20th Century: Origami Pop-Up Book
I think my final book will have a very symbolic aesthetic, as it is difficult to create fine details with origami. Simple shapes and colors will represent places, people, and things. For this blog post, I played around with different aesthetics for my project. To start things off clean and simple, I portrayed the book…
Final Stretch: standing desk
Hi everyone, This is a quick update on how my standing desk building is going. this is what I’ve done so far: I’ve bought most of my materials: cement, cement support, wood, stain, mechanical parts, desk top I’ve put the wood base of the table together (a new development, I’ve decided that it might fall…
Final Stretch Progress: Japanese Jewelry Box
Final cuts on wood pieces At this time I have made it nearly all the way through the construction of the box. I have completed cutting each side of the box to the correct size using a handsaw and sanded each of them down using a power sander. It is a bit difficult to see…
Final Stretch: Upside Down Fish Tank
I am almost done with the project, about 80% of the way. The fish tank part took me a long time as the curing time for acrylic glue takes 24 hours to reach 90% strength. After building the fish tank for the first time, it started to leak so I had to repair it. The…
27 Chairs: Eames Lounge, Monobloc, and Beyond
Did some sketching; how to represent a glossy vs a matte surface. Watched a video about making the Eames lounge chair as an example of organic design that blends the production process with the ‘good host’ chair aesthetic. Contrasted the Eames lounge chair at $5000 with the Monobloc plastic chair at $12. 27 Chairs Eames…
Final Stretch: Levitation Stand
For those of you who are unfamiliar with my project, I’m building a levitation stand that uses like poles of magnets to repel another magnet and give the appearance of levitation. I’m actually completely finished with the “meat” of the project, that is I got the magnets to work together to repel another magnet and…
Final Stretch: Chest
Over the past 2 week I have been trying different methods to shape the chest but have run into some problems. I have been trying to make the box more curvy and flowing but the material I am using does not naturally allow for that to happen. I tried thermoforming the material back home in…
Final Stretch Progress: Rick Totem
I estimate that the project is approximately 80% complete overall. I am about 90% done with the stuffed Rick figure, and only need to attach his shoes, and make his hair (out of distressed yarn). I have completed about 90% of the electrical components, having created a majority of the fixtures that will be mounted to the…
Final Stretch: Boat Tank Aesthetic
I have completed the boat and integrated it into the fish tank. The boat is held in the center of the tank with fishing line. The line is tight enough to ensure the boat stays about in the center of the tank, but has enough slack to let the boat move with the “waves” of…
Final Stretch Progress
Right now I am on the second iteration of the backpack, but the first iteration that is fully functioning. I really like how this version turned out, but need to change how the straps attach to the bottom of the backpack and possibly the make it a little longer. Here are some photos of it.
Construction Time Line
I have already made two versions of the backpack (including the prototype), but I want to make two more before expo. Here is a list of the tasks I need/want to do before the design expo and when I expect to have them done. Backpanel w/ foam inlay design – April 15th Laptop sleeve design…
Final Stretch: Windmill
For the remaining time left to work on my project, I will have to assemble the fan blade section and configure the windmill so that the air will rotate the fan blades. This will be done by building a rotational mechanism on the top of the base of the windmill and designing the blades in…
20th Century Design Movement Comparison – Levi Caffes
For casting my design in three other aesthetics, I focused on changing the front pocket design to incorporate other aesthetics. The three aesthetics I used were Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and a turtle’s shell. The art deco design was inpired by a pattern I found while doing research. The pattern was a matrix of diamonds…
Final Stretch Progress: Studio Website & Podcast
So there’s good news, great news, and “pending” (please refer to my Construction Timeline post)… The good news is that I’ve been able to set up contributors to my page for the Op-Eds and Reviews portion of my page. My brother works in Denver and is extremely well-spoken, so it will be great to have…
Final Stretch Progress: Bear Spray Light
This past week, I was able to finalize the solidworks design and 3D print the design. Although the 3D print didn’t have the finish I was hoping for due to its complexity, it does fit the bear spray bottle curvature. Next steps, now that I have time, will be to start thinking about the circuitry…
Final Stretch: MoonSkate
For the last few weeks of the semester, I plan on fabricating my project and making adjustments as necessary. My next steps include: Applying Mod Podge and paper to exterior of plastic bin Painting paper in a graffiti aesthetic Wrapping elastic bands through footstraps Wrapping elastic bands around plastic bin Applying LED lighting strips to…
Final Stretch: Trebuchet
Based on the timeline I set up for my project, I should have acquired all the materials by now, which I have, and should be able to complete my construction by this weekend. I think I am poised to get my construction done according to my timeline unless run into any design issues. I think…
Final Stretch: Checkmate
The chess board is in the initial stages of the build. I have acquired the wood, brought it to the Makerspace, and have started to build my product. I began by inspecting the maple and walnut wood for any imperfections, ensuring it would suffice for my chessboard. Next, I verified my drawings with an external…
Final Stretch: Heat Colored/Anodized Butterfly Knife
The semester is almost wrapped up and there is only a little left to do in my project. 1 – One more test on techniques 2 – Pick final color(s) 3 – Assemble and present
Final Stretch: Steampunk River Cottage
I’m making good progress on the final artifact. I have obtained nearly all necessary materials and just need to get welding. Pros: Structural material is in Good idea of how I will assemble the structure Have all tools necessary for assembly Cons: Still have to cut material to size Still have to order servo w/…
Final Stretch: Solar System Lamp
The end over the semester is approaching very fast. It will be a race against the clock to get everything assembled. The biggest items left are as follows, Finish machining parts: I should be able to complete this by the end of next week. If somthing doesnt work out then I will be 3d printing…
Final Stretch: Zoetrope
I have finished the sketching and designing part of the project and have procured all the materials that I would need for my project. 8 inch diameter tube High density foam boards. Paints DC motor Arduino I am all set to start working on it this Thursday and Friday in the IdeaForge Makerspace. I will…
Final Stretch: Perpetual Motion Machine
This semester is coming down to the final few weeks and it is very busy, but also exciting. I am making progress on my project, but there are pros and cons. Pros I have most of my materials, wood, tools, and base I have a final sketch for the design The design can be me…
Final Stretch: Jon Nelson
Currently the programming and design for the sensor on SolidWorks is complete. I’m having a few issues with the calibration on the heartbeat sensor (it is not taking in every beat for some reasons, possibly due to where I place the sensor or with the transceiver). I still need to 3D print the case, which…
Final Stretch: Heart Rate LED
Final BOM The bill of material is 100% complete. After some initial testing, it appears that everything I initially purchased will work as intended. Electronic Assembly The electronics are almost fully assembled. The LEDs still need to be wired to a relay, but the relay clicks in synch with my heartbeat. Testing Testing has been…
Construction Timeline: Saxaphone
To this point I have stayed close to the schedule that I wanted to keep for my project. However I am very busy and my schedule will be hectic for the last 4 weeks of time for the project so I want to space my work out evenly over this time. week 1: Obtain all…
Final Stretch: Saxaphone
My project is going well. I have my final sketch imported into coral draw and ready to be laser cut into the wood that I am using for the instrument body. The pros of my progress is that I am on track with my schedule and have the materials that I need for the remainder…
Final Stretch: Smart Mirror
I am nearing completion on my project right about now. I have configured Magic Mirror to run on a raspberry pi and have already de-bezeled a monitor to use for this project. This weekend I am planning to create the frame out of wood which should only take a few hours. With the frame complete…
Final Stretch
For the final stretch, I still have a fare amount of work left to do. I have all the CAD designs done and the wood picked out. Some of the pieces have been cut, but I still have more cutting that needs to be done. I also still have laser cutting that I would like…
Final Stretch Progress: Rotary Candle Holder
It is nearly crunch time! But honestly, this project is in a pretty good place right now. I worked on it quite a bit before break because I knew the next few weeks would be hectic in all my other classes as well. Last I worked on it, I finalized my sketch and prototype and…
Top Five Constraints
For my project, I have a very clear picture of what I want it to look like and function like. I plan to pursue the vision I have and perfect it down to the inch. However, I know that will be difficult. My top five constraints are: Tool usage: I don’t know exactly how I…
Final Stretch Progress: Dummy Calf
The end of the semester is sneaking up on me faster than I am ready for. I still have some work I need to o on this project. The last of my parts are coming in on Friday, and then I will have this weekend to piece them all together. My to-do list looks like…
Final Stretch Progress
I havde yet to actually put my final game board together, but I will be doing that this weekend. My main progress so far has focused on what went wrong in the prototype and what I want to improve. This includes : Making dice a middle bar wide enough to hold the pieces perfecting the…
Construction Timeline
For my project, I am building a dummy roping calf out of PVC pipe. I haven’t constructed things out of PVC pipe before, but I think I will be able to get the hang of it pretty quick. However, I would say that working with it is a known unknown. I’m sure I will run…
Final Stretch Progress
Progress The project is on-track with a lot of action items to complete. The design has been finalized. Materials have been ordered and/or researched. Actions to complete: Building the project Receiving materials Purchasing materials Aesthetics Presentation Report
Final Stretch Progress: Electric Longboard
I am really excited for this project and have almost finished ordering parts (waiting to hear back from a couple of eBay vendors) and I have finished removing all the paint and graphics from the main deck of the longboard. I can’t wait to paint it! Here’s a picture of it before and after. I…
Construction Timeline: Electric Longboard
Hi all, This is my Gantt chart for the electric longboard build! I am really excited to move forward with the build! I have purchased most of the parts for it. I have decided to not paint the back till I complete the construction and assembly of the electronic part of the longboard since that…
