Student Work

I enjoy indulging in YouTube in my free time, where I came across several puzzle box videos. I took an interest mainly in Japanese puzzle boxes, because I enjoyed the overshadowed precision behind every box. As I delved deeper into the history of the puzzle box, I noticed that form the very first puzzle boxes…

For my final project, I decided to create something that I would keep for a long time. Since I play and stream for the Call of Duty Esports team here at CU, I decided to make a neon sign of my username so that I could use it as decoration in my room.  On the…

If you’ve been following along with my posts, you will know by now that I wanted to create bikepacking bags for my final project. If you are unfamiliar, bikepacking bags are bags that attach to your bike frame so that you can go camping and riding for days at a time, completely unsupported. That means…

For my project, I built a ‘tensegrity’ base for a coffee table. A ‘tensegrity’ design is a tension-based structure that creates a sort of floating illusion. These designs operate on the principle of opposing tension to create stability. A lot of the designs that I have seen out there seem to be very wobbly and/or…

Presentation: https://youtu.be/MZqY-Pv0UXo To recap, my project is inspired by a high school physics project. I wanted to apply the skills I’ve acquired as an engineering student to build a better mousetrap car than the one I made in high school and see how much longer my new mousetrap car can go. So to briefly explain…

PART 1: WHAT Inspirations For this project I really wanted to create something that I would use long term as opposed to making something just for this class. I thought of creating a chess board since it is a hobby that I picked up at the start of quarantine to pass the time and yet…

  WHAT? The inspirations for this project was two fold: the center console in my current car was butts, and my dad has already made new center consoles for the old Jeeps that he has made, plus I saw ammo crates in a store one time and they were pretty neat so I had to…

For my final project, I decided to design and construct an air intake system for my car that consists of an intake tube and air filter enclosure. I am aiming to develop a design that simplifies the engine bay while also conforming to the minimalist aesthetic. However, I want to add features that are reminiscent…

Design and Aesthetic Inspiration The structures that I would like to incorporate design elements from are my parents house, a national forest trail map sign, and a kayak rack I found online. For the roofing I would like to keep steel roofing technique seen on the balcony of my parents house. I would like to…

The What: With remote work not going anywhere anytime soon, people are making the most of their home spaces to create a space that allows for work to be done while also creating a relaxing space. I want to create two office spaces in a spare room that will still be able to function as…

Part 1:  What I Made With this project, my intention was to apply the futuristic aesthetic that I have been exploring throughout the semester with my personal aesthetic. [  The Futuristic Aesthetic  ] The futuristic aesthetic is something that I made up in a sense and is very subjective as to what it actually means…

I am a big fan of Marvel movies and wanted to make something that is from the movies. One of the more prominent characters in the recent films is the infamous villain, Thanos. He wears a gauntlet in which he can carry Infinity stones to which he can use to wipe out mass populations. This…

What: The chair mural is a functional piece of art. When folded flat, it can be laid against the wall as a decorative mural. When folded into its chair form, It can be used as a piece of furniture. To start I’ll describe my inspirations. I needed a folding chair that folded as flat as…

Introduction In this final blog post, I’ll be discussing what my final project was, what I was inspired by, and how I created it. One of my biggest regrets regarding this project is that although I gathered all the materials needed, I was unable to build the final product. This was largely due to the…

The what: A paludarium is the combination between an aquarium and a terrestrial terrarium.  I have been in the aquarium hobby for over 12 years now and paludariums have always caught my eye.  Growing up I only ever owned aquariums that were created with false plants, plastic hides, and beginner fish.  Starting sophomore year of…

Organic Desk Fountain (Sculpture) Final I want to make a Water Fountain that can sit on my desk. These systems are often battery or USB powered with a small pump to bring the water upward. I have seen these in offices acting as a calming visual and auditory element. An example of a Desktop Water…

Part 1: What Aesthetics/Inspirations: For my project, I decided on making a t-shirt quilt out of my sister’s Iowa State University t-shirts. This falls into two aesthetics that I have explored in the past. The first being the aesthetic I used for my Upcycle Project: Old School Athletics. The second is my personal aesthetic: comfy…

For my final project I wanted to create a modern/futuristic style lamp that was portable and was able to articulate into any position that I may need. I am constantly finding myself needing more light when working on various projects and wanted to make something that would look “cool” on my desk. I think that this…

For my final project, I decided to create a topographical map of Copper Mountain. Copper Mountain is a ski resort that holds a lot of meaning for me, because it is a place where I have a lot of memories from my childhood, and also continue to go to for fun. Currently I have a…

For my final project, I had been struggling to find a concept that I would really enjoy exploring as well as something that I could use or look at daily! I was struggling between two very different aesthetics that both in their own way, spoke to me. The first aesthetic I explored was the aesthetic…

Introduction For my final project, I created a hidden blade like the ones featured in the videogame Assassin’s Creed. In this report, I will describe the design selection process, the planned manufacturing steps, and the testing protocols. The aesthetic of the hidden blade has varied in each Assassin’s Creed game, featuring the common styles of…

Presentation Video: https://vimeo.com/541321416 As another semester comes to a close, I am delighted to say that my final Aesthetics in Design project is complete! I had several functional goals going into this project. I wanted to create some sort of wall decoration that would help fill wall space in my dining room, which is the least…

For my final project I created a rotating sculpture that highlights lighting and depth effects. The aesthetics that I was trying to highlight are matte black and a neon LED look. In order to achive my matte black look I am used a specialized paint that is supposed to be extremely dark. I was hoping…

Constraints: 1. Be within $100: I would prefer for the design to take up less of a budget if possible because it would be more monetarily efficient and a very expensive design would be unnecessary. I will look for affordable equipment as well as materials, as very expensive paper or LEDs would result in a…

Inspired by rockets and the space industry, the design and aesthetic I’m pursuing for this is focused on a rocket launching from a launch pad. Exhaust plumes will frame the focal point of the image, the rocket. To create the paper-cut light box, some materials are needed. Paper is obviously one of the main components…

As planned my end product for the final project which is a Lightboard is completely fabricated as of today. The design and fabrication were fun and a little bit challenging but I am happy with how the end product turned out. I utilized the Lulzbot printer for fabricating the LED strip holding fixture at the…

My design project was difficult for me to determine at first. I had trouble finding something I wanted to build that I would want to keep when the class was over. I decided to do something with cars as I really enjoy working on them and being creative with them. I choose to design and…

As a little kid I constantly found myself wanting to take apart objects or find a way to lock mechanisms that could be used for storage. For example, I had a special piggy bank for my allowance that had a key locking mechanism which must be inserted a certain way to unlock the piggy bank.…

Inspired by rocket launches, I am looking to create a design that shows a space aesthetic using a paper-cut light box. It will have shapes that are both organic and geometric. In terms of style, the rocket and tower will be simplified but will still reflect the shapes and designs that are seen in actual…

THE WHAT:  My father has been asking for a digital picture frame for christmas or his birthday for years now. For some reason each year we neglect his request and get him something else. Why? I have no idea. But delay no more, for my final project in Aesthetics of Design I produced him a…

Timothy Donald Cook aka Tim Cook is a creative genius whom I follow and admire. He may not be a conventional designer of products but as a visionary in technology and an operation and manufacturing problem solver, a “Designer” tag on him can be justified. As per the biography of Tim cook: The genius who…

My goals for this project are to create a neon sign with my Gamertag to put up as a decoration. I would like to be able to control the lighting with an Arduino to manipulate which neon light is turned on. The aesthetic I aim for is glow wave as my sign will have a…

Zaha Hadid was a British Iraqi designer. She was best known for her work in architecture in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She was born in Baghdad and originally studied math in college and then later enrolled at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. Some of here major design influences were Suprematism and…

Space has been called the final frontier. For my final project, I am looking for inspiration from one of the places where I have found much of it in the past. Space travel. When I was in my last year of high school, I went on a trip with my physics class to Cape Canaveral.…

For my project, I am making/remaking a clock while customizing it to graphic art I am interested in. In my process of building it I have come up with a set of goals and constraints which I am likely to come across. Specifications: Functionality as a Clock: I need to make sure my final product…

  After fleshing out my design and the beginning of the fabrication/building, I am starting to hone in on what I think I can realistically achieve by the end of this project and some possible constraints that have popped up along the way. 5 Specifications Museum Aesthetic – Luckily to achieve this I can take…

I don’t think I could nail down my personal aesthetic in a few words even if I tried. In fact, I know I couldn’t, otherwise I would have by now. Over the years, I believe my aesthetic has taken aspects from different hobbies and interests I have, including video games, anime, cars, Japanese designs, rock/metal…

Initial Ideas & Inspiration Stained glass spinning sun catcher. Since the only requirement in this project is to have some sort of dynamic component and the cost should be a maximum of $150.00, my intention was to create home décor or a functional item. Originally, I was inspired by sun catchers/stained glass like the sun…

For my T-Shirt Quilt Final Project, I have several specifications and constraints for the final product. I have chosen my top five constrains and specifications below: Top 5 Specifications (no specific order): Comfortable/Meet Comfy Coze Aesthetic A blanket should be comfortable. It should be soft with a good amount of weight that anyone who finds…

For my final project, I’m planning on making a small-scale wind turbine with a base. I will incorporate a minimalist aesthetic similar to any other wind turbine. I believe a minimalist aesthetic will have a clean/refined finish. This will be accomplished by using one primary color(white) to coat the entire structure. The blades for the…

Top 5 Specifications: 1. Table adjusts from ~19” to 29” One of the more unique aspects of this piece is that it is adjustable in order for the table to function as both a coffee table and a game/dining table. Therefore, I think that one of the most important specifications is the adjustability. This function…

As I move forward towards procurement of parts for my Light Board project, I see constraints and specifications that are worth highlighting. I have designed and ordered every part and sub-assembly that will be later assembled to the final product. The holding fixture has been designed and will be assembled when all parts are received…

For this blog post, I will be outlining some of my top project constraints and specifications. Due to the open-endedness of this project, much of these constraints and specifications are open to change as I see fit. Below is an image of the front view of the design for reference if you haven’t read my…

Similar to a lot of other students in this class, I haven’t ever really thought about what my personal aesthetic is, but as I look around my room, my predominant aesthetic changes based on the season. For example, for winter clothes, I have mainly hoodies/jackets and sweatpants, and for the summer, the main aesthetic seems…

For those of you who don’t know, I am currently building this swivel bar stool that will be attached to my bar. Specifications: Strong – ability to hold 200lb human beings this means the welds have to be sufficient enough. Ability to swivel without squeaking, thinking bushings. Fit underneath the bar so we can use…

Rendering of final design At this point I have finalized my design and all of the dimensions, and now I am starting the process of cutting out my metal pieces. It is important at this stage to make sure I have some key constraints and specifications outlined so that I end up with a functional…

My ideas for this project have mostly focused on making something to use for a very specific activity. Up until I had to stop and think about it, that was really the only constraint. That constraint, however, can be broken down into smaller bits. In order to be appropriate for bikepacking, the bags need several…

The main goal of my project is to make a mousetrap car that can run over a long distance (hopefully about 200 feet), so most of the the specs below are set based on this goal. Specifications: Functionality: the car must be able to achieve a distance of at least 100 feet. Friction: in order to…

Just gonna dive right into it I guess CONSTRAINTS 1. Cost – I am worried that this project is going to end up costing me a lot more than I had originally intended. I’m trying to stick to a budget of $150 and I have already spent about $80 just on the wood materials. I…

Top 5 Specifications The device shall conceal a 7” blade within a container. The blade will need to be long enough to protrude outside of the container while also having enough blade inside the container to retain the blade in position. The blade tip shall move at least 3.5” from the edge of the container…

For my project, I have several specifications and constraints that I want to emphasize for the final product. In this page, I have chosen my top five constrains and specifications (in no specific order) to talk about. For my specifications, I want: 1. Gentle Lighting This was an important part of my project. I wanted…

Top 5 Specs: Must hold water: The tank must hold water in order to be successful.  This is fairly obvious but surprisingly difficult to accomplish. Durability: The tank has to be able to hold up long-term.  I plan on having this tank setup for many years and therefore the glass and all other aspects of…

For my airbox project, I had a lot of specifications and constraints to work around. After the vehicle was in an accident, I didn’t really have a functional air enclosure at all, it was just a filter. Because of this, my primary specification was to separate the hot air around the engine from the cool…

As I have progressed through the process of building my digital picture frame, I have been guided by the following 5  specifications and have been challenged as well by the following five constraints. Specifications: Repairability: The picture frame must be easily repairable should any component break. By virtue of using a platform such as the…

  Specifications:  The board needs to be functional / rideable. A huge part of the whole design is for it to be a real (rideable) longboard, not just something that you hang on the wall.  It needs to be durable enough to not crack when riding it. This may seem obvious and go hand-in-hand with the previous…

ALRIGHT, it is Wednesday (my dudes), and you know what that means, time for another obligatory post. This post is gonna behave like a Goosebumps choose your scare book, so if you want to just read the Constraints and Specifications succinctly summarized read the next paragraph, if you want all the details of these Specs…

The Mural chair (adapted from the Robert Van Embriqs chair) has some key features that need to be applied in order for it to properly function. I also have my own constraints witch will make it more difficult to produce these specifications. See below for my top five specifications and top five constraints with the…

The current specifications have been both been set by dad and the aesthetics of the project. Specifications: The goal is to match the general construction aesthetics of Georgian homes. The patio of my parents house has matte black steel roofing mounted at a low angle. I plan on using the same roofing as the house,…

During the construction of this project I have found constraints as well as specifications that are hard to overcome and keep. I did not realize a lot of these constraints in the design of the CAD but only once I started building. The top 5 constraints are as follows: Tolerances: The tolerances of all my pieces…

As I have discussed in previous posts my project is a bear that is half painted black and half white that is rotating and floating on top of an LED cloud. It terms of aesthetic my first specification is that I want to capture the light and dark aesthetic. Specifically I am wanting to make…

Being in the midst of working on this project, I have realized there are some important constraints to be made aware of when I have been working on creating this design from scratch.  These constraint’s can be found in any project that you begin to work on and also apply here as described below. Cost: From…

For this post I figured it would be most beneficial for me to make a list with descriptions for both of my top 5 specifications and constraints. Materials for my artifact are still in transit, but should arrive by today or tomorrow (04/07/2021 – 04/08/2021). Both of these lists come from the feedback session during…

For my project I am going to make a neon sign with my user for gaming (my gamertag). I want to capture the glow wave aesthetic where the background is dark and you have bright blue or pink neon lighting coming through. The idea for my neon design is shown below. I want an acrylic…

Top 5 Specifications and Constraints    Specifications: Organic Aesthetic The first and arguably most important specification for my project is achieving the Organic Aesthetic. As seen in the figure below I believe I achieve this with my Topology Optimization output of the Fountain Head as seen below: Figure. 1 Topology Output Bottom Isometric View  …

With finalized plans for my final project design and some good strides in fabrication, I’ve been able to think quite a bit about the key specs and constraints of the wall plant wheel that I’m making. Five specs of my project are as follows: Outer dimensions Number of plants to hold Smooth / uniform rotation…

Upon completion of the design preview, I spent a large sum of time working on my cryptex lock to produce my first full iteration utilizing every component necessary. This step took multiple hours in CAD and a few different prints to ensure all the locking number dials as well as both the inner and outer…

I’ve put quite a bit of time into refining and reworking my design since it’s ideation stage. I’ve moved away from a lot of ideas that I realized weren’t going to work well for my final design and refined some of the features I already had. To start off, I was going to have this…

  For my project, I am making a renaissance themed capo for my guitar. This idea evolved from me just wanting to make my project fancy and with a lot of curves, which is what led me to this theme for my object. In order to accomplish this, I will mainly use two methods. First,…

For my project, I settled on either putting together a clock from scratch parts and materials or taking apart an existing clock and reassembling it while customizing and embellishing it with my graphic pop art that I have made and/or own. The aesthetic I decided to go with was the graphic pop art aesthetic I…

In my last post I spoke about wanting to make a bikepacking handlebar bag for my final project. As a reminder, bikepacking is riding a bicycle, usually on trail, for at least one overnight/camp. I have been interested in the sport for some time, but it is quite expensive to get into. To save some…