Student Work

Inspiration For my upcycling project, my artifact design was inspired by my grandfather’s artwork. As a young adult, my grandfather served in the military as a pilot, and then later retired as a commercial airline pilot, but after his retirement, he was able to dedicate his time to his true passion. I of course only…

As I look around my apartment for recyclable objects and materials, I noticed that I had an excessive amount of cardboard boxes just laying around waiting to be thrown away. So I thought to myself, “why not use the cardboards that I already have and make something cool out of them, that way I can…

My Climbing Crash Pad (To be used as cushion) For my upcycle project, I will be repurposing a rock climbing crash pad that I don’t use very much anymore into a couch. I will be using the crash pad as the main cushion for the couch and I’ll be building a frame out of wood…

My plan for my upcycle project is to take some glass remnant from bottles or other trash to create a structure that takes inspiration from incense waterfalls. The general aesthetic of incense waterfalls is peaceful and serene especially when considered with the aromatherapy an incense may provide. Smoke tends to dance from pedals and collects…

Continuing off of my initial aesthetic exploration of the futuristic style, I hope to incorporate this style into my upcycle project. One of the key aspects of the futuristic aesthetic is light and its seamless incorporation. To exemplify this incorporation, here are a few examples from a house designed by Geometrix Design. Notice how the…

The famous painting “Great Wave off Kanagawa” w/ an outrun twist   I already explored this aesthetic more in-depth for my “Explore and Aesthetic” post and that gave me a lot of inspiration regarding my upcycling project. To give a brief summary, outrun, or Miami Vice as I termed it based on my experience, utilizes…

With online classes, I’ve noticed that the background in my zoom lectures has been less than exciting, minus the vinyl albums on the wall behind me – this sparked an idea in my head to add an artistic feature for my backdrop. Since the most recognizable album is the Dark Side of the Moon by…

Making art from trash is an interesting experience, it incorporates creativity and recycling to generate something amazing. For my upcycle project, I used a combination of the minimalist aesthetic, but instead of leaving it devoid of emotion, as minimalism usually is, I tried to introduce some connection to my life to it. I chose to…

The Aesthetic that I would like to use for my Upcycle project is the M. C. Escher aesthetic. Escher was a Dutch artist who lived from 1989-1972, and he’s most famous for his graphic art that twisted perspective in a revolutionary way. Escher started out like most artists at his time, painting realistic snapshots of…

Imagine this; you just finished getting your turns in on the mountain and are planning on walking back to your ski in chalet-which wasn’t as ski in as you anticipated. Loosening your boots and throwing your skis over your shoulder you decide to stop buy the resorts outdoor bar and grill before making the long…

I unknowingly started this upcycle project last summer. I was at work, cleaning up, when my coworker Bo said to me, “Take those pallet toppers out to the trash. We don’t need them any more.” Being the broke college student that I am, I instantly saw them as an opportunity to get some free wood…

For my Upcycle project I will be using primarily cardboard. The aesthetic that I will be going for is a modern car look. I am going to use the cardboard and cut out pieces and try to mimic the look of a body supercar. In the following pictures you can see some examples of some…

I was inspired by the aesthetic chosen by Maya Rudd involving climbing.  As a frequent climber myself, I though it would be easy to incorporate climbing gear that I already have into my upscaling project.  I decided to make my aesthetic for my project climbing, but focusing on the art of balance.  Balance is a…

For my upcycling project I was having some difficulty trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the project. My inspiration for the upcycling project came from the famous picture of Bobby Orr celebrating a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals (featured image) that I have hanging up in my apartment right now.…

Japanese Gi Inspired Patchwork as an Upcycle Aesthetic I have chosen to use the same aesthetic in my upcycle project that I wrote about during the aesthetic exploration blog post on, that being the Patchwork Aesthetic. However as to not restate what I have already covered in my earlier post I want to discuss the…

For my upcycle project, I wanted to explore a neutral earthy aesthetic. This aesthetic often includes light, neutral colors, organic or naturally occurring materials, and a mix of bohemian and minimalist styles. I often see this aesthetic in interior design and home décor, usually expressed through light walls, wooden furniture, mirrors, plants, decorative organic materials…

The aesthetic I will be exploring for my upcycle project is the one of modern home décor and plants. Modern home décor very frequently includes plants and greenery that bring a fresh natural aura to rooms.  Many people also keep small herb gardens in or near their kitchens. One common thread in most of modern…

For my upcycle project I want to bring plants inside in a minimal clean style that can be multifunctional. So, I have decided to make small air plant holders that also act as refrigerator magnets because I never seem to have enough of those. Since I am still working on decorating my house, I did…

Hello,I am looking at doing an upcycle of sailing. Sailing is already an environmentally friendly activity as it uses the wind as propulsion, so to me it seems fitting to upcycle some useless metal i have laying around into a lamp. I would like to be able to turn a sheet of metal into a…

For my upcycle project, I will be making a metal spatula with a wooden handle. The materials that I will be using are a scrap piece of steel and a block of oak wood. The primary aesthetic of the spatula will minimalism. The minimalist aesthetic will mostly apply to the design of the spatula’s form.…

The modern aesthetic showcases simple, but cutting geometries; a variety of coordinated, well-balanced colors; a mixture of modestly used textures; and a conglomerate of natural materials. I am drawn to the minimalist, dynamic aesthetic that is modern design. While this aesthetic has a very “less is more” and “function over beauty” backbone, the dynamic accent…

My materials I am looking to upcycle are my old skateboard, and a lamp frame. This was the first skateboard I ever got (from 2007) and it definitely shows its character. Aside from the graffiti-like design, it features scratches, dirt, and weathering which all contribute to its grunge street skate aesthetic. The lamp frame was…

For my Upcycle project, I had to search for quite some time. At the beginning of the semester when we discussed our comfort levels with design I rated myself at the very bottom of the list. Therefore, it was easier for me to think about my favorite seasons and holidays as inspiration for my project.…

The aesthetic I have chosen to incorporate into my upcycle project is the tropical aesthetic. I chose this because the topical aesthetics is one of my favorites. I think the tropical aesthetic captures a fun lifestyle that is missing during quarantine. I talk more about the things I like about the tropical aesthetic in my…

Viking art is estimated to have started at the end of the 8th century. It was first developed by the Viking tribes of Scandinavia in territories that we now know as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Vikings decorated almost everything with elaborate carvings and contrasting super-positioned materials. Currently, Viking art is mostly recognized by runes or…

Full disclosure, I do not like Brutalism. I’d even go as far as to say I detest Brutalism. Even as a child before I knew what aesthetics even meant, I knew I didn’t like what was to me a depressing, obnoxiously plain, and an oddly intimidating way to design structures that ended up seeming like…

It can be hard to nail down a precise definition of Minimalism in today’s cultural landscape. The term has come to have meaning in many different aspects of human activity and creation. Minimalist principles have influenced the way we approach art, literature, architecture, design, even our very lifestyles themselves. However, most usages of minimalist theory…

Video games as an aesthetic. It sounds almost strange to say it—art certainly goes into the development of games, but can a video game itself be a form of art? Movies have certainly been considered seriously as a kind of art in the past, but what about this very new form of entertainment? What would…

  The word “aesthetic”  doesn’t come up often when people describe a sport or an athlete. But I think Dirk Nowitzki has one of the most beautiful and artistic fadeaway the NBA has ever seen. Not only that, Dirk’s playstyle is so unique and effective that he has received countless recognition and praises from his…

The aesthetic I would like to explore for this post is that of drift cars. Drifting is a driving technique in which the driver intentionally oversteers and slides the car, losing traction but remaining in control, steering the car around a corner. This technique originated in Japan around 1960-70, and was foremost pioneered by Kunimitsu…

Low Poly is an interesting and somewhat complex aesthetic with a multi-faceted, if short history that continues to this day.    So what is low poly exactly?  The key tenants of the low poly aesthetic are the geometric subdivision of the scene into triangles and the use of flat shading.  It is very similar if…

Sharp, clean cut geometries. Bold, but coordinated colors. An open space, minimalist look. When thinking about a modern aesthetic, these concepts are what come to mind.  Homes with this aesthetic are becoming more and more common. Consider the home featured below. All of the geometries are very simple with square, sharp edges, but there are…

I wanted to explore the aesthetic of the winter season. With white, blue, and brown color tones, winter gives off a range of emotions, everything from loneliness and solitude to hope and unity. Originating since the beginning of time, the beauty of the winter aesthetic is largely owed to the extreme color contrasts caused by…

Source: Decadence Colorado Delivers Diverse Lineup for NYE 2019 | EDM Identity The aesthetic I am exploring is a raver aesthetic, I will be going into what a rave is, what a raver’s aesthetic consists of, and the history behind it. The reason I chose this aesthetic is that my favorite genre of music is…

There has always been a fascination with outer space amongst humans. However, it wasn’t until 1926 that the first steps were taken to usher in the Space Age. Robert Goddard’s historic launch of the first liquid fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts on March 16, 1926 marked the beginning of a new era of technology. With…

In my opinion, the most beautiful designs have the least number of parts. This goes for anything we see around us, our cars, our pencils, even our houses. The machine with less parts will be more reliable most of the time simply because there is less to go wrong. That is my ideology with aesthetics.…

In my opinion, the most beautiful designs have the least number of parts. This goes for anything we see around us, our cars, our pencils, even our houses. The machine with less parts will be more reliable most of the time simply because there is less to go wrong. That is my ideology with aesthetics.…

Since learning the definition of “aesthetic” in our class, I could not think of a better aesthetic to share and explore than that of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. The colors and style of the team is something that surely evokes emotion, and I’ll try to explain a little bit of what that entails. Any fan…

Punk is a aesthetic that is centered around the punk rock movement.  This movement started around the 1970’s and has influenced clothing, music, dance and even politics.  At its creation in the UK, punk was seen as the lifestyle of a rebel.  Those that didn’t fit in with the rest of the community and wanted…

  The Aesthetic that I have chosen to explore is Steampunk. The idea of Steampunk is similar to cyberpunk and the goal is to show modern technology in the form of 19th century industrial machinery and exposed gears. Steampunk was first used in the 1980’s and the term  was first coined by K. W. Jeter…

Defining an aesthetic can sometimes be challenging. Especially when trying to describe a sport. With something as broad as sports, hockey included, defining one individual player’s aesthetic makes it a bit easier to define a sport’s aesthetic since there is so much individuality in the world of sports. For hockey specifically, one player comes to…

Solar cells have been a topic of interest since the photovoltaic effect was first discovered in 1839 by Edmond Becquerel a French physicist. Nowadays the world witnesses solar power plants and solar farms addressing large energy requirements in many places. One of the recent application of solar panels has found its way to the rooftop…

Car design has been a constantly evolving beast, and it plays off many of the requirements and wants set by the designer and audience, after all some cars these days are thought of “art pieces on wheels” such as the McLaren Sienna and many other designs are influenced more by the tasks they will perform…

In a reaction to zoom schooling and the ever progressing price of the newest generation of consoles many gamers, engineers, and people in pursuit of power have turned to the world of modern personal computers. In todays consumer market long passed are the days of the dull dell desktops you may see in ECCR 141…

Before researching into this aesthetic, I always called it “Miami Vice”. I think this stemmed from a combination of seeing reruns of Miami Vice and the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City which each took advantage of the color palate and nostalgic feeling that is often incorporated into this aesthetic.          …

The aesthetic that I would like to explore is Bauhaus because it reflects my own tastes and emphasis of functionality and minimalism, along with a strong embracement of technology. Bauhaus started at an early 20th century German art college from which the style is named after. The students and faculty embraced an ethos of constant…

In 1965 the Hobie cat entered the sailing scene. The Hobie cat is a small sailing catamaran that is manufactured by the Hobie Cat company. The Hobie Cat was designed and built by Hobie Alter for the wavy rough waters of California. Though I have never had the chance to sail one in the ocean…

What is cottagecore? Cottagecore is a recently popularized aesthetic which romanticizes western agricultural life, skills, and crafts. At the root, the aesthetic is centralized around living harmoniously with nature and indulging only in simple pleasures. Typically, cottagecore aesthetics include areas such as open fields, woods, gardens, and farms; however, even in locations not grounded in…

The subway system aesthetic is one built around service to the masses but also defined by the people who use it. You may not notice the little details while you’re hopping from train to train, or even consider how you contribute to the aesthetic while you wait behind the yellow line, but there is a…

I chose to explore the academia aesthetic. This aesthetic embodies a very intelligent look and feel and has mostly historic English architecture. It includes lots of earth tones like brown, black, tan, navy and green. The University of Oxford in England campus was a large contributor to the aesthetic, this was founded in the 2nd…

Ahead its Time | Out of this World | A Vision from the Future [  This aesthetic explores what products, clothing, and artifacts might look like if they were sent back in time from 2097  ]   This interior design by Tétris perfectly captures the hyper-modern aesthetic. The abstract elements and shapes and life to…

Picture this, you are hiking up to Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park. As you crest the ridge line and the lake comes into view, you catch a red tail hawk, soaring effortlessly through the peaks and troughs of the exposed ridgeline above you before it delicately sets down across the glassy water on…

Rock climbing is a sport that depends on a rather beautiful balance between extreme full-body strength and flowy, delicate technique and creativity. I believe that it is the sport itself, and the movement that it creates, combined with the incredible breathtaking natural settings that it brings its athletes to that create the overall aesthetic. Joes…

Patchwork Aesthetic Exploration The Patchwork Aesthetic ranges from professionally made, highbrow, works of art to strictly utilitarian pieces. Often it is a mix of both, providing something with tangible uses while still being aesthetically pleasing. At its core, the Patchwork Aesthetics relies highly on sewing which can be traced back to around 25,000 years ago.…

The aesthetic I have chosen to discuss is Craftsmen houses and how they are being restored today. I chose to discuss this aesthetic because growing up a big influence in my design tastes was from hearing my mom talk about Craftsmen houses and the type of intricate workmanship that goes into them. Now, owning a…

Tutor style? Tooter? Wait, it’s Tudor? Okay, I guess I never really knew the right name for those houses with white panels and large dark wooden beams through them, but I always knew that I liked the style. In reality, the specific aesthetic that I enjoy is called half-timbering, and that is what creates the…

I have always been captivated by the warm and cozy feeling that a cabin in the woods gives me. The embrace and calmness of a fireplace in the living room and the smell of woodfire smoke make you feel like you are away from civilization and all responsibilities. Even looking at the deer mount on…

I wanted to explore the rainy day aesthetic, because I think the contrast of tones and emotions is beautiful, and I find that it represents a widely universal feeling of comfort, safety, and melancholy. I think that this aesthetic has developed for a very long time in human history, and represents a safe haven of…

The aesthetic I have chosen to discuss is tropical. I chose this aesthetic because I think that it captures a feeling of relaxation and fun that I enjoy. It is used very commonly in modern clothing and architecture, as well as art.  It is difficult to say exactly when the tropical aesthetic was created. I…

Skiing is a winter sport used for both leisure and competition, common in Colorado as well as various states and countries around the world.   Skiing utilizes a simple concept which relies on gravity and the inclination at which the slope of the terrain is situated. The mission is simple: go fast and don’t crash.…

Top 5 Constraints Size The size of the box is difficult to grasp. It cannot be to big, otherwise it’s purpose as a desk toy does not work. Plus an increase in size means an increase of resources.  AestheticThe specific Aesthetic theme is hard to nail down. The difficulty is how the top of the box…

UpCycle Project summary: I chose an aesthetic and used recycled products to build something reminiscent of that aesthetic.  I started to make a sun-catcher out of recycled mirror and colored glass, but the project morphed into a candle holder/cover made from recycled Christmas ornaments.  Final Project summary: I took the opposite route of the UpCycle…

  Blog 14: Final Project Report Part 2: Why and What Next? Reflection on the semester. Compare your original project intent to what you ended up with. What did you learn from your project, and from the class? What will you do next with the project? What do you wish you had done differently?  …

When I started this class, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. To me, aesthetics was just how things look. As I progressed through each class, and worked on the two projects that we were assigned, I realized there was so much more to aesthetics than how something looked. It was about how it was…

  What a roller coaster of a semester! This class definitely took me out of my comfort zone as I am not normally one who has a knack for artistic ability. I learned that the word aesthetic has actually a vastly deeper meaning than just “what looks good”. My final project was the cardboard grabber,…

Final Project   Final Project 2.0 This is the second version of the Final Project. I removed the desk toy aspect. It was too complicated and the lack of tools and resources made it too difficult to work consistently. I am refitting the box to hold jewelry. I plan to buy foam for the box…

Inspiration My initial inspiration came from when professor Hertzberg spoke about the final project and said that it needed to have a dynamic component. When I was a student in Heat Transfer Professor Knutson always mentioned and showed the class these little machines that operated off of a small heat differential called a stirling motor.…