Monday, November 16, 2009

Review of Previous Goals

Previous Goals:
"- As an upperclassman I am still unsure about my sketching skills. I have not quite found my style yet and know this is something I want to improve on. I just want to feel confident in my sketching and not hesitate.
-I want to increase my speed of sketching. Though I feel as if I can create a decent sketch, I don’t think my speed is up to par.
-I want to be able to better show my design process. I want to document this to better my portfolio."

I think my sketching has improved this quarter yet, i still need to increase the speed of my sketching. I have a hard time sitting down and starting to sketch but once i get started i get into it.

-Nancy

Definition of innovation


Design thinking
is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result. It is the essential ability to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to meet user needs and drive business success. Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking is a creative process based around the "building up" of ideas. There are no judgments early on in design thinking. This eliminates the fear of failure and encourages maximum input and participation in the ideation and prototype phases.

-Wikipedia




Thursday, November 5, 2009

3 Strengths as a Designer

My 3 Individual Strengths as a Designer

Attention to Detail
-I'm a detail oriented person and that translates into design as well

3D Geometry
-I consider myself fluent in 3d modeling programs such as Rhino, Alias and Solidworks

Prototypes
- I like making prototypes and exploring different processes in model making.


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

More USB project work




Here is a continuation of the branded USB project. The top picture is a sketch render done in adobe photoshop. The bottom is a refined sketch render with an underlay done in Hypershot.

Let me know what you think!

Storyboard



Here is a simple yet successful storyboard. The product shown is a spoonless tea cup in which you just spin the ball in the glass to mix the liquid. I think this storyboard works because the item is in the spotlight, it is the most detailed and saturated in color. The muted tones of the background complement the simple linework nicely. Also, the arrows really bring out the action that is completed here.


USB branding project







These are designs that i came up with for the luxury brand Tiffany & Co. This jewelery company is famous for their signature "tiffany blue" which i used in the first option. The company also does a lot of work in sterling silver which i used in the second option.

This work was done entirely in Adobe Illustrator using gradients (even the diamonds which i'm so proud of!)

Things i've learned: It's GB not MB when it comes to USB storage.

Designer with Strong Visualization Skills

A designer with strong visualization skills is Karim Rashid. Whenever i seeing a very organic bulbous kidney shaped product, i think it's designed by him and it usually is. All his products are easy to identify visually. They all have bright colors and curvy lines. Though i do no think he is a good sketcher, he has made a name for himself so companies often seek him out to pull off some curvy kidney shape b.s. and have his team make it work as a product. Some examples are Method's dish soap, dirt devil kone vacuum, or veuve clicquot globalight. I do think his products look nice but i think Karim looks like he would be a pompous jerk.

My Portfolio

Chu_Nancy_11




or www.uc.edu/propractice/ind_design/chu_nancy_11.pdf

3 Technologies relating to Dog Grooming Workstation

1. Hydraulics.
Hydraulic lifts are used in dog grooming tables to raise and lower the height easily. This allows for easy access for larger dogs to step up, or to raise the table to make grooming easier for smaller dogs.
2. Central Vacuum
This is a type of system i am exploring for my design. All the places i visited had a lot of hair on the floor. The current cleanup method is using a shop vac. In a central vac system the suction motor and bag is at a central location in the building has vacuum inlets throughout the building. In my system there would be inlets along the wall of the grooming room, where hair could be brushed to.
3. Clipper Vac
Another way to eliminate mess when it comes to dog grooming is to use a clipper vac. It's similar to a flowbee, where clippers are attached to a vacuum tube, so that the hair is cut at an even length. The hair is drawn into a central unit.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Movie Trailer


The movie trailer i chose the review is Sin City. Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, the trailer looks just that, very graphic. This action packed trailer is sexed up and violent leaving viewers in awe of the cinematography. The high contrast black and white shots are highlighted with red and yellow accents conveying highly emotional or powerful scenes. I think this trailer is successful because of how different it looks than other film trailers.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Axe Branding


Personally, I don't like when guys wear Axe grooming products but i think their marketing campaign is strong. The message their campaign communicates is if you wear their product, women will be attracted to you. Their commercials work so well because they target their audience so well. The ads target the young male demographic by featuring sexy females and appealing to the male ego.

How can this apply to my own work? I can put my effort into targeting a specific audience. Like how Axe ads appeal to young men by targeting their audience, my designs can target specific consumer and therefor be more successful.

Nancy

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Portfolio Tips

So it’s portfolio time in studio! Here’s a link to one I found helpful:
http://www.coroflot.com/public/help_portfolio_tips.asp
So this article may not tell you a lot of obvious tips you may know, but many forget the basics when it comes to portfolio design and get hung up on the details. Here’s a summary:
The Right Type-. A different presentation is appropriate for each person, each situation and each interview. Prepare according for the situation; there is no right way to do a portfolio.
Skills-The pages in your book must demonstrate that you can quickly and effectively communicate complex ideas in a professional manner. Excellent, interesting and varied compositions are expected. Dramatic use of scale, focus and color will make your work stand out. Make an effort to communicate your level of skill with a wide variety of tools typical for your chosen field.
Range-This lets the reviewer know that you are flexible and can work in a variety of situations.
Ambition- Self-driven projects are great examples of this
That Something Special- To rise above the rest and truly stand out in an extremely competitive field, your work needs to go the extra mile

Nancy
(Pants)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

About Me & Design Goals

Hi I’m Nancy. I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I came to UC to study Industrial Design. Truthfully, I found out about Industrial Design through an online career quiz I took when I was a senior in high school. Previously, I wanted to enter into a medical career. Since I’ve never heard of ID before , it peaked my interest. When I researched into this field I became more and more interested. My senior year in high school I took a class, Mentorship, and studied under a working Industrial Designer at a local consultancy. I like what I saw and it led me to where I am now.

One of my favorite things about Industrial Design is the problem solving. A big interest of mine is puzzles. Call me a nerd, I don’t care. I love solving anything from numbers to logic to word puzzles. I LOVE puzzles.

Some past co-op experiences I’ve had are a double at Haney PRC and the most recent at Fisher Price. At Haney PRC, a packaging consultancy in Mariemont, I worked in a small team of 3 designers working on anything from ArtiosCAD designs, Rhino renders of packages or in the shop on an actual prototype. From this experience I know that packaging is a field I can do, but I wouldn’t be interested in it. I do not regret the experience at all though, I loved the responsibility given to me at this co-op. I was given some projects directly from their clients. At Fisher Price I worked on the Infant team. While at Fisher Price, I got to work on a few products that will come out on the market soon. I am very grateful for the experience since I solely worked on these products from start to finish. From this experience, I could see myself in the career of toys. But my next co-op I want to do work in a completely different field, so I can experience other types of design that my interest me.

Now that I’m back at school, I want to make sure I get a co-op next quarter. What better way to do this than improve my skills? Here are my goals:

- As an upperclassman I am still unsure about my sketching skills. I have not quite found my style yet and know this is something I want to improve on. I just want to feel confident in my sketching and not hesitate.
-I want to increase my speed of sketching. Though I feel as if I can create a decent sketch, I don’t think my speed is up to par.
-I want to be able to better show my design process. I want to document this to better my portfolio.

That’s all for now,
Nancy

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Industrial Design Studio- Spring 2009

Design Objective: Create a completed concept for a lighting element that embodies the qualities of a brand that does not currently have offerings in the lighting product category

My Brand Choice:

Brand Presentation Powerpoint