Assignment 4

Planning:

For GEEN 3400 my project group and I tasked ourselves with innovating the electric outlet junction box. The outlet itself was programmed to read power consumption and convert that to money being spent. This information was then sent to our website. The junction box and face plate were redesigned by me to fit all of our hardware. The box was 3D printed, and the face plate with our company logo was laser cut.

 

version 1

 

 

 

Final:

We presented our final product at the design expo. Everything turned out beautiful.

Project 4

Sketches/ Concept:

My partner and I wanted to do something that related to the holiday season. We found plenty of inspiration on Pinterest.

 

 

 

Testing/Production:

This was the first time we ran into problems with laser cutting. With it being so close to the end of the semester and many final projects being due it seems that the laser master was rushing when I was my turn to get everything cut. Some of the items were too close to the edge of the board and did get sharp cuts. Other things were not pulled into the middle software properly and either didn’t get cut or were cut the wrong way. Sadly one of the pieces that had an intricate design fell on the floor due to my own user error and broke into a million pieces because fragile.

 

 

Sadly, this one broke when it hit the floor

for this project, I decided to splurge a little and spent a little more for the wood. It was really hard and I was worried it wouldn’t cut, but it did.

Final:

Although some of the pieces broke or didn’t turn out the right way, my partner and I are very happy with the final product. The 3D snowflakes and the 3D tree tie in really well to our theme.

 

 

 

Artist statement:

We drew our inspiration from the upcoming holiday seasons. It is a time for sharing and giving, and around this time of year we think about the time we will soon be sharing with our loved ones, exchanging laughter, moments and gifts.When we sat down to brainstorm our final project we wanted to create something that was meaningful to both of us. We agreed that in light of the holiday spirit we were going to create holiday-themed laser-cut creations. Family is so important to both of us so it was easy planning the items we wanted to make. It was also important for us to utilize two different materials: acrylic and wood to symbolize the changing of the seasons and the weather being cold. The clear acrylic is symbolic of the ice and snow, and the wood creates a feeling that ties into nature and the seasons.

 

 

Project 3

Sketches/Concept:

My partner and I decided to create a useful modular piece that is 3D printed. We are inspired by modern, unique furniture, so we wanted to create a shelf unit which can be totally customized and is easy to assemble.

We found ourselves drawn to Voronoi designs. We plan to implement something like this to shelving walls. we made a number of sketches to decide on the kind of shapes we really liked. We are inspired by the natural looking woods furniture that had a modern twist. (see moodboard tab above) for more of our inspiration.

Testing/Production:

My partner And I decided to split up the job into two sections. She decided to create and 3D print the joints. In our sketches wanted to create L joints and X joints to hold the pieces together. I was responsible for the design of the holes in the shelf.

I originally made the mock-up in Fusion 360 and then I imported that into illustrator to get the red “cut out” color and to scale the stroke down to .001 since I was using inches to measure the boards. After fitting the 3D printed joints to the wood we realized that the gap was a little to large at 6mm so we decided for the final copy that we will narrow it to the exact width of the wood which is 5 mm.

After cutting the inner pieces we realized that they interlock perfectly. The test made us realize that we don’t need to print the ‘X’ joints after all. This significantly lowed our printing time so that we only needed to print 16 ‘L’ joints. The test also showed us that the laser needed to be slightly hotter so that all the holes are cut all the way. Since this is plywood the density of the material varies in different spots cause “half cuts” in so holes. The half cut holes when popped out caused some of the wood to chip.

Final:

The final piece turned out fantastic. Everything came out better than we anticipated.  Laser cutting the final pieces was challenging. The computer responsible for cutting stopped in the middle of cutting the third set because of a filed USB connection. This meant that the laser master had to restart the computer and then fast forward through all of the already finished cuts so that they don’t burn from being cut twice.

Fitting the final smaller joints was a little difficult at first, but once they fit they were on there really tight. 3D printing the joints made everything precise and is a great way to hold all of the sides together. The shelf is very lightweight so hanging it with command strips would be no problem.

Artist Statement:

The Dreamcatcher Console is a multipurpose storage unit that you can hang anywhere. Made of natural, compostable materials that will fit into any decorative setting, the unique geometry of this shelf creates three separate compartments to store anything your heart desires. We took inspiration from furniture pieces with webbed architecture as well as various interconnecting shelving units. This contrast of sharp geometric shapes and organic cutouts creates a balanced and interesting piece. It is not meant to store large quantities of items as the number of horizontal surfaces is fairly small, but this purposeful characteristic is intended to keep the design from becoming overshadowed by too much clutter. This will frame and accentuate decorative pieces and liven up any space it resides in.

 

 

 

Project 2

Ideas and Sketches

For this Project, I wanted to create something useable, instead of decorative. I’m inspired by all the creative ways people present themselves to potential clients, and places of employment. For this project, I want to create a business card that implements a QR code that will direct a user to my website, which contains my resume and portfolio.

 

After reconsidering the cost of material for an acrylic business card, I decided that I wouldn’t want to pass them out as much if they were too expensive to make.  Therefore I decided to print them on paper an then have them laser cut for the precision of size. Since I needed something to hold the card I decided to create a holder. for the cards.

The design will be laser cut will out of thin plywood.  The business card holder will include my newly redesigned logo and name, as well as a motivational quote and some cuts on the sides to see how many cards are left in the stack.

iteration:

I redesigned my logo so that the laser cutter will complement the original design of the piece.

Before

After

By cutting the inside of the letter out I will be able to achieve a look that only laser cutting will be able to create. The inside of the wood will be left intact while the circle will be transformed into a darker color.

When I was designing my business card I originally want to place a QR code on it, however, after doing a lot of research I decided that the technology is outdated and will make me seem like I am behind in technology. This is not something I would like for potential clients to perceive since my degree is in technology. I designed many different types of cards.

Ultimately I decided that I will use the laser cutter to make straight edges of the cards but not anything to them that has a laser-cut design. My aesthetic has always been clean, and simple, and I want to stay true to that.

Since the assignment was for laser cutting I decided to add a well-constructed holder for the cards. This required me to learn about laser-cutting joints to achieve a put together box.

I created a shape for the cutouts on the sides out of line in illustrator, then I placed my newly redesigned logo on the top and placed my name on the top as well.  The next a most subtle thing I added was a divot on the top shell so that if the box was filled full of cards it would be easy to still slide one out.

Final:

My vision for myself came to life! I created personalized business tools for myself. Now that I have a set of fancy business cards and business card dispenser I will have the confidence to go to job fairs as well as interviews.  The dispenser was created out of plywood and was assembled with joints. For more stability, I glued the joints together even though they fit together perfectly. The cards were made out of clear acrylic. It the future I  would probably not use clear for my business cards because the words are difficult to read. Also, the etching on the wood didn’t come out as dark as I hoped, so next time for something as small as this I will use a better quality wood.  The project came out to be better than I expected, and I’m really happy will the results, especially since it was my first time not only assembling something that was laser cut into pieces but also using acrylic.

 

Assignment 3

Sketches and Ideas

 

 

As inspired as I am By motivation quotes I also think most of them are very cliche and cheesy. My intent is to make a sarcastic piece using the loopy inspiration font (above) and write words that don’t have any message. “Blah Blah Blah” is what came to mind. I will be writing that in a spiral layout that will be in the form of a coaster. I love those unique coasters (above). My sketches are below.

Itteratons:

I worked in illustrator to figure out a shape for this piece. I tried lots of things to bring this coaster to the next level and make it an art piece. The design outlined in red was the final design I decided to go with.

 

Final:

My first laser cutting assignment went really well, and I think this coaster came out beautifully.

 

 

Laser Cut Tree Tutorial

This tutorial was very useful to get an idea about how the laser cutter will read in data. I started with a vector image, and then I went into illustrator and connected the paths and removed the filled in parts. To get an idea of what the pendant will look like I traced the new image in Fusion 360 and colored it.

Response to Design Reading

Good design comes in many forms. There are many new things that come out every day, but only a chosen few are considered to be well designed. All the objects that I own vary from the cheaper side to the more expensive side. Things that need to last longer, I am willing to pay more for them. These things include my car, my PlayStation, and my couch to name a few. There are so many decisions that are made when making a big purchase like that. First, have to be drawn in by the way it looks. This it’s the most practical way of making big decisions, but when something is appealing we are more likely to buy it. The reason for that it that good looking design make us feel good. The third article actually states that design is a method of problem-solving. Another thing that contributes to making big purchases is the usability aspect of it. If something will make my life easier, and lasts the test of time, then I will be really excited to buy something. Design is in every part of our lives.

Assignment 2

Game Piece

Ideas and Sketches:

I was inspired by the books/films Harry Potter. These stories are my favorite to read and watch. If I was ever to play monopoly I would always pick a piece that’s related to Harry Potter because it’s so near and dear to my heart. My sister who is nine years younger than me had pretty much nothing in common until she became old enough to become a fan of Harry Potter as well.

Progress:

Creating the wings became a huge challenge that I decided not pursue because of this being a game piece. Instead, I focused on creating the cool engraving. I did this with sketches in sculpt mode. I extruded those sketches and the used the body to cut the sphere. I then pulled out the new cut pieces to create all of the designs. I was a difficult process but it was worth it.

Final:

The final touch I added was the words that were found on the snitch in Harry Potter, ” I open at the close”. I wrote this in harry p font I found online. Then I extruded the letters. I am very happy with this piece!

Project 1

Sketches and Ideas:

When thinking of ideas for the first project I thought about making something with multiple components. I came up with a Harry Potter style windchime, however, the whole team wasn’t on board, so we compromised and came up with this: a windchime idea inspired by Keith Haring

Progress:

I tried to play with different types of heads. Another one that I tried but didn’t take a photo of was a more realistic shaped head with a face, made in sculpt mode. I went with a simple extrude. However, I added the slits where the necklines were in the reference picture. I made those by extruding lines in sculpt mode then cutting away what I didn’t need. The finished result is (above).

The next part was to make the body that was shaped like a layered cake. I first created a plane that would line up with all the pieces. I then created a cylinder and copied it three times and scaled it. Then I took the largest piece and used the pull tool the make the bottom round. The final step was to make it so that the pieces could be glued together when printed separately. I extruded inward to the cylinders so that each piece would have a base to be glued into. The legs was a simple extrusion as well as a copy of one another.

Final:

Artist Statement:

Artist Statement: Keith Haring was an inspirational artist and activist using his art and voice to fight for gay rights in the 1980s, particularly in regards to fighting stigmas related to HIV/AIDs. Even nearly 30 years after his death, Haring’s art is a reminder that people are meant to love each other and be happy, both very important messages in the current shit-show that is the Trump administration. Thus, for our project, we created several pieces that come together to create a wind chime dedicated to Keith Haring and his legacy. Although our chime isn’t very noisy, it is reminiscent of Haring’s ability to step up and make some noise. All change starts with people being vocal about the injustices they undergo, and this is very relevant to our project. Our chime contains references to equality for LGBTQ people, making efforts to ensure love will prevail, as well as cute characters that if nothing else is uplifting. In a time characterized by division and hatred, our project is a reminder to be happy and to spread the love.

Technical:

Building this piece I took bits and pieces from all the tutorial videos from class and created a 3D version of a famous painting. This is one piece of many that will be part of a windmill. To create this piece I sketched everything out in model mode. Next, I extruded the top piece and the leg. The second leg was a cop of the first because I wanted them to be symmetrical. The middle pieces are cylinders that had the top part extruded inward. (The plane tutorial helped me with that part.) The bottom layer got its egg shape from the pull tool.

Fletcher designed the three extruded pieces. They had fun loops and curves. All of the pieces were inspired by paintings. Andrea designed the heart and the people holding it, she used the form tool to create a heart out of a sphere. The people were made in model mode with the extrude tool.

 

 

 

 

Product Design

Design is all around us. Most of the time we don’t recognize that something was designed. Design is only brought to our attention when there is something wrong with it. In the past, everything that was expensive was well crafted and one of a kind. This was until the industrial revolution when many things started to become manufactured in factories. It was much more cost efficient to mass produce simply designed objects.  Around this time the dilemma of buying something nice or buying something cheap came up. People would rather have something nice that something cheap if they had the financial opportunity to choose. This is because we feel good about things that look nice. There are entire professions that revolve around making things look nice. Companies try to strive for their product to look good more so than if the product is functional. The is because when you visit a nice looking website, for example, you awesome everything about the company is good.