Actual Blog

Thu, 02 February 2012

Art Murmur - Friday

Not only will I be selling a bunch of samples at reduced prices, but I will also have a prototype of the new bowl and new bag on hand for show and tell! So if you stop by you can give me some feedback on the new products.

Wed, 01 February 2012

Side pockets

The new bag will have pockets... All my bags are made of 2 layers of felt, so I've cut a hole in one layer to make a pocket between.

Here's a paper cutout of the bag shape. The cutting die will have one hole, so both layers of felt will have a hole. If I attached the 2 layers head-to-toe, there will be 1 pocket on the inside of the bag and one on the outside.

I'm also using the paper cutout to record where the strap goes... after I mark the strap position on the paper I can measure it and translate it back to the CAD drawing. You can see I'm going to move the strap about 1/2 inch up.

Tue, 31 January 2012

SIE43 Chair

Here is the SIE43 Chair by Pawel Grunert. Made of plastic water bottles, obviously. Very nice. Via Inhabitat.

Thu, 26 January 2012

Bags and bowls

For the updated UM bags, I would like to introduce an all-season counterpart to felt. I got some samples of high performance upholstery fabric with a metallic sheen, made of nylon (more eco friendly and durable than the usual PVC, and also a non-woven material so the edge won't fray). I think it goes pretty good with the strap colors... we'll see how it works.

I'm also having my sewing contractor do some prototypes of the temp bowl. They will be using a press machine to insert the snaps and also trying out a silicone prototype!

Mon, 23 January 2012

New handbags, finally.

I have been talking about making some new handbags for quite a long time, and I am happy to report that progress is being made! I decided to do a simple refresh/renovation of my most successful product, the UM bags.

What you see here is a larger version of the UM tote, without any handle-holes and with a strap. I will re-introduce holes that will act as pockets. I will also renew the carry shape.

Prototyping is messy. I found there's one perfect position for the strap, but I had to sew it on in about 20 different places to find it.

Fri, 20 January 2012

Apple vs. Pc

Got a Macbook Air the other day.

Packaging not too fancy, but it's thoughtful and uncluttered.

The experience is categorically different than buying a PC. And I'm a PC user (no way to avoid it if you have to work for a living :)

Even the power cord is a design object. Something can be learned from this.

Thu, 19 January 2012

Two Rabbits

These guys present themselves as laid back skater dudes, but in fact they are incredibly talented collage artists. Check out their work here.

Tue, 17 January 2012

Fun!

These drawings are my attempt to get as many L-shaped pieces of cork from a 24x36 block as possible, while trying to make only straight cuts. My sketchbook is filled with many such pages. And now I've decided not to use L-shaped pieces for the wine rack project, so the process begins anew for the next shape.

Here's my advice: if this type of thing is not fun for you, don't become a designer or architect!

Fri, 13 January 2012

New bowl shapes

Here are a few more variations on the temp bowl. Yes it's the same piece of felt with 48 snaps that results in so many variations. I'm working hard on finalizing the snaps and material choices and I'm looking forward to seeing this as a real product soon!

Thu, 12 January 2012

Blink

I've been reading the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (yes I've finally jumped on the Gladwell bandwagon). There's a really interesting insight in the book that applies directly to the design process.

He describes how people are much better at recognizing faces visually than they are at describing somebody's appearance. For example, today I met a woman who had bought a bag from me at an event back in October, and I recognized her instantly. Yet I could not have described her, or even have remembered the transaction, if somebody had asked me about it beforehand. Gladwell goes on to say that the logical act of verbally describing a face gets in the way of the brain's ability to make intuitive connections, reducing the possibility of recognizing that face.

I think it's the same in design work. Often when I try to "think" of a new idea, or develop a project by describing to myself the attributes it should have, I get stuck. However, if I just sit down and sketch or go to the shop and build something, new ideas and forms spring forth automatically. Design work requires making intuitive connections that are too difficult to describe before they happen. It's funny that I read about this during a time when I've been thinking about this issue, as in Build more, think less.

Wed, 11 January 2012

Cork wine rack #1

I've been thinking about making a cork wine bottle rack on and off for years... Here's a very simple prototype.

It's actually not so simple to form very thick cork. But I've found that a band saw works pretty well for straight cuts since the material is so soft.

Here's the squared off block, about 6"x6"x12".

Drilling with my 3-7/8" forstner bit. I had to come in from both sides because the drill travel isn't long enough to get through the whole piece.

Finished piece. I'm actually not sure that this project will end up as a wine rack: the idea is rather specific, and it's been done pretty well already. But working with the cork gives me other ideas that are kind of exciting. It seems like my best work comes unexpectedly when a project changes course...

Mon, 09 January 2012

Ai Weiwei: fascinating artist

Ai Weiwei.

Thu, 05 January 2012

Giant drill bit

I bought a 3-7/8" forstner bit online. This is definitely the largest bit I have used.

The purpose of the bit is to drill holes in cork.

Makes a pretty nice hole. Next I'll try to drill through 8" thick cork. If it works I'll describe more about the project.

Thu, 29 December 2011

Yet another bowl configuration

I turned the temp bowl prototype inside out. It looks so different with the snaps on the outside, a totally new configuration. Okay the holidays are almost over and it's time to move this project forward. It's almost there.

Wed, 28 December 2011

Build More, Think Less

I've been in a reflective mood, thinking about lessons learned from 5 or 6 years of designing products. It seems that I'm most productive when I build incomplete ideas and let the physical process take over. My best work comes from form-making rather than concept. So get ready for more process posts, and if you are a techshop member you will probably see me there!