A chair you can wrap yourself up in...

Inspired by the word "comforting," my chair design is meant to be a place to escape to when you are having a bad day or just want to curl up with a good book. It is a laminated plywood rocker with a sweater knit cushion that doubles as a blanket you can wrap yourself up in. The blanket fastens down with toggles when not in use.

I am currently exploring the feasibility of this form in bent plywood and I'd appreciate any feedback on the design or the production.

Have some down time? Here's a great reding list...

www.designsojourn.com/30-essential-books-for-industrial-designers

Whenever I have time to read I book, which is not very often, I feel like I have to make it count. Here are some good books that are applicable to industrial design. Enjoy!

The Educated Consumer: A New Breed

www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/index.jsp

www.riedel.com/wineglassguide

In today's super connected, information overloaded world consumers often walk into the store knowing more than the sales person. They have done their homework because they don't want to be taken. Some brands have caught onto this. Riedel and Patagonia are two progressive companies who work hard to educate consumers about what they are buying. Riedel's comprehensive store displays help shoppers understand the mysterious world of wine and wine glasses. Patagonia's online site, The Footprint Chronicles, educates environmentally conscious consumers about where their apparel is coming from. Education and honesty seem to be winning strategies, so how can they be pushed further?

See the Latest Portfolio

View tesaer at:

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/spJfz97AXoewEflnCByhY9wh0ILoYZiRzZ-EeH7ia0cu777A9Dbs39VvBC-K6nBK

View the whole portfolio at:

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/7sBct7Uq-1-XH9_qxZoih_bhULQX5lBEQrDeiHDVopDylagrydWHYyUD1OUbo9-E

Summer Quarter Goals

I am back in Cincinnati after a great quarter in Chicago at Webb Scarlett deVlam. The windy city has treated me well, but its good to be back in my hometown.

So with a new quarter at school comes a fresh start and new goals. Here are just a few...

-I'd like to get a head start on research for my senior project and come up with at least three possible topics.

-I plan to start utilizing online resources more. I want to get my Coroflot portfolio up and running and check in with LinkedIn and blogs more often.

-I also plan to participate more in class through comments and questions. It is important to be comfortable and confident talking about design.

So,

here goes another quarter...

What Career Industrial Designers Have to Say About Design Communications

Here's a sneak peak. To see the rest of the interview, visit:

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/s11X5nQx4c7fHZEMepIg0Ciwa2lAidglXYY_lOhp0UshEoehEJLiS95115K6FYvA

What piece of advice, about school or life, would you give to Industrial Design students graduating in 2010?

Lita

The old adage of it’s as much as “who you know as it is what you know” is so true. My first
job was the only one that I got the hard way. Everything after that was via someone I knew.
You must always be true to yourself as that is the person that you are building your reputation
on in your personal life as well as your professional one.

Don
Remember throughout your career, wherever you work and regardless of your title there will beone central element which will never change, your name. Everything else will change from thecompany you work with, your e-mail, your phone number, etc. You will likely be on both sidesof the table with people you meet during your career and your personal integrity is your coreasset. Treat is as such. Good luck!

Dan
Draw, draw, draw… never underestimate the power of good sketch to sell an idea.

Barry
Know many ways to communicate your ideas. Hand sketch, Sketch on a tablet, Sketch in
Photoshop, Illustrate in Illustrator, know proficiently a 3D program and if you know how to do
websites/graphics/user interface/flash or something like that then you are going to be more
valuable to a company vs. someone with just a talent to do one of these things super weel.

Tea Kettle Process Book

Get a closer look at the process book for Sip, my tea kettle design.

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/pdGqzUyjK34eEDjvnAgtbDLQTqjrOfOAcbwmFvxXAUlnd_y6myF24tDOiN2UDpKI

Image Inspiration

I choose to design a tea kettle for a Japanese career person who takes tea time to slow down and relax with friends or family. The goal was to design a kettle that would not over shadow the delicate nature of tea, but highlight its inherent qualities.

The above is an image board I created for the project. I was not as interested in other tea kettles as I was natural patterns and textures from Japanese culture. The exercise of sorting through many images and getting down to just a few that represent the concept best is a very helpful process for me. It enables me to further define my design aesthetic, but also broadens my thinking.

Goals Revisited

Those beginning of the quarter goals I set... well...

I don't spend every minute of my spare time looking at design blogs, reading design magazines, or talking about design. I am, however, doing these things more often.

I have worked more efficiently this quarter as I start to learn how I work best. I know I need to set short term, accomplishable goals and take frequent breaks. When I plan things with friends I have motivation to help me focus and get my work done before I get to play.

I have been observing different sketch styles I admire, but as of yet I have failed to put in the practice time. I have been putting it off until co-op.

So now a need some goals for my next co-op quarter.
To be continued...

So what kind of designer are you?

*** I will preface this entry by saying: most people have a skewed view of themselves and the work they do. It is a constant challenge to step outside yourself and try the see what the rest of the world sees.

I think my number one strength as a designer is empathy for the user. I try to understand a person fully-- from what they say about an experience, to what they do, how they feel, and why. I'm driven by the potential to find that special insight that can lead to a benefit the user never knew they needed, but suddenly can't live without. I love doing this research and I love communicating my findings through visuals and stories.

Check out some of my research in my portfolio at:
http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/uabsIC6Ry3xgjCrub0U0fBVLZma2dsVDqS27uBYymN6_yCUOWhOurNd6uEX4wG6e

Story Board:Desktop computer for Turkey

These story boards tell of the current problem and the solution I am proposing with my desktop computer design. Get a closer look by visiting this link:

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/iZLjJF_1GBL5b1ktnBzZlNUsm-AFFZHUOfnoLreiYFo

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story or rendering style.

HP Sponsered Studio: Design for Emerging Foriegn Markets

I am developing a home, desktop computer for users in Turkey. I'm focusing on families with several young children who are finding it necessary that their children have a computer for school work. Currently, Internet cafes are used heavily, but as computer based homework assignments increase, it is making more and more sense to have a home computer.

My design focuses on accommodating multiple users, but I am currently trying to make it more unique to Turkey. Suggestions are welcome!

More Burton Flash Drives

Check out the process book for these flash drives I designed for Burton Snowboarding.

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/r6-tK1jyvhq-HaZAQpXqvU03pqOSGLuxbIbVaTSA1SllgQwY6NkiEuiCCI8N5q1V

Check out Illustrator Dave Gibbons

Dave Gibbons will soon be a household name. The release of the movie Watchmen is based on Gibbons' illustrated novel of the same title.

His energetic style is relatively realistic but uses areas of high contrast to make it more graphic and entertaining. His frames are filled with interesting perspectives and intense action.

When flipping through one of his books the color palettes seem to shift from chapter to chapter setting the tone adding interest.

Dave Gibbons has mastered the art of wowing us with his realistic detail and bringing us beyond reality with his larger than life style.

Memorable Design

In many cases the good things go unnoticed and bad things are remembered, but good design often contradicts this rule.

Good design should be memorable. It makes you smile, or just makes you stop and think. These speech bubble speakers are a whimsical approach to sound that you'll surely remember to mention to your friend later.

Good design should also make things easier. Many designs find a cool looking and clever way to make your life more difficult. The mantra of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," often applies. Here's an example of a clock that broke what was unbroken, and then tried to fix it all in one design. It is engaging and interactive, but I wonder how easy it is to read at 10:30.

Good designs should be so thoughtlessly easy to use that they are not really noticed. But then they should be remembered for their beauty or emotional appeal.

Illustrator Renderings

Check out these USB designs I did for Burton. There are some illustrator renderings and marker sketches.

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/pX1ah0lx4zajQEV9Ql4CKyI3FUqqSKQm7TEkwEmsBCtkkfIoydpTDmSNnmussBCA

In the process of visualizing these concepts I learned:

-to show more contrast than is realistic just so the printouts read clearly from far away

-scanning in marker renderings can have mixed results

-but marker rendering is deffinatly faster than photoshop rendering, no time wasted on "ctrl Z"

Kort Neumann

Kort creates an interesting collage of drawings. His dynamic composition and textured background give added emotion to these car renderings.

Check out more at:
http://www.coroflot.com/public/individual_work.asp?individual_id=236855

Technology for Thought

Following the trend of most technologies, projectors are getting smaller and smaller. These little guys are popping up in cell phones and in portable pocket projectors. The signifigance of these innovations is potentially huge. Projections can replace screens, keyboards, even the buttons on the ATM. This all adds up to material savings and potentially cost savings.

An even smaller technology, the memristor, seems like the stuff of sci-fi fantasy. A memristor allows your computer to remember what is stored in memory when turned off. Your machine will not need to be booted up and will be more energy efficient. Just think, someday you'll be telling your grandchildren about when computers took a whole sixty seconds to boot up.

Fiber technology seems to be all the rage lately. This Eleksen fabric keyboard uses switching and sensing fibers to recieve the input. The keyboard becomes a bag for a small laptop or mouse. The power to make hardware--- soft is mind blowing!

Tease Me

Along with the critics' reviews, a movie trailer may make or break a movie's success. It is a first impression. It is a balance between revealing enough to interest and withholding enough to tease. Here are some trailers that take different approaches.

The trailer for I am Legend tells a story from the beginning to--- what may seem like the ending. Is there enough unknown to tease? This approach may be due to the movie's remake status. I think the technique works well for a plot driven movie.

The trailer for Darjeeling Limited takes snippets of the movie and pastes them together in a new order. Scenes are even intermingled with one another. This trailer is a prime example of combining things in a new way in order to highlight the strengths of a piece. And good music doesn't hurt. Seeing a trailer like this makes me think, 'this movie has a lot of good scenes, I just hope I haven't seen them all in the trailer.'

A design teaser should be careful not to give away all the top work so the viewer can be further impressed when they look at the portfolio rather than feeling like they have seen it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4B7FW8b5qI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO1bYukdvLI

View My Teaser and Portfolio

View my teaser (a digital copy of the postcard size print) at:
http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/uabsIC6Ry3xgjCrub0U0fLmZ_7zZ21FA-yEsI8wNKOJlgQwY6NkiEuiCCI8N5q1V

View my updated portfolio at:
http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/abendam/uabsIC6Ry3xgjCrub0U0fBVLZma2dsVDqS27uBYymN6_yCUOWhOurNd6uEX4wG6e

Comment on My Portfolio

I'd love to hear comments on my portfolio at:
http://www.uc.edu/propractice/ind_design/Abend_Alicia_10.pdf

Here are some concerns I have, but feel free to comment on anything...

-Does my graphic add personality, or is it just distracting?
-Does the font add to or take away from the portfolio?
-How can I make the soccer bag project better?
-Should I keep the jewelry design project in my portfolio or not?

Thanks for your help!

Clean Branding

The "people against dirty" have made their message so clear it has become obvious: cleaning products should be clean. You can't argue with that! Their fresh and approachable packaging has made it fun and easy for anyone to be "clean." We trust method because they tell it like it is. This brand demonstrates that if you have a message that can be explained with one simple tag-line, people know you believe in what you are talking about, period... and they will believe it too.

New Media Portfolios

Getting your name out there as much as possible seems to be the key to landing a great design job. There are many tools that can be used effectively in addition to the standard print or PDF portfolio. Blogs and personal websites, even networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn have become standard ways to see and be seen. A YouTube portfolio can be an impactful teaser and definitely shows off your mad software skills. Here is a nice example of what can be done by adding the element of time to your work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvAdHMaSweM&feature=related

This sophisticated graffiti showed up on the wall of a Chicago underpass shortly after election day. Props to the anonymous artist.

Hello World

Hopefully my future musings will amuse you including this-- an introduction to me. I am an Industrial Design student at the University of Cincinnati. I read somewhere that Cincinnati has fewer sunny days per year than Seattle, but I spend many of my days working under the fluorescent lights of DAAP. When not in school I've had a chance to work at GE Consumer and Industrial in Louisville, KY, Fitch in Columbus, OH, and Webb Scarlett deVlam in Chicago.

And now, some personal aspirations for the quarter ahead:

-1- I hope to immerse myself in the design world more often whether it be through design blogs, magazines, or discussion.

-2- I plan to be more efficient with my work so there is more time to play. I work best in short intervals broken up by trips to the fridge, a run around the block, or more exciting social adventures. Sitting down with a plan before I start to work is also key.

-3- I also desire to make my sketch style more exciting and dynamic, but not sloppy. STEP1 is to get a clipboard and paper together. STEP2 is practice with a purpose. STEP3 which comes before after and during STEP2 is to observe and emulate other sketching styles I admire.