Monday, March 7, 2011

Design 200: Course Review

Honestly, I loved Design 200 this quarter.  It was definitely my most enjoyable class this quarter, and I really enjoyed learning some of the ins-and-outs of the major, and what I could be doing for the rest of my working years if I were lucky enough to get a job in design.  I especially liked some of the journals we did like the scavenger hunt, letterform seek and find, and found faces.  These projects took unique work, but provided a fun break from the normal grind of college classes, and also helped us realize and look more into our surroundings.  The final project was my favorite part of the class.  I was worried when I first found out about what it would involve, but as our group began working on it, I began to like it more and more.  I loved actually going through the process of dreaming up and designing our own product in order to present to the class (Coleman), and seeing the final product once it all came together.  I would definitely recommend this class to lots of my friends! (I have to a couple already)  Thanks for making this class so enjoyable!  Gabe, you're the best!

J10 Coleman for the Home

Group Members:
Nina El-Khuory
Brandon Reed
Anthony Norris
Matt Watson
Karyn Pernia
Xia Hau

J08 & J09

Our team worked very well together, and got a lot accomplished.  This was honestly the best group project I've ever worked on because every teammate contributed an equal amount, and did their part to make sure that the process went smoothly, and the product turned out like we wanted it to.  Our final design was the Coleman Custom Cabinet, and it was a storage device that a wide array of consumers could use for their gear for just about any hobby, and especially to hold their Coleman products.
I feel that I did a good job in contributing to the project, and that I had some good ideas that helped move the process of design and development.  I worked on making our ideas of accessories for the cabinet come to life using Google Sketchup.  I really enjoyed using the program, and I noticed great improvement in my skills with the program with each rendering I made.  Even though I was slightly worried when we first found out about this project, I ended up really enjoying it.  I really liked the whole design process, and completing the project makes me really want to get into the program, and pursue a career in design.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Coleman for the Home J09

Nina El-Khuory: http://sayithot.tumblr.com/
Brandon Reed: http://bmreed330.blogspot.com/
Anthony Norris: http://anthonorris.tumblr.com/
Matt Watson: http://ohiomatt33.tumblr.com/
Karyn Pernia: http://karynperniauise.blogspot.com/
Xia Hau: http://littledesign.tumblr.com/


     Our team has just finished putting the final touches on our presentation, and finalizing all the details on the project as a whole. We all met at Starbucks this afternoon to talk about our project, and we decided on the order of the slides in our presentation, and figured out how we were going to talk about our kiosk.  We all worked on small portions of the project individually, and then compiled those pieces to make our final project.  
     During the course of the project, I helped the group think about possible options for the cabinet design, and even used Google Sketchup to render 3-D designs and actual pictures of pieces that can be purchased as accessories for out cabinet.  I feel like I've been bringing good ideas toward the group discussion about the project, especially because my family camps a lot, so I use Coleman products all the time, and know what kind of products they sell, and who their customers are.
     We started out by making lists of possible beginning ideas that included pet products, appliances, and even food supplies.  We started thinking about how to combine some appliances or tools in order to make a certain job or task easier, and then stumbled upon the idea of the cabinet.  We then started making lists of things we wanted to include as accessories for the cabinet like a removable shelving unit, hooks, movable shelves, ventilation fan, and plastic baskets.  We plan on making a base-line cabinet, and then many accessories that people can buy so they can make the cabinet exactly how they want it.  Here are a few pictures of the accessories for the cabinet that I've been working on: