Alex Marshall

Cobwebs

2012-01-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

Starting to freshen up and shake ff the cobwebs for a demo in March...

Digital sketching...

2012-01-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, it feels like forever ago since I last posted... It's been busy and hard to find the time/energy for this, thanks Ryan for encouraging me to post more.

So anyway, after a little more than a year of using a Cintiq I finally come to the conclusion that my sketching has gotten worse as a result. Was it the control+Z, the few mm's of disconnect which seperate me and display, the disconnect of sketching in the digital rather than physical medium or was it sketchbook pro?

Whatever the reason, today I decided to correct the issue. To do this I looked back at how I used to sketch, it went something like this: paper sketch>scan>orient sketches on single page in photoshop>render = Example here. This sounds time consuming but it took a little more time when compared to all crtl+z, layering, etc. in sketchbook pro. And when I compare the previous sketch to how I feel I am sketching now, it was worth it.

So the question became, how to recreate the paper sketch experience with my cintiq. In the sketch below I tried to recreate the quality of the sketch example above (see link) but using only my cintiq and sketchbookpro.

To recreate the hand sketch experience, I came up with a few rules that I will always try to remind myself as I sketch.

1. Stop using ctrl-z and the eraser (unless you REALLY need it) - The little extra bit of mess adds emotion and a human quality to the sketch. Before my sketches were bland and overworked.

2. Use less layer - I used to get lost in a sea of layers. When I'm searching for a layer it breaks my concentration and rhythm then everything falls apart. I've decided to keep only 4 layers from now on: the line work layer, the shadow layer, the highlight layer and an optional color pop layer.

3. Don't shade, sketch! - When I sketched by hand I would often shade using the pen. This brought texture, rhythm and life to the sketch. Then I would add color and greys on top of that sketch digitally. As you can see below I tried to recreate this effect.

4. Zoom-in less - Zooming in always seems like a good idea, but I've decided that it adds to the digital disconnect when using a cintiq. Kind of like using a magnifying glass to sketch on paper. You can't see the full image and thus you are removed from the process which always means bad news bears.

5. Custom brushes - I created custom brushes matching the line weight I would normally sketch with (a ball point pen and a paper mate flair). This creates some uniformity to the sketches and speed up my sketch (b/c I'm not constantly trying to find that perfect size brush because, just like real pens, the size is preset). Also stock brushes are boring so create/download new ones, particularly for shading.

Meghalayas' Living Bridge

2011-11-27T09:39:00.002-08:00

FYI

2011-09-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm on tumblr! I've found it much easier to post inspirational images and design related links: My tumblr. This blog will still exist as a form of personal expression, if I can ever find the time to do some of that.

Interview

2011-07-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.strathmoreartist.com/alex-marshall.html

Plane ride...

2011-06-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sketching on the plane... Little bit of photoshop at home.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

A small tribute to all of our family and friends in the armed forces.

Just arrived!

2011-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Should be in stores soon.

2011-05-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Turns out sketching at a bar is a great way to meet people.

IDSA un-meritable awards

2011-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

This was a fun/scary event, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was great. I was one of six professionals to present my failure to a group of KU student judges. No one likes to talk about their failures so, as a relief, comedy was one of the components we were judged by. I presented a case that I designed which I consider to be a failure, even though most users were happy with it. After seeing everyone else's presentation I feel that I could have elaborated a bit more but unfortunately that was my failure on the project.. A lack of process.

Sooo here is it : /

Unmeritable

View more presentations from amarsh23

Bags

2011-05-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

2011-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

http://climatecrisis.net/

2011-05-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Brave Cadet

2011-05-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

My friend has a sweet blog, check it out: http://bravecadet.com/archive

C-X75

2011-05-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

Working With Splines

2011-05-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Good introduction to splines if you're new to SW and some good tips if you're familiar with them: http://www.swtuts.com/?p=304

SCAD Annual Report Interview

2011-05-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

The SCAD communication department recently interviewed me for their Annual Report. They photographed me in my work environment at Garmin. The background is a sculptural piece made by one of our prototype specialist using a couple hundred old prototypes (we have many more in the back). Supposedly President Wallace hand picked the two other students and myself from the graduating class. I usually don't rock a beard but it was no-shave November at the time. And no, I don't know what I'm looking at, it's the picture they liked. Sorry for the shameless plug but isn't that what a blog is for?

Family advice

2011-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

I called my uncle today and we ended up talking a little about sketching. He has a background in animation and used to work for Disney. He gave me some interesting tips that animators use which translate well to product sketching.

Draw the subject from every angle in 15 degree increments. I shortened the amount of views here because it takes forever and is quite difficult... So if you think you know how to draw something, draw it from a completely odd angle.

Draw the subject and flip it (on a light table or digitally) to see what is incorrect. I learned this in studio but I'll be doing it more often.

I discovered that the perspective was a bit more dramatic than what I intended.

My uncle also plays the theremin which is cool.

Garmin Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-04-30T14:49:00.001-07:00

Garmin Pinewood Derby 2011, a set on Flickr.

Not the typical Friday at the office. I tried panning as best I could, by the end of the race day I had a pretty good grasp of it... My car was the hot dog.

Programming nano robots and... Innovation?

2011-04-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

No matter what I read these days I generally find something in it that relates to design... For example, Prey by Michael Crichton.

".... psychologists now believed a certain amount of random behavior was necessary for innovation. You couldn't be creative without striking out in new directions, and those directions were likely to be random" pg. 295

2011-04-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

The weekly after work pickup soccer game was canceled today so I decided to mess around a bit.... It's easy to make crummy doodles look half-way decent with a cintiq.

Cover Illustration: 400 Series Layout Bond

2011-04-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Today is a pretty exciting. Strathmore recently decided to overhaul all of their cover artwork and today they released my cover illustration for the Strathmore 400 series layout bond. I don't claim to be an awesome car designer or awesome at sketching cars for that matter but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I had forgotten how much fun and fast analog sketching is. I used 400 series layout bond, Verithin pencils, Prismacolor markers and a bit of pen.

The power of the vignette... 5 min sketch

2011-04-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

I was sketching on a project today and I was running out of time... I decided to try out an old trick to pull it together, the vignette.

I drew these shoes very quickly and without much detail to illustrate what a difference the addition a simple vignette can make.

As you can see above, the vignette helps the composition of the page. It's brings the two competing sketches together and creates a nice harmony. The vignette also add a sense of depth and horizon line so now the object aren't floating around. Personally, I think a vignette works best as simple lines and not big blocks of color but sometimes that works too.

Lunch time sketch

2011-04-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

A quick homage to the Ferrari 312

2011-04-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

2011-03-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

TZ3 Corsa

Sketch workshop @ Iowa State

2011-03-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

The sketch workshop at Iowa State went well. I know it was a great learning experience for myself and hopefully the students.

I started with a presentation of my work, experiences, and how I sketch. That lead into the workshop portion. It was focused on the basics: pen/pencil, paper, perspective and shading. The fundamentals that everyone should start with. Then everyone starting sketching, we pinned up and critiqued each other. Good times.

I have to admit that I have even more respect for teachers after this experience. It's one thing to be able to draw but to draw and vocalize the nuances of what has become second nature was difficult but we got through it. I'm looking forward to more events like this. However everything I would say can be summed up in one word "practice".

Person Sketch Goal

2011-03-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start sketching A LOT more... First step, REALLY use a "disposable sketch book" (Tons of great tips in that video). I think my goal is to fill a sketch book a month.

Sunday morning...

2011-03-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

I need a bigger scanner... These didn't read very well sized to fit in this blog, click the image to see whole sketch.

Off-roadsters

2011-03-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

Inspired by John Muhlenkamp

BORED

2011-03-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

Growler E

2011-02-24T05:34:00.000-08:00

Wire spokes and color completely change the attitude of this concept. I wonder how wire spokes would look on my Rabbit...

Sketch workshop @ Iowa State

2011-02-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to lead a sketch workshop this weekend at Iowa state. Should be fun!

Smart For Speed

2011-02-21T06:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone else in love with the new smart concepts? Really well done tech organic styling with some vintage cues.

15 Second Car Sketch

2011-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

An ID student toured the studio today and she was unaware of the "15 second car" sketch warm up. So I demo'd this... I'm a bit rusty.

New Stratos

2011-02-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

The new Lancia Stratos was clearly designed to look good in rally kit/paint.

Terrarium Fun

2011-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I found a 20 gallon aquarium setting next to the dumpster at my apartment and thought I could use it or at least sell it on craigslist. So for the past few weeks I've been thinking of the best way to use this piece of dumpster treasure. I decided to make a terrarium. Here's how I did it and what I learned..

All of this (not including the free aquarium) cost $43. The whole process took me about 2 hours which included cleaning everything, assembly and potting.

Itemized list:
1. Pea gravel
2. Charcoal
3. Potting mix
4. Plants

Wash the gravel to remove dirt and add into container, about half an inch. This layer keep the water below the soil just like the bedrock of the earth. Wow, learning is fun!

Add the Charcoal onto of the gravel. The charcoal acts a natural filter so that the moisture build up stays nice and fresh. You want about half an inch to an inch of it.

Next, add your potting mix. (I could have added a layer of moss between the charcoal and potting mix but it's not required.) Be sure to moisten the dirt but not a lot. This starts the whole "eco-system" and the newly planted foliage requires some moisture in there.

Now comes the fun part! Start arranging your plants. I have selected "tropical" plants or house plants. They are easy to care for and most of them live well together i.e they have the same sunlight needs and moisture requirements... I was lucky, and there was a whole terrarium section at the garden center I went to so I just picked from it. Also be sure to inspect your plants before you buy them for any traces of disease. It's also good to get a second opinion on placement and my dog is always a good critic.

Once everything is in place start pruning any leaves that are dying or about to fall off.

Once everything is arranged carefully take the plant out of the pot. Don't pull from the top of the plant. Squeeze the pot and let it drop into your hand. Remove most of the potting soil so the roots are exposed (depending on the plant) and plant. Once everything is planted remove any potting soil from the leaves and and spray everything with water. If you have a closed terrarium like mine leave the lid off for a day to release excess moisture.

And enjoy!

The person that threw away the aquarium actually left this castle inside, score! You've just entered the enchanted forest bitches.

It's like entering a tiny little world of your own creation. OHH AHH!

P.S - After only 5-10 minutes the inside of it already started to smell like the freshest forest air I have ever smelled.

After taking this picture I added a couple of taller plants (see the image 3 above).

After a week or two, the humidity should be prefect for a frog. They sell fire bellied toads at petco for $5. If you want to do this you'll need some type of UVB/UNA bulb and a hood or lamp but they can be kind of pricey. Oh, and in case your wondering I knew nothing about terrarium construction as of this morning. So it's super simple and easy to learn. Have fun!

2011-02-09T05:24:00.001-08:00

Lunch time sketch

2011-02-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

Ran out of time, had to quit... But there's something I like about it.

2011-02-04T17:55:00.001-08:00

How to sketch shoes... Google it.

2011-02-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

My friend John Adams stubbled upon my work after googling "how to sketch shoes". Cool!

Super science!

2011-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

2011-02-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

Something so simple, yet so interesting.

KC blizzard meet Snow Prowler

2011-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not used to these mid-western snow storms. I had to take a PTO day at work to avoid nasty driving conditions. So I drew this and did my taxes... DIE SNOW.

Lunch time sketch

2011-01-31T11:11:00.001-08:00

2011-01-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Overlay

2011-01-30T16:07:00.001-08:00

Want to create a hand sketch page quickly without screwing up? Overlay an old sketch! I wish I would have used this method more in school... So easy.

Lunch time doodle

2011-01-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

The front end is a bit to short...

Lunch time doodle

2011-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Pagani Huayra

2011-01-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Nice.

Steampunk or classy? I can't decide.

Can't quite place it but I see some Audi R8, maybe it's the door scope angle.

Don't know if I like the leaf shape motif on the tail lights and side mirrors... Are those airplane flaps, yes!

Shoe sketch walk-through

2011-01-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Not sure why I like doing walk-throughs so much... I realized this was basically a puma with a nike logo slapped on (it's late forgive me)... but I went with it anyway.

Back Saver Bucket: Update

2011-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Back Saver Bucket (now called the Bucket Buddy) has made it through the numerous stages of the Quirky process and is now available for pre-order! Congrats Ben.

Shoe Proportion

2011-01-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

What's more important than proper shoe proportion in a shoe sketch? Not much really. Just like cars, improper proportion could make the concept read as something else (e.g: a running shoe could be seen as a golf shoe just be a lower profile). I find shoe proportion to be more subtle than cars so practice is important! Here's a good post from a master, for further explanation.

Meeting notes...

2011-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

The NMA

2011-01-16T09:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/wt_index.htm

"When is transportation sustainable and when is it not?"

2011-01-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

Interesting article on transportation design The Gram Junkies.

Warm up, don't give up!

2011-01-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

This sketch it pretty terrible but I think it illustrates an important point so I'm posting it. The first sketch of the day (see # 1) is generally terrible and I want to throw it away and curse my hands for refusing to work correctly. If I don't throw my pencils at the wall and run away crying then I will keep working the sketch until it looks like it does now, BAD. Then comes sketch #2, my hands are warm and I feel my confidence rise.... Then the dust clears and I realize there are some flaws in it somewhere (usually perspective) and work it some until it looks like it does now, MEDICORE. Now by my third or forth sketch I don't really care any more and just start throwing down something. At this point I've stopped thinking and it's just NATURAL. This is where I like to live. So my point is this, don't give up after the first two or three sketches. It's like running the 1st couple of miles are the worst then the endorphins kick in and your good. So keep at it!

Benz Process

2011-01-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

Mood board meets concept.

Score America!

2011-01-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

The Prius just got unglier and the Volt wins awards! Score America!

2011-01-10T06:46:00.001-08:00

Snow day

2011-01-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Doodling and Netflixs on a lazy snowy Sunday.

Interview w/ J Mays of Ford

2011-01-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Ford is quickly becoming my favorite car company, this is probably why.

2011-01-08T08:40:00.001-08:00

Mercedes-Benz C111 - Ciento Once prototype

2011-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Love the back of the Ciento Once Prototype, it has a refreshed 80's style that I really dig.

2011-01-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Like shoes, cars are easier to draw from a side view.

2011-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick door study overlay... Even though orange bleed through from a previous sketch I think it still works.

2011-01-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

More car practice...

2011-01-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

Prismacolor markers, Verathin colored pencils, and Strathmore layout bond paper.

2010-12-31T09:23:00.001-08:00

Fireside sketches

2010-12-27T19:04:00.000-08:00

Big holiday blizzard = sketching by the fire.

Holiday packaging finds

2010-12-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Some nice graphic design/packaging that I happened upon this holiday break.

Hand sketch tips

2010-12-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of tips for hand sketching which might go overlooked but I am finding very important.

Keep your pencil sharp at all times. I'm sure you've heard this already but it makes a big difference. You can see a difference in the overall clarity here, I used a dull pencil before and then kept my pencil sharp after.

Buy templates and use them even on quick 5-10 minutes sketch like the one above. The more you use them, the more comfortable you will get with them and thus improve your perspective. Here are the tools I used:

Take your time but move quickly or "work smarter", I often make the mistake of thinking that I have to do a sketch quickly for it to look energetic. I find that makes it sloppy. Now I try to think out the sketch, draw some basic construction lines, get the right eclipse/perspective, then use quick stokes to apply details. That gives the "fast" look... and it takes about the same amount of time.

Finally, PRACTICE... Which I need to do more of.

Drive - Scott Robertson

2010-12-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

Another fantastic vehicle illustration book, this one by Scott Robertson.

2010-12-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

"If I had a billion dollars to fund a marketing campaign, I would launch a campaign on behalf of things you already own, why not enjoy them today" Rob Walker - Objectified

Idiot proof

2010-12-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

This quote was so good I had to blog about it....

2010-12-06T13:14:00.001-08:00

Goggles

2010-12-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

The Key To Getting Better

2010-12-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

PRACTICE. Great article by idsketching.

Phones

2010-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

The premier of "The Visual Languages of Herbert Matter"

2010-11-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

I attended my first IDSA Kansas City event tonight which premiered the new documentary The Visual Language of Herbert Matter. I knew basically nothing about the designer so it was a real eye opener. The motion graphics and directing was done well. This helps carry you through the story which was created mainly from photos (very little film forage exist of Matter). I would recommend seeing it if you have the opportunity.

My friend Max Younger was key in coordinating the event. Him and his wife Liliana were kind enough to invite me out to dinner with the director Reto Caduf and a professor from KU after the show. We had a good discussion about graphic design of the time and it's evolution which is one of the themes of the film. Among many other accomplishments, he was one of the first designers to layer images/media which would of course evolve into a photoshop tool. This evolution reminds me of a scene during the film when an interviewee reads a hand written letter from Charles Eames to Matter. I thought, how has technology changed all of this? How will people document someones life when it is password protected? Or when text messages are erased? Do we just break into there facebook accounts to create biographies? Or will it be from blogs such as this?... But I digress.

Matter in some ways reminds me of grandfather who was a mechanical engineer and machinist. Everything both men did in their work, and basically their entire generation, was done by hand. The work Matter and my grandfather did often required tedious hand skill and lots of time to prefect. I have seen a resurgence of some of these labor intensive crafts. But I feel designers today spend just as much time working in "faster" digital format but with the same result. But is the result really the same? I've seen a couple of tutorials online of people digitally sketching then bringing their sketch into photoshop to add grain which makes it look like a hand sketch (not that I have anything against it, just giving an example). I guess the question I left dinner with was, as designers and even as a culture, what part of the design process are we losing and/or gaining by spending 90% of my time on the computer? Are we internalizing our craft, what we see around us and what we learn, the same as they did? Just something to think about.

Warm up

2010-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

... More boot love.

New boots

2010-11-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

Winter is approaching and with it comes weather that requires some quality footwear. I just boot these Timberland - Earthkeeper 6in zip boot. Love them.

robo warm up

2010-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Lego Warehouse

2010-11-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

Another amazing Lego creation... I think they should remain Lego Mind Storm to Lego Mind BLOWN! Zing!

Lego Mech's

2010-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

(More of flickr)

2010-11-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

robo warm up

2010-11-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Quick one

2010-11-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

2010-10-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Aw

2010-10-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

Lunch time creature sketch

2010-10-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

No underlays, references or do-overs (unlike the animal post) just a quick crab creature from scratch.

Animals

2010-10-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

A few animals I sketched for fun, I am taking requests for the next set.

Weekend project: Transformer toy in Solidworks

2010-09-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to modeling one of my favorite toys, Groundpounder from the Mircomaster series. I've learned a few things at my job, namely using an assembly properly, which I employ here. The model is 1:1 however I lost the bucket a long time ago so I had to reference pictures. I might try making a few animations of the transformation, but that can wait until next weekend....

1960's Industrial Design

2010-08-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Design story: The Decanter from Landor Associates on Vimeo.

Not much has changed really.... Except I am nowhere near as cool as these guys. Well done gentlemen.

Dr. Ian Malcolm's view on innovation, "cyberspace" and humanity...

2010-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Everytime I re-read a book I find something I didn't pick up on the first time. It has been awhile since I read the The Lost World and I re-discovered this little gem from, one of my favorite movie characters, Dr. Malcolm. It is an interesting look toward our future and innovation, albeit pessimistic.

10 principles of a good relationship... I mean design.

2010-07-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Generally designers search for a methodology, principles or a motto to guide them in the subjective world of design. One of the first guides that is studied is by Dieter Rams called the 10 Principles of Good Design. However, after further study and personal experience I have discovered that these 10 principles also apply to other aspects of everyday life, like friendship and relationships!

I am no Dr. Phil but I'll try to explain... To avoid typing design/relations and products/people to explain the duality of the principles I have coined a couple of terms:

design/relations = desations

products/people = proeople

Good desations are innovative

Roses and chocolates??? Lame. Been there, done that... Let's get creative people! New or spontaneous momentous in the relationship are the most enjoyable and memorable. Is it a surprise that good product design is most memorable when it has never been seen before?

Good desations makes a proeople useful

No one likes someone that sits on the couch all day or refuses to help out when you ask. The same goes for products. Care and trust is shown when the proeople assist you or goes out of it's way to make you happy or accomplish a task. However, there is no denying the one night stand type proeoples that some of us may been involved in... After the novelty wears off whats left?? A dark black hole in our soul or/and wallet and we want more.. Hince the long lasting desation principle.

Good design is aesthetic

.....No explanation needed.

Good desations make a proeople understandable

This can be applied in many situations. Have you known a person that says the opposite of what they mean in hopes that you can figure them out? Ever gotten into a huge argument about leaving the toilet seat up only to find it's been about a larger issue or as Dane Cook would say "nothing fights"? Or taken literally, a person that mumbles, confidence much?! All of these can be frustrating. When the intention of proeoples are clearly communicated the experience is enhanced and the relationship grows.

Good desations are unobtrusive.

First let's take a look at what we might consider obtrusive.

Is this obtrusive?

Or this?

Generally it can become quite irritating when proeople try to control the situation, actions or force advice. That is not to say that certain situations i.e medical, safety equipment, time with the in-laws should not be controlled or planned for... But when you are trying to write a document or find an address when you clearly know where you are going, you don't need a backstreet driver barking orders at you... Or a software package screaming at you for attention by asking if you need help writing a document.

Good desations are honest

As simple as this sounds it can challenging but very important. When searching for a proeople you genrally start with looks. Sure, a bright shiny new car or profile picture at a myspace angle with duck face and make up might look intriguing but under it all could lie a lemon that falls apart in 2 years (emotional or mechanically). As an industrial designer it is import for the form to the clearly illustrate the function of the product and not let design make into something more than it actually is. And once you have found that proeople that isn't a walking lie, you have to live with it. This is why honest interaction(design) is so important. If you can't have clear and concise interactions with the proeople you will undoubtedly move onto other proeople. Did that similarity scare you just a little??? Thought so.

Good desations are long lasting

This should be the goal of all desations. A long lasting desations is worth it's weight in gold and will pay more itself 10 times over. I would trade hundreds of FB friends for a hand-full of close friends I can count on the same as I would trade 10 drills for one drill lasts a lifetime.

Good desations are thorough down to the last detail

I'll admit this similarity is a stretch but here it is. In desations understanding all of the little details of a proeople is important to a successful end result. For example, what's their favorite color or what color should this icon be for a harmonious design.

Good desations are environmentally friendly

Despite our hopes and wishes desations live in an ecosystem whether that be an emotional or a physical world. This world is delicate balance of resources some of which cannot be replenished. It is critical that desation(s) does not hurt the world in which it resides. Just as sustainability and closed loop systems of the design world are complex and multi layered so too is the world of human relationships... Crazy right? It kind blew my mind too. Does your product have to be made from thermo-set plastic (non recyclable)? Does your relationship have to be constructed out of lies?? I didn't think so. Understand the ecosystem your desations lives in and all the aspects which contribute to an environmentally friendly outcome.

Good desations are as little desations as possible

This principle works well on two levels, here's the first:

The "I don't care attitude" or "hard to get" which coincidentally, gets results. On some level we all want what we can't have and aim for something that is not striving for our attention, it's just human nature. Proeople that exude this general do not try to be something they are not... They are clear and original, to sum up in a word, simple... Here's two example of a couple of proeoples that I admire.

Product - Just looking at this classic product which could be considered simple makes you want it, why? Because you can understand it and nothing interferes with that understanding like lasers, cliche aesthetic and vibrant colors.

Person - Say what you will about this man, he had values! (And you may not know this but women loved him for it... Or not, I have no idea.).

The other level of this principle is based more on the relationship between the proeoples. Generally, the best desations are our best friends. We can lay down our guard and just be ourselves around them in all situations. You wouldn't walk around the house with this or that would you? Maybe you would, but the point is that level of simplicity allows for a natural level of interaction.

*I have the utmost respect for the original principles. This post is a tribute to point out their adaptability, originality and the influence they have had on my life outside of design. The examples and references are in no way a reflection of my personal experiences... Sort of*

Dissecting Details

2010-06-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was playing with my childhood set of Legos yesterday (ya I'm cool like that) and made an interesting observation. I quickly noticed an alien amongst my pristine collect, Megablocks (MB), blasphemy! I'm not sure when my little Brother or Mom bought the set but they creeped their way inside the huge Rubbermaid container. Like most rip-off products the differences are very small, however the subject matter is so basic those tiny differences make a huge impact. While ousting the impostures I noticed how quickly I could pick them out among the crowd. In fact, it was easier to spot the MB than the Lego pieces I was searching for...

Details can make or break a design. With that in mind, it is no suprise that Lego's have become so popular. Let's explore the details and find out why.

Lets start with the branding, Megablocks is obviously a longer name than Lego. As a result the Lego logo (which is the Danish expression leg godt meaning "play well") can be placed on all the bosses. MB can only be inserted on only the larger blocks, the smaller gray piece above does not even display a logo.

The Lego edges are crisper than MB. The radius on the sides do not appear larger but the edges still seem sharper. I think this has something to do with another issue which brings me to my next point, material.

The material of MB is slightly translucent and thus appears lighter. At first I thought the color was less saturated but when I held the yellow block into the sun I saw it was translucent . The lighter color leads to less contrast particularlly when comparing the yellow blocks above. Less contrast also dulls the edges which makes them appear less crisp than Lego.

At first glance the bottom of the blocks seem exactly the same. The ribs and bosses are in the same location and the wall thickness seem to match. However the functionality of Lego seems more advanced. If you look closely at the boss of the yellow lego block you find grooves. This provides a better lock between pieces.

If I remember correctly from a How It's Made episode, Lego's are manufactured with no draft, which is pretty incredible (Sorry there's no link I could find online. However, here's a link to a video produced by Lego from the 70's before the time when computer did everything. Just watching their designers working on a drafting table gives me a headache.) The gray MB piece has a sink mark on the gray piece and I even saw a few ejector pin defects, ouch.

So when you add all this up it seem pretty clear why Lego is a superior product. No wonder I could pick them out so easily.

Check the floor

2010-06-17T02:38:00.000-07:00

I think my jaw fell off....

Free 3D sculpting! Scultris

2010-06-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you love all things to do with creature design and CAD software. I finally found a tool that allows me to step into the space without the learning curve. Scultris is an incredibly intuitive sculpture software which allows you to create anything creepy or cuddly. When I first heard about the software (about 20 minutes ago) I immediately downloaded it and within the 15 minutes following that glorious moment I created this very simple model of a piglet. I can't wait to dedicate some time on a sketch or bring back older concepts in order to create a much more refined model.

Daily thought questions

2010-06-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Amidst my move from Atlanta, Connecticut and finally Kansas, I have found the daily thought questions from my studio one class with Jon Kolko. I remember being told that I should keep them because they will be interesting to reflect upon in later years. I am missing a couple but I have most of the collection.

Here they are, for your enjoyment, thought provocation and hopefully a nice debate on some of the underlying issues the questions raise.

What is the difference between research and design?
What is more important - research or intuition? Why?
Which is more important - that something look nice, or that it is easy to use? Why?
Why are you attending college?
Is it more important that design is a verb or a noun? Why?
If you design something, and that something is used to kill someone else, is it your fault? Why or why not?
One goal of design is to make money. What is another goal of design?
If you could design any type of product at all, what would you choose to design? Why?
What's the difference between designing a blender and a sports car?
Which is the most important country in the world right now? Why?
When you go to an expensive restaurant, do you consider the chef a designer? Why or why not?
Is it more important to be happy while designing or to make others happy through design? Why?