New designs/concepts I've been working on

sometimes my imagination bugs me to the point where I have to sit down and put it on paper. Totally blue sky yes; but design is the starting point for everything.

this is my concept for mobile (lunar?)telecommunication platform. provides a signal boosting platform for earth/lunar bound communications traffic.large signal array, with equipment positioned below the dish. technician(s) sit up front in small self contained and environmentally controlled cabin. rugged wheels to traverse harsh surfaces (rocks, craters, etc.)

here we have a southwestern residential dwelling, i've always liked the idea utilizing simple forms and shapes in architectural design. the simpler the better I say.

this is a black & white charcol rendering of yet another dwelling, this time in the deep dark "woodsy" area. again i like simple forms and shapes and how light (or the lack thereof) is manipulated upon them.typical sports car of someone who can afford to live in such a dwelling, of course.

Chrysler "fuselage" cars.

I pursued my Industrial design degree in part because I wanted to design cars. I'm a car guy and automobiles are probably one of the most prevalent objects in American culture and society, ever. A particular design can often evoke passion, thrill, and even reverence. A single line or curve can make or break the "look" of a car design. Trim, color, power, and size or lack thereof are often the culprits for a "make or fail" model.

That said, the design style that particularly catches my eye is the 69'-73' fuselage style born of the Chrysler Corporation of that era. Mind you these cars were humongous in comparison to "modern" cars (read: Prius, Scion, Vue, etc). People wanted space, room and power with their autos for carrying the "nuclear" family.

"Your next car can have a fresh new styling concept. A fluid curved line that shapes a cylinder instead of a box. Every cubic inch of space is functional, designed to compliment it's occupants.Your next car can enclose you in this cockpit of curved glass windows, soft vinyl seats, and sound-absorbing ceiling. A quiet array of lighted instruments gauges is within your reach.Your next car can give you sweeping visibility, more comfort, complete performance, and a joyous heart"

The fuselage body of aircraft was the impetus behind the design style/cues.

Chryslers of the day were low slung, wide, long and sleek; headlights and grill conspicuously incorporated within sparkling chrome "loop" bumpers; wide flat hoods, hidden windshield wipers and low roofs. Absolutely nothing for the winds to find drag upon. On some more "upscale" models (i.e Chrysler Imperials, 300's) concealed headlights were standard, ultimately giving the front a long and wide jet engine "maw" like look. Effortlessly pushing these cars were 383 & 440 cu in motors with pedal power to spare. You didn't drive these automobiles (esp. the Imperials), you "laid in a course and set sail" in them. Largess, speed and comfort, the unmistakable profile of Chrysler "gravitas" in those days. Plus, it just looks damn cool.

Design for everyday life --- In Space?

The last shuttle mission ever to fly to the ISS (which is parked more or less in a low, geosynchronous orbit above the planet) is sadly, upon us. Yet, sadder still, no other serious replacement has been suggested, as of yet, to pick up where the space shuttle(s) leave off. However, thanks to free enterprise (not the galaxy class), more and more entrepreneurs will appear in the arena to further journey men into space.

One would be hard pressed to call the shuttle program a failure. Indeed not, it' been extremely productive and rewarding endeavor. The very first launch in the early 80’s, up until today – the beginning of the 21st Century, data gleaned from the shuttle program (as well as earlier manned space missions like the Apollo shots) gave birth to staggering amounts of innovation, which then filtered down into every industry imaginable. Nearly half century has passed since men last tread upon an extra-terrestrial surface, the time is right to begin the real journey. It shall begin beyond our moon.

Due to the fact that manned space exploration is in it's very early stages, design defers to pure engineering and scientific concerns. One look inside the space shuttle flight deck and this fact becomes painfully clear. Spacecraft interiors are totally dedicated to the work of astrophysicists, astrobiologists, materials handling/engineering experts, flight/communications operations and much more.

Yet, where is thought for the human side of the equation? Can deeper investigation of the interface between men and the machines (the space shuttle is the most advanced piece of equipment constructed by mankind to date) help to positively enhance the "user experience". The experience of living is space.

I suspect that eventually as space travel becomes more common place, and the demographic involved in extra-terrestrial activities becomes less homogenous - more thought in the areas of visual/physical ergonomics, semantics, psychology, usability (form-function), contextual alignment, intuition, and culture will help assist in developing environments for prolong use in space.

The user will become king.

Long time coming; rise of the "pod".

Well, it's been a few months since I last posted, so I'm going to try and post comments with more frequency. This blog is a work in progress with adding a few examples of my past work as well as tuning the "look" of my blog.

A few months ago I purchased an Apple iPod(touch)4. Of course, I know exactly what you are thinking; what took so long? Well, I went through a couple of "Palm" handhelds (remember Palm PDAs?) and a Dell Axim v51 - which worked for me pretty well until my dog ran into me one afternoon and I dropped in on the floor. The impact instantly dispatched the Dell to PDA heaven.

So this was an opportunity to look at Apple devices. I was not automatically sold on Apple as I've always existed in the Microsoft OS "realm", and saw no reason to leave it. The Mac world was foreign to me; I've always felt the Gates system was far superior to Jobs rickety concoction. When measured together, Microsoft compared to Apple is a lumbering behemoth, and Apple was just some "niche" player in my eyes.

That said, I honestly can say nothing detrimental about the pod. It is superior to my Axim and T3 in every way; even in terms of power consumption. Compared to the T3, the pod is a Volkswagen, the T3 is a Hummer H2, hands down. My pod is a 32GB model, and as such, I've literally PACKED it FULL of software apps. Additionally, my pod has every feature imaginable (2 cameras, headphone, speakers, clock, recorder, yada yada), but for the telephony service. Aside from that, it does EVERYTHING else the vaunted iPhone does.

Just recently I discovered a way to "jail break" the pod so that it can make and receive phone calls. Imagine that, spending half the cost of the iPhone and still getting every feature it has (they need to throw my ass into the joint, lol). I guess there are many iPhone people out there who do not want to hear this, better luck next time. Needless to say I am now a happy camper. I used to think my silver T3 was the cat's ass, but the pod literally stomps on it. Goodbye Palm, it was nice while it lasted.

One attribute that intrigues me about the pod is it's black screen (when turned off). Sitting on my desk the little thing mimics some kind of strange alien artifact. Blank and mysterious, nothing in it's form hints what it does.

I remember studying semantics in product design for a couple of semesters in school, all that is thrown out on it's ass by the pod. Way back there in undergrad school the professors used to chant like thirteenth century holy I.D. monks - "less is more", "less is more", "less is more"...damned if they weren't right. My poor old fax machine might as well be a 20 ton block of stone in one of the Egyptian pyramids.

Things that guided me towards being an Industrial designer.....

When I was a young; I watched a lot of television (right, whose kid didn’t?). The time period was around the early to mid 70's. and I was at a very impressionable age. A major chain of events happening at the time was the American-Russian space race (which the Americans won, thankfully). These events (NASA completed several manned missions to the moon) held the national psyche locked in awe and as such the inspiration was felt in everything. I drank Tang in the mornings, my parents had a space age "globe" television on a stand in the kitchen, so that they may keep up with the Viet Nam war, on the daily evening news, there was the Apollo Soyuz mission, Steve Austin, the American astronaut who crashed and became the bionic man, 2001: A Space Odyssey (which I never understood until growing up) and a great many “space” inspired others. These sources had great affect on me; in fact I thought by now I'd be living in some fantastic, low orbital space station with a sentient computer and doubled as a gateway to the moon (what the heck happened?).
This loaded and turned on my curiosity akin to loading fuel into a nuclear reactor; once you load and flip that switch on, you can never shut it off. This is a common trait for Industrial designers, constant curiosity about things, and how they work.
My grade school teachers scolded me continuously for drawing Apollo rocket ships on my desks (all three stages, including the emergency safety engine sitting atop of the command module), in magnificent detail. That said, drawing is another trait common to Industrial designers.
I’ve posted a few URLS for space movies that were out at the time that really put the " fuel" in me and made me excited about space and the future, at the time, enjoy.

21stCenturiDesign blog goes live.........

GREETINGS. 

This is the very first post for the 21stCenturiDesign blog. My hope for this effort is three fold: 
First - to use this medium as a tool in assisting the Industrial design profession (my profession) in becoming more prolific in the main stream psyche; through the utilization of written word and images. I.D. gets lost in between other disciplines and/or professions, many of which who take sole responsibility for the development of objects or ideas used by humanity. 
(yea - I know, tall order indeed, but I'll give it shot).

Many of you do not know or have ever heard of I.D., however you might be quite surprised to discover Industrial design is everywhere and in everything; indeed, it exists right under you very nose!

I.D. is the process of examining interfaces between humans and non-human OR human and humans; and then using the data to design something better ("better" can have different connotations for different people, of course). Within this interface exists a vast expanse of psychological, cultural, sociological, anthropological, mechanical, technological, social, demographic, transitional, traditional and economic issues...JUST to begin with (I cannot list everything). To process through this "data" jungle, I.D. professionals must use tight, focused and in-depth research/analysis to weed out the irrelevant and get to the crux of the problem or to what matters. While the byproduct of Industrial design can be seen as objects (cars, computers, phones, tools, etc.) the end of the process does not always conclude in the tangible; be it tactile or visual. It can be completely intangible. The important idea here is that Industrial design is the process of examination, observation, and thinking about how to develope new ways of examination, observation and thinking about developing new ways.....  
I believe Industrial design is like Kung fu......it is in everything we create or do.

Secondly, I hope this effort will generate business opportunities for 21stCD. 

As this effort is entirely in its infancy stages, more items will appear; such as examples of work (traditional and digital) and written I.D. related thoughts and maybe insights into myself and things I dig.

Should you have interest in hiring me for a project you may contact me at the e:mail link illustrated within. Feel free to leave commentary as you see fit.


Thanks!