New design work.

Another retail project -- a snapshot computer rendering of one of the furniture pieces.

Duck Store light pendants -- finally installed.

Wow what an epic struggle to get these installed...the fabricator was not quite on the same page as the rest of the team, and relations got strained when we learned that costs were not contained, that we were not getting quite what we paid for, and the timeline had shifted on us.

But the fixtures were finally ready to get out the door late Monday afternoon, and were installed at 10:00 pm, just so that we could get them in for KGW's Drew Carney and the early morning sunrise show.

Table light shade v.02.01.a.

Been going at it lately. This version "a" is in-process, so I've already moved onto v.02.01.b, which is currently rendering in different views. It started out with an idea of doing an all-metal shade with bent tabs to fix the shades in place, once inserted into a support base at the top and bottom.

Table light shades v. 01.01c

The other week I drew up a plan to design and realize new projects; this is the first in the series, with the first series based on simple geometry, designed around Ikea fixtures.  In this case, utilizing Ikea 14" Hemma and Ikea Sparsam bare CFL bulb (E12 - narrow base), first by building from scratch, SketchUp models.  Neither were in 3DWarehouse, so I had to create my own; I posted the Hemma model here, and the Sparsam model here.  These models are each under 200KB, so as not to create a buildup of size in a model -- something I notice is a problem with most people who have created models in SU and populated 3DWarehouse.

These photo-realistic renderings were made utilizing (the always free and recently updated) Kerkythea Boost x64 on my new machine with an Intel quad-core i7-2720qm running Win7 x64, using Nvidia's 555GT with Optimus.  Edited in Photoshop to add watermark and title.

The Boost version of Kerkythea made a huge difference in rendering times, but so does the new GPU / CPU engine in this workstation-class laptop.

It's going to require some modifications, but I really like the direction of this design and I think I'm going to get it prototyped shortly.

Some old, self-built furniture from the 90s.

Back in the day (as in, over a decade ago), I'd compiled a bunch of hand power tools and would semi-regularly build things.  Found them while looking through some slides and negatives today -- decided to scan some of them.

Dual-purpose coffee table / model base - 1993.

The hibachi holder - 1994

The planter - 1994.

The kitchen cabinet - 1994.

The CD wall unit - 1994.

It's all coming together...just 3 weeks more.

Retail project: coming along...just two more weeks.

It's not going to look finished until all the furnishings and finishes are completed, but things are coming along, despite all the bumps in the road.

Light fixture fabrications...in process.

Fabrication completed...now to have them installed...but the space is not yet quite ready for finished electrical.

It's all coming together now...just another month or so.

I hope the correct the curvature kinks out, though...it's not supposed to be a pointy football, but a nice elliptical track.

In production -- shop drawings of casework.

Second round of shop drawings just approved; now the waiting game... less than a month to go. :D

Next up: looks like we're going to have the opportunity to do the marketing graphics on this particular project. Exciting! (Scary too. Hope we don't f' it up.)

Original design concept.

Final shop drawing submittal.

Announcing the DIY iTransplant.

New graphic added: "DIY iTransplant -- Now 100% plug and play compliant"

Added journal here.

Original graphic used for journal:

Don't take life seriously.

Table.

It's a first try idea utilizing Ponoko's CNC router option, rendered in 3D.  Like so many ideas, they're just conceptual designs to explore my personal design vocabulary.  Found a local firm that has CNC router, laser, and outsourced 3D laser-sintering printing (for one of the lights that will get produced for a retail project currently under construction).

This table, by the way, also has a piece of colored acrylic sheet, and a glass top.  With the advent of CNC at Ponoko, the possibilities of creating usable furniture has just gone up tremendously.

Early design for retail.

Working on very little input, other than "old world" retail shop.  I guess this means it'll be 100% different next week.  No time to do a full rendering; just a sketchup output for now.

Custom acrylic light pendant shade and fixture.

Pricing calcs on this design came in at $270 for materials, not including labor costs for assembly.  The total price with labor is $470, but that doesn't include cost of prototyping, design and profit -- that's closer to $700 (what I would charge people who wanted one.)  Seems kinda expensive, but when I'd walk by Lux Lighting (store closing) in the Pearl, I'd see higher prices for what are essentially mass carbon copies of the same item.

I'm going to inquire local sources for materials and manufacturing capabilities to see if the price can get down further, though one would expect the opposite -- that local would be more expensive.  But who knows.  I want to take a tour and find out the capabilities of local manufacturers, though, because laser-cutting is just not enough for me -- I want heat molding at the least.

Portfolio.

I don't do much in the way of hand drawings, even though I sketch out ideas in scribbled notes...but this is the finish portfolio (screen capture) I'm now using (template via flashxml.net).  Created it in a pinch (overnight) for an interview for some contract work.

Some leftover designs from the other month.

Been busy with other projects (and adding condocs for this project as well).  Am about to get started detailing these fixture designs out for pricing / production.  Hopefully they won't get cut from the budget.

Healthcare packaging - an actual magazine.

I was googling for some direction for a graphic design project on drug packaging, and stumbled across this: Healthcare Packaging website and magazine.  Turns out - and I've known this for some time - you'll find a lot of trade publications available online for free.  No doubt, it's the advertising that fund these babies.

Quick list:

Building Design and Construction has a free digital edition, that can also be downloaded as a PDF;
Concrete Construction has access to articles online, but not a downloadable PDF;
Metal Architecture has downloadable PDFs;
Boutique Design has viewable/downloadable PDFs;
Eco-Structure has viewable/downloadable PDFs of their issues and articles online;
EcoHome has archived issues in viewable/downloadable PDFs, and current issue articles online.

Retail design, continued: cash register casework concept.

Continuing with the design, finalized conceptual designs of everything before developing construction details. Today, cash register casework.

Shown are stainless steel perforated steel sheets, curved, stainless steel brackets from Sugatsune, either a gray plastic laminate or metal laminate, complete with matching black/brown wood.

Some renders of an older (last October) idea with LED lights.

As a hung pendant.

As wall fixtures with different number of wings.

Three and four wing versions.

Six, three and four wing versions, as wall fixtures...more like light sculptures.

Close view of center.

Need a sketch book, journal, or otherwise something to scribble on?

xB2 Deluxe Toaster - $12.99

808 Forever - "The Golden Crown" - $12.99

Kurokaeru - "Blue Bunny" - $12.99

Retail light fixture.

I think this is the design I'm going with.  Now, just need to finesse it and price it.

Retail design work continues.

Update on retail design.

Finalized exterior, currently working on interior, including some customized furniture (built-ins and light pendants).

Sketchy view of interior, from furthest inside point of retail space.

Retail preliminary designs.

Based on a couple of different ideas. All preliminary, at the moment.

Single and looking - a series.