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Fresh Lines

I posted an update to Kickstarter recently showing L2′s fresh and final lines.  Since the campaign ended, I stayed testing L2; every time a friend came by, I’d ask em to try their belongings on L2.  With that, dimensions and form has changed slightly, but for the better. 

Also the design felt a little unfinished, off balance.  Extending the top panel and widening the bottom brought a great feel of balance and completion to the product as a whole.

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Lisa Smith, Chief Design Officer of Areaware, give our class a great little overview of her business, how she makes decisions for the company, and the type of relationships Areaware builds with their designers.  Heres some of the info that stuck with me:

1. Lisa is in charge of overseeing product development, deciding who, what, and how products are made.

 - Before cutting any old products, be positive new products have a solid chance.

 - Its true people get sick of old products, but those old products have made you the company what it is today, be aware and respectful of that.

2.  How relationships are maintained - Royalty at 6% (thats pretty damn good)

 - Independent designers make up the majority of Areaware’s design team, with that, Lisa talked about wanting to trim down the number which she employed. Lisa is looking for a more “record Label” type feel with the company, a higher level of cohesion.  

I totally agree with that, cohesion is key.

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Temkin, Max

Getting a chance to visit HQ for Cards Against Humanity was awesome.  I’ve been a big fan of the game and concept since playing it years ago; it was great hearing it was developed by Max and seven of his closest friends from high school, and Highland Park no less! (Im from Skokie hah).  It was really cool seeing this group of friends develop and stick together building this game up to the sensation it is now.  Working with friends I can understand faces its challenges; decisions can be tricky if someone doesn’t agree, so they only move forward with a decision if everyone agrees, if not, they find another idea.

Solid plan in my book. 

Max’s and cards space was also very impressive, its mixture of leisure and work was perfect (that ‘Moroccan’ themed shipping crate tho..)

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m-Hub

Co-working spaces and the concept as a whole has really been blowing up in Chicago lately.  A month or two back we were lucky enough to get an in-depth tour of m-Hub from its co-founder Bill Fienup.  m-Hub was a seriously impressive space, open to start ups and independent makers alike.  The space and members we got to talk to did give me the feeling of the space having a heavy tech. forward influence; but with all the tooling and machines they had (plus it being open only a couple months) I’m not writing it off as an option yet.  With multiple membership options and a huge range of manufacturing processes/tooling, the possibilities are vast, opening doors I may not yet have thought of.  

A final detail that also really stood out strong to me was their method of connecting members.  All members have the option to be listed along with their skills and specialties, allowing them to find and team up with other creatives within the space, making the process of collaboration much easier.

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oh we’ll make it to the dance alright

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This book was yet another great tie to the class and what we’re trying to do here.  Showing my work is something I seriously am terrible at, theres no doubting that.  But it is something I know I must turn to habit, find the parts of it I like/enjoy and dive in.

No matter the excuse you or I have come up with for not sharing work, this book has proven there is no real excuse, find what you like and show it.

Without doing that, theres no getting anywhere.

And above all else, ‘Don’t Feed The Trolls’

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pesky Pesce

Listening to Pesce was quite.. entertaining.  I knew of Pesce and the massive amount of work hes produced, and that got me excited for the chance to listen and maybe soak up some wisdom.  I was slightly deterred once I realized there wasnt much wisdom being shared, but instead his own biased views. I wanted some more substance from his accusations; though I did admire his honesty and no sugar-coating attitude.  He’s spent decades designing for the world, I dont really doubt him knowing good from bad, least when it comes to design...

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No, its just a F*cking coffee table

Eric Trine was an awesome burst of energy and inspiration, while keepin true to his California nature.  It was honestly a relief listening to someone who really just designs what he likes, what he’s interested in, what he thinks is cool and wants to share with others.  

No fuss, no strong need and no deep secret meaning

Having gotten a great bit recognition on Instagram, it was awesome hearing how he made that happen, how he planned that success out; and the honest response that there was no huge plan, the plan was no plan.

Instagram remains for him, forever instant

Trine is someone I really like to base my own career goals off of, an independent designer, designing things that excite him.  Do the things that interest you, and dont take shit too seriously

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nice lines

Im glad my classmates got an opportunity to voice their opinion on the material choice, I was on the fence myself; they were right, acrylic wasn’t the move

This experimentation/prototype did lead to some good ideas though; along with further development of the final form, and the discovery of some nice clean lines in the process

Id say not a total waste of time 

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phaser beams

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Studio Neat -

Dan and Thomas’ talk with us had came at just the right time.  Having just finished ‘It Will Be Exhilarating,’ it was great to be able to put a face,voice, as well as the personality behind the authors.  Having a multitude of successful kickstarters, these guys had plenty of great insight for us first timers.

Heres some of the main ideas i walked away with:

Things to think about when choosing/working with a manufacturer  

-Are they easily accessible?

-Maintain thorough, DETAILED communication

- RESPONSIVE (back and forth)

Be prepared for shitty circumstances   i.e. “like your manufacturer falling out”

Do your Work, then SHARE it.  Bring people closer to the Project/Product

Do things as they arise, don’t over extend yourself.  Working with minimums allow for designer to stay agile.

Take things SLOW

There was the question of why Dan and Thomas kept revisiting their project ‘Glif’ - making a second - The answer was simple, Pride, they had the time and wanted it to be the best it could be, so they did it.

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INVENTables

Inventables was a great little push start to the possibilities, and well as an inspiration to what was actually possible now-a-days for independent designers / DIY creators.  Learning about the their line of tools (subtractive vs. additive) and the way they look to move tools once strictly for designers and makers, all the way to the classroom; was some really cool insight in where the DIY movement is at, as well as the progression of design within the everyday man.

Christmas is coming up, anyone feeling generous?

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Backing Kello

I decided to send a little love to Kello Labs for my first backing on Kickstarter.  As a person who very much loves sleep, but can never seem to get enough of it, Kello sounds like an awesome tool to help situate a proper sleep pattern in our lives.  

The various functions and thoughtful solutions it holds to bettering our night of sleep is a refreshing/modern take, on a fading product (the alarm clock) in todays world

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Mark Weiser and the Pons

Our talk with Mark Weiser was great.  Seeing someone so Kickstarter successful with such a small/simple designed product was some good ol’ inspiration.  Though Mark was ultimately very successful with his product, he didn’t get there without numerous (and random) hardships along the way.  Sharing those hardships with us has proven much help with my own journey through Kickstarter, and honestly the type of information I find most useful.

Heres some of the key points I took from our talk:

1. Objects always have room for improvement! Mark decided to look at a product as simple, cheap, and straightforward as a pushpin, and worked to make it something better.  Just because an object has been made or thought up already, doesn't mean its the best it could be..

2. Find back-up manufacturers. Manufactures can fall out of fail you for multiple reasons, always leave yourself an escape route.

Try to keep manufacturing LOCAL, it lowers cost and makes everything all around simpler.

3. Always show up for the first round of manufacturing! Last thing you want is for the manufacturer to make a thousand of something you don’t want, or something that doesn’t function properly.

4. Simplicity! Keep it simple stupid. Design a product with no more then 3 different materials.  Don’t make things harder on yourself.

5. House Fulfillment.  Adding $2 to each order leaves a little cushion for yourself, as well as potential for some reward for your work.

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outing to Wicker Park

My visit through Wicker Park shops was quite helpful in my mission to narrow my focus for our Kickstarter project.  Though shops such as Unison and Gather had very similar vibes, they helped me gain a sense of the current trends in these boutique style shops, as well as the material and subject being highlighted.

I was over thinking and over complicating my ideas for this project in the beginning, looking to think of some revolutionary idea within the month.  

Wasn’t gonna happen.

Im more confident now about simply finding an area of interest, and exploring ways to make a clean, simple and highly functional object, while maintaining a beauty equivalent to some of the designs we saw in these shops.

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my thoughts on EPD

Entrepreneurial Product Development... Designing an object with the main focus on its popularity and ability to sell to the people.  I came into this class excited for a chance to work on my own, and for the opportunity to succeed in my design work, as well as potentially fail.  

Its a thrilling feeling

After our first class meeting, the responsibility and weight this class holds and pushes onto us scared me a little.  We only meet a total of what? 12 times? In my mind that was 12 instances or chances with which I could ask for guidance with this endeavor.  Though Ive always had a strong desire to do individual work, this is the first instance where our project is completely self-driven.

From sketches in a notebook, to dealing with manufacturing and shipping of our final design.  Its an almost overwhelming feeling or task, yet its this do-or-die type of scenario which really gives me the motivation to succeed.

I am very much looking forward to the challenge.