justineBENZ

Thesis Brainstorm

2011-08-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

In about 3 weeks I need to start working on my senior thesis. I've started on it a little bit but honestly have no idea what I want to do yet. I have some random, out there, who knows, notes. They're just on a random piece of paper so I need to put them in a place I can't lose....

Heels- comfort, shoe service, nike id
Sleeping- Bed, temperature, dreams, REM
Bathing suit for athletes
Tea- simplify boiling, art of tea, tea/ iced tea combo
Furniture
Handbags- nike id style
Jewelry
Piercing jewelry simplified
Clothing store styling system
Indoor-Outdoor glasses
Tattoo jewerly- neoprene
Found rocks carved straight into rings
tattoo testing system
famous movie jewelry
super hero mask sunglasses
Bedroom set designed around chair project
Perfume Design

Ok so some of these aren't really thesis ideas.... but more so random thoughts that come to my mind.

Pretty Shoes with Prettier Ads

2011-08-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Best Summer Ever

2011-08-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

So when I found out I had a job in Toledo, I wasn't exactly thrilled. I was pumped for the job but not so much the city. I had the notion that I would have lots to do at work, get lots of overtime, work-out, read books, and not have that much of a social life. What I've experienced, however, is the complete opposite.

The work, running, and reading lasted for about 10 days... Then we randomly hung out with some guys at a cigar bar and everything changed. Sorcha, the 2 guys, and I instantly all clicked. This was how Magical Toledo Family was born. We all started hanging out every night. I'm doing more up here than I would have in Cincinnati. We see live music, go to movies, try new restaurants, go bowling, and am learning to wakeboard. On the opposite side, work hasn't had much to do for us. I think there are just too many interns and freelancers they have hired. I've yet to do any real projects on my own or worked on things I can picture coming to market. It isn't really what I expected to be doing.

I can't believe I'm already more than half way done here, and I never thought I would say this, but I'm not ready to leave Toledo.

FInal Chair!!!!

2011-06-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

Possibly the most proud I've been over any of my projects. It's not my favorite design ever or anything, although I do really like it, but I just feel like I overcame a challenge I thought I never could. I wanted to avoid wood at all costs in the beginning, so now I can't believe how well my craft turned out. I've become a master biscuit joiner. I also love the color of my stain. Its a deep, purplish, warm brown. I've also realized how lucky I am to have such great friends and a great support team. There's no way I could've done this alone and everyone from my professor, to my studio mates, to my friends who let me borrow cars to get supplies all played such a major role.

Dutch Side Table

2011-05-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

From my inspiration, I saw a recouring theme of Dutch Design using animals. The designs also tend to have a sense of humor about them, while remaining tasteful. For my table I placed gold ants on it, like they are crawling up to a giant plate. I was struggling with the layout for awhile. I was doing the typical one big render, then had a detail shot of the ants. I couldnt get it to feel cohesive while still being interesting. So finally, I just decided to do something much different than normal. The layout resembles more of the collage inspiration boards than my other final product pages. I think it's an interesting feel.

Dutch Inspiration Board

2011-05-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hell Week

2011-05-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

We call it hell week... but I feel like this week is more like three. Alot of my project is out of my hands at the moment. I have my files, submitted to the rpc. My wood is edged, planared and laminated. I've ordered my foam and fabric for the cushion. However, the rpc is so far behind I'm not sure if I will be able to finish in time. I'm focusing on all my other work for now but it's hard not to stress out. I'm making different plans depending on what day I get it back. I may have to skip a step of staining or sealer. I'd rather wait for pieces of a chair I will be proud of though then to pay a bunch of money just to have a crappy chair in time for crit.

DIY Watch Design

2011-05-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

DIY Inspiration

2011-05-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

This week I choose D.I.Y. as my style inspiration. We discussed trying to mix up the number of images used so instead of around 6 I placed a ton. It's kind of stimulation overload but I think it's fun to look at. People described it as an ISpy. I also really like the way the backround turned out. I was messing around with layer styles and found a very interesting style when you overlap two layers on difference. I think it looks like old wallpaper starting to peal away. I still could've made more of a focal point but I think it goes along well with my project overall.

Final Chair Design

2011-05-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

So hopefully at the end of the quarter I will be the proud owner, builder, and designer of this bench. This is the final design I submitted to the rapid prototyping center. I think I achieved my goal of creating a design that has traditional influences while showing a modern style. It's held together using a mortis and tennon joint and possibly some metal braces underneath. The komo is cutting out my pieces, then I will need to shalack, transtent and stain the pieces. Finally, will be the assembly. I'm having my cushion upholstered professionally and love the fabric I bought. It's a pinkish, red suede.

Sunglasses Design

2011-05-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sports Aesthetic Inspiration

2011-05-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

For my design inspiration I focused on the brand Y-3 which is a high end branch of Adidas. They've taken a sports aesthetic to the runway. There's a strong military influence along with big voluminous shapes. Alot of metalics along with pops of color are used. It's a very edgy take on athletic ware.

3 Hour Design Challenge

2011-05-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had 3 hours during class with no pre-thought to design a ring inspired by our favorite fruit. My inspiration was the blackberry. I created a ring that was composed of multiple thiner rings. You could wear them seperately or pile them together. When worn together, the rings immulate a bunch of blackberries. I wasn't too literal with the colors. Even though I chose the blackberry, I picked "berry" type color scheme to keep it fun and playful.

Full Scale Functional Model

2011-05-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

This was the least helpful of the critiques. The bench held Tony and I, however that's not how it will actually be made. I should've taken the time to truly make my critical joints in order to get a better grasp of how much weight it's going to support.

Full Scale Visual Model

2011-05-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well Chet asked me why i was building a tombstone... so now thats all I picture when I look at my bench. I need to make it a little longer and change the profile. I need to find a nice middle ground between my traditional inspiration and a modern styling.

Organic Barware

2011-04-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

My inspiration was an organic/expressive design. I pulled from the free flowing forms to create this set of bar ware. It's handblown class with flower petals molded into the bottom to bring in nature. I wanted to add a pop of color so I pulled the color of the petals into the top of the glass. There's a tumbler, a high ball and water goblet that all work together to create a family of form.

I'm really happy with how this has turned out. I feel like my projects are generally just overlooked, not overly bad but nothing special either. Then this one people noticed and I recieved good feedback on.

2011-04-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Expressive/ Organic Image board

2011-04-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've been fiddling with this for way too long and am still not happy with it. It's different doing this type of visual for an image board because I generally look to the image board for inspiration, so i need the items to stay pretty recognizable, where as in the other visual board we could morph things and edit colors a little more freely. I'm not sure how much I'll actually reference this while working on our next project as much as I will just look at the original images I collected.

Updated Portfolio

2011-04-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

I kept the same main theme from my previous portfolio that I posted last fall. A few of the pages have stayed the same but I've added some new projects. I'm happy with it at the moment. As a designer I feel like your portfolio is never really finished and always evolving but these are some of the newer pages...

http://www.uc.edu/webapps/propractice/industrialportfolios/Benzinger_Justine_12

Sketch page from my power tool project.

One of my favorite projects.

My proffesor showed me a way to make orthographic views not as static.

My fall quarter project.

B Levels

2011-04-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

These are the three chairs I decided to take to the next level. As you can see they have evolved a little since the A stage. From this I'm going to continue with the bench. I think it's a fun design that's different than anything else anyone in the class is doing. I don't like the graphic cut out I'm using now, it's more of a place holder but I like the idea. It's a mixture of traditional styling while brining a more modern feel.

A Sketches

2011-04-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

I chose these 3 A's to move forward with. The first one is a simple chair that would use layers of fabric as a cushion. The second is a bench where the back piece would be laser cut acrylic. I need to make the back slanted however. The third is the idea that the back would corset up. The sketch is rough but i think it could be a very delicate shape.

Visual Resume

2011-04-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

A new twist at showing your resume. Being able to not just use some words but to really describe your experience. These represent my times at Frontgate Furniture company in Cincinnati and Hasbro games in Connecticut.

A Level Chair Crit

2011-04-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've started to find more of a direction from this crit. Originally, I thought I'd want to do a big comfy reading chair. But from my ideation and A's, my favorite designs have turned out to be benches. I'm leaning towards working with acrylic or sheet metal. I really want to avoid wood working. The woodshop terrifies me, and I have zero skill down there. I also like my concepts that use a graphic element, although my professor thinks it's just "decoration." I need to find a way to make it more cohesive to the form.

Chair Ideation

2011-04-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Stage 1 of Chair Project: 200 Ideation. I feel like I've drawn tons of chairs but none of them are really sticking out to what I want to do. I feel like quantity overtook ideas in my mind while working on this. I just wanted to get to 200 and didn't focus as much on the individual ideas. 200 is quite a bit...

2011-01-09T15:29:00.001-08:00

The unique chair is inspired by plant cells. When a person sits on it, the chair collapses into a familiar shape, but when at rest, it resembles a block of airy tofu. A curious. playful design that is a great conversation starter.Wu claims that its innovative design allows the chair to adjust to the user’s weight and posture. Wu said that the chair is made of high-density foam plastic that is 100 percent environmentally-friendly.

The Home Stretch

2010-11-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

It's getting to the end of the quarter, we are so close to being done but still have so much work to do. Lately, I feel everyone has been very frustrated with this quarters project. We have to redesign a workstation, but for the final presentation we must have a giant plot and scale model. I personally just think this is unnecessary. It's going to run around $400 for this project. The issue I have is that people will look at this board and model for about 10 minutes, then no one will ever see it again. I feel like I'm just throwing away money. Last quarter we did our presentations digitally and I liked that alot more. We could have separate slides and easily walk through and show our process and growth.

Looking Back

2010-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

My goals from the begining over the quarter were to develop more of a personal style with my sketching and to improve in Solidworks for my co-op. I don't think I have really succeeded in developing a style. This Design Communication class I feel has not focused as much on sketching as in the previous years. We do ideate, but when we prevent our final concept the proffessor is not as worried with the process. I do think I've improved in Solidworks. I've learned how to do alot of new things. I've built my whole studio project in Solidworks that includes everything from sharp angles to soft curves. I've also been able to quickly bust out simple models to use as underlays or just display a basic idea.

2 Finger Ring Design

2010-11-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

I struggled on this one mainly on the more sketch based render. I had rendered both rings in photoview360 first so once it was rendered in that program i struggled getting it not to look so much like a render. I really like my designs and composition though. I feel they fit the brand very well.

2 Finger Ring Design

2010-11-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Designer Strengths

2010-11-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

I feel my strengths as a designer are in the overall concepts. I'm not extremely detail oriented but my favorite part of the process is general brainstorming. I like coming up with as many ideas in the beginning and thinking of things from the more possible to the more blue sky concepts. I feel its better to think far out and bring it in to reality than the other way around.

What is good design??

2010-11-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is a question, as designers, we are asked constantly. Many designers, much more knowledgeable than me, have tried to define it, but there are definitely many of different aspects to it. One of the most famous quotes for good design is that form must follow function. I think however, form and function must be equally important. Not all products are completely innovative in what they do. Sometimes, good design can just be a piece of furniture that makes your day a little brighter. I also think good design is something that is innovative, yet can hold its ground through time. Companies that are known as classics, but still everyday are creating new products that people still enjoy buying. If I had to put it in one sentence, I would say good design is creating products that enhance people's life in someway either through innovation, ease of use, aesthetics, or more preferably all of them.

Mixed Media Renders

2010-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

I found these images on Coroflot. They are from yong-hwan Kwon uploaded portfoio. You can find all the images here.

I'm guessing for these renders he has used a combination of a 3D modeling program and photoshop. The main forms were probably modeled, then taken into photoshop to add the graphics and extra designs.

Wallet Design

2010-10-24T16:40:00.001-07:00

This was the first time I've rendered in illustrator so much of it was a challenge. It took more time than I was expecting. I had some issues during our class critique such as corners not rounding correctly, lack of edge highlights, and some printing issues. I was able to go back after class after getting inspiration from my classmates to fix some of it. I added more highlights and more detail. Since it was my first time rendering in illustrator I had to teach myself and experiment with the new tools. I much happier after I made the adjustments.

The info graphic really challenged me as well. I went through alot of different versions and am still not completely happy with any of them. In the end I decided simple was the best route to go.

Wallet Design

2010-10-24T16:27:00.001-07:00

Blogging

2010-10-18T10:36:00.001-07:00

Blogging is something I'm starting to get into more and more. I keep two blogs at the moment. I have this one, which is more professional and more directly related to my design or industrial design inspiration. My other blog is much more personal. I'm pretty much addicted to that one. I upload anything I find that inspires me, interests me, or shows my personality. There are real life photos, pieces of artwork, quotes, and news stories. When I was going to work on my portfolio, I was having trouble putting my personality in it. Someone suggested I look at my blog to get ideas for how i should visually portray myself. It worked very well; whenever I feel upset or bored I go to this blog to waste time.

My personal blog can be seen here.

I've also started getting more interested in reading other blogs. I don't really know the best way to find really good blogs yet, but the one's I read I've just randomly found.

Inspiration Designer

2010-10-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Tom Kelley, from IDEO, is a very inspirational Designer. I have read two of his books and watched a television special on him. Seeing the way IDEO as a consultancy is set up, is inspiring for how more business should be run. It's a creative alternative to the corporate setup of cubicles and closed off offices. He has created an environment that people actually want to go to work in.

His books also provide alot of insight. You can take his ideas and think about how to apply them to your situation. IDEO has been a very successful company, so the way they are opperating must be made up by a good recipe. The books generally speak on innovation. A company that is pushing the limits and not setteling with the norms.

You can see alot of IDEO's work here.

These are also the book covers. I think they show an interesting and simple to understand graphic.

Information Design

2010-10-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I thought these were some fun examples of information design. Most of the images use silhouettes of people, or objects. They show a simple outline and don't need much detail for the audience to understand. Most of them also use color. They have dynamic palettes and the use of color calls out certain information. Other than the last one, the read very clearly as well. It gets the point across while still being visually interesting.

While researching, I also found this website that has a lot of cool images.

Information is Beautiful

Most of these concepts use color as well to separate ideas. They also contain very simple shapes to create the overall look.

2010-10-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Portfolio

2010-10-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent portfolio. I think this one has alot of improvements from the previous. I started with making a grid and just went from there with plugging things in. The first draft I felt didnt represent my personality at all. I think its a struggle to show personality without overshadowing your work. I kept my clean layout but added more of myself with pops of color. Each project uses a different color scheme. Then I also went through and broke my grid a couple times to add more interest. On certain pages i added graphic boxes to call out certain things. I'm pretty happy with my overall product. The only thing i would continue to change right now is if I had more time I would do some back sketching.

2010-10-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

2010-10-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

The teaser trailer for the movie Garden State is a very good piece of communication. The trailer uses absolutely no dialogue, but manages to convey the theme and mood of the film. There is a collage of clips of our crazy world, while they show the main character, played by Zach Braff, being stuck in the middle and too numb to experience everything. The music is used to correspond with the shots of the movie. The gestures and actions of the clips relate to the beat and rhythm of the song. The clip opens with an airplane scene and builds up in action as the song builds in tempo. In the short minute and fifteen seconds the editors were able to compile a sneak peak, to wet the viewer’s taste buds and portray the idea of the movie.

Garden State Trailer

Inspirational Brand

2010-09-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

I think a very inspirational brand is Tom's Shoes. For every pair of shoes they sell in the US, a pair is donated to a child in need in other countries. This movement has inspired other companies to help as well. They co-branded with Ralph Lauren to do the one for one project with polos and with Elements shoes and skateboards.

The brand has created a product that is not only fashionable and wearable, but also helps others. It's not like alot of corporations today who are all about their bottom line and how much profit they make. Because I know these shoes are going to help people, I am much more likely to buy a pair. I probably would not spend the money on this one pair of shoes but to know I'm actually buying another pair for someone who needs it more than me is very encouraging.

I think their strengths can be applies to my work by making products that inspire or help others. They also have a very good marketing campaign. Being able to sell your product is very important. If you cant give the consumers the information they don't know what they are supporting. Being able to sell my product and make people want to buy it is a very important aspect in making a design.

2010-09-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

When designing a portfolio, I think a solid way to start out is to have a consistent layout. If you have a format, to easily plug things in everything looks much more professional and easy to understand. With the layout less can be more. Let your work speak for itself and don't overcrowd it. It's important to have key things stand out. You want to draw attention to the best aspects and really make them pop. You should also, show your personality through your work. What makes you you and what makes you stand out? As you show all this, you can tell it through a story. Show the process, the growth, and how you reached your final decision.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/03/04/creating-a-successful-online-portfolio/

http://www.coroflot.com/public/help_portfolio_tips.asp

http://abduzeedo.com/10-impresive-portfolioblog-websites

Intoduction

2010-09-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a 4th year design student at the University of Cincinnati. I was born and raised in Cincinnati and am proud to be a bearcat! I've been lucky enough to intern at Hasbro Games in Massachusets and Frontgate in West Chester. At Hasbro Games, I was on the preschool team. I worked with Elefun and Sesame Street brands, but did not recieve much actual work. It was a good first experience to see the real job world though. At Frontgate, I got a ton of actual work. I have a few products that are possibly going into production, which was very rewarding and inspiring to be a part of.

My goals for this quarter, as always, are to continuely improve on my sketching skills and presenting skills. I want to develop more of a style for myself as well with my sketching. I'm not the greatest at sketching, but there are nothing special about my sketches that would stand out as my own if there was not a name by them. My advisor at Frontgate also informed me that they will be getting Solidworks installed for when I return and would like me to be very familiar with it. I know basics, but another goal is to increase my knowledge in the software.

Storyboard

2010-05-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

Packaging

2010-05-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

2010-04-29T05:01:00.001-07:00

2010-04-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

2010-04-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Narrowed down (3)

2010-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

10 concepts

2010-04-26T20:15:00.001-07:00

2010-04-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

2009-03-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Shoe Marker Renderings

2009-03-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Stackable Stool

2009-03-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Gray Scale Marker Renderings

2008-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00