Davison Creators» Industrial Design

Dutch Designed Delights

Joseph Warren — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:33:38 +0000

ID Selection has a few designs worth mentioning. The video below is of a sand sculpting tool created by a self-described toy designer. Where were these things 5 months ago when I was at the beach? Simple, yet effective.

Then there are these two kitchen gadgets that are a pleasure to look at and are clever in how they function. First is a lettuce cutter, used to core a head of lettuce. And if it works as I imagine, its plastic edge can be used to press and roll circularly to chop lettuce without browning the edges.

The second, a handled cheese grater, is not only safe but sleek in appearance. Hollowed and with a built-in container in the handle, this grater allows you to shave the surface of a block of cheese (or chocolate) and then pop off the handle to reveal a mound of grated cheese (or chocolate).

Package Design 1OO% Chocolate Have your cake and eat it too! The contents are...
Keeping It Hot: Best Designed Cups and Mugs for 2009 It doesn’t matter if it’s coffee, hot cocoa or tea...
Top 10 Kid-Crazed Kitchen Gadgets I have compiled a few kitchen gadgets reminiscent of...

Honeycomb How-To Video

Joseph Warren — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:51 +0000

Take a look at this revolutionary structural design method of ‘board on frame’, made famous by IKEA. This smart design process has been documented so you can see it all happen in their European manufacturing facility. Enjoy!

This video is from National Geographic’s Ultimate Factories Program.

Package Design: Buckminster Snacker Geometric package designs for snacks are coming from all directions. Doritos...
Snow Transportation In the 1920’s, someone decided to create this screw-driven...
The wonder Of Corrugated Cardboard Scottish-born Robert Gair invented the corrugated box in 1890; that...

Mighty Mini From Microsoft

Joseph Warren — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:48 +0000

Not known for its style and design, Microsoft caught my eye with this mini mouse. Using a BlueTrack technology, this Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse goes where no other mouse will; carpet, granite and rough wood, to name a few. And neatly tucked away on the bottom you will find the mini wireless receiver. Great for any Netbook or laptop you take on the go.

Log Splitting Design I grew up having to split wood when we lived...
In A Case Of Their Own Here is a unique way to showcase your love...
Cutting Off the Power: New Green Product Invention This wireless surge protector switch takes the chore out...

Communicating Through Sketching

Joseph Warren — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:55:34 +0000

This video is a little dated, but the content is well presented. For those of you who enjoy watching old-school style marker rendering, this should be of interest. It explains why industrial designers render, and the techniques they use to do so.

Advice on Sketching This advice for how to better render is a...
John Muhlenkamp: Industrial Design Sketching Interview John Muhlenkamp is from El Dorado Hills, CA, but has...
From Crayon to Wacom It was said to me not so long ago that...

The Material Man

Joseph Warren — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:41:37 +0000

Designers often deal with materials with a ‘let’s worry about that later’ attitude. We firmly believe that in order to come up with innovative solutions it’s an absolute must to think about materials right from the beginning of projects.

-Chris Lefteri Design

I was recently introduced to the website of Chris Lefteri, known for being one of the best authors concerning new and existing materials. A great resource when considering the materials of your next design, Lefteri has published a number of PDF printable resources as well as books for students and designers.

By using strong imagery accompanied by detailed explanations of materials you may or may not already know, Lefteri makes sense of every material imaginable. He even references some everyday objects to help explain those unpronounceable materials and chemical compounds we read about but that never really sink in. Invest some time to peek into what may be one of the most comprehensive collections of knowledge concerning materials today.

Judson Beaumont: Designer Interview Judson Beaumont is owner of Vancouver-based Straight Line Designs, established...
Johnny Strategy: Designer Interview Johnny Strategy is the pen name of the author of...
Joel Escalona: Designer Interview Joel Escalona of Mexico studied Industrial Design at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco...

John Muhlenkamp: Industrial Design Sketching Interview

mike — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:36:39 +0000

John Muhlenkamp is from El Dorado Hills, CA, but has had opportunities that have taken him all across the map. He currently works for the supercharged design firm Astro Studios in San Francisco. John is a graduate of the acclaimed BYU ID program and is always looking to learn new things. John has a love for all types and areas of creativity, with a particular passion for footwear design and soft goods. He also enjoys time with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Eva, in the San Francisco area. John takes delight in golf, basketball, wakeboarding, speaking Spanish, photography, vacationing and, of course, sketching. He took some time to speak to us about design.

Interview: John Muhlenkamp from Industrial Design Sketching on Vimeo.

Advice on Sketching This advice for how to better render is a...
Johnny Strategy: Designer Interview Johnny Strategy is the pen name of the author of...
Judson Beaumont: Designer Interview Judson Beaumont is owner of Vancouver-based Straight Line Designs, established...

Ergonomics gone wild

Joseph Warren — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:22:23 +0000

As silly as this may seem, this keyboard is not far off from what we are offered as consumers. Human factors are less and less prominent in new design, if you ask me. The size, arrangement and texture of buttons are so awkward, when they should be intuitive to users. The Maltron keyboard configuration is no more far-fetched than the button array on any PDA, remote or cell phone that many of us have.

Irregular in placement, near impossible to access with ease, and more visually appealing than functional. Yeah, the button configuration is funny to look at but compare that short checklist to your cell phone keypad. Is it irregular in placement, near impossible to access with ease, looking cooler than working properly? Same thing with your remote controls.

Ergonomics play a large part in how we communicate between ourselves and our ‘things’, but the ‘things’ are winning. The user is at a disadvantage it seems these days when size trumps function, and ease of use gives way to visual appeal. Yeah, this silly design may seem funny to look at, but I don’t see it being far off from what you might find in your state-of-the-art electronics store. And after seeing this post, I imagine some manufacturer is saying “Yeah, let’s make that,” and some consumer is saying to theirself, “Yeah, I would buy that!”

Point, Shoot and Project Finally, a gadget worth talking about that isn’t a...

Sketching with Spencer

mike — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:20:00 +0000

Adjust your speakers; this is our first video interview at Davison Creators! Sit back and watch as Spencer Nugent conducts a sketch-interview and talks about his thoughts on design, influential people and things that keep him designing!

Spencer Nugent Interview from Industrial Design Sketching on Vimeo.

Spencer Nugent originally hails from Bog Walk, Jamaica, and now resides in San Francisco, California, where he works as a designer for the award-winning firm, ASTRO Studios. He is co-founder of the sketch supersite IDSKETCHING.COM along with John Muhlenkamp, both of whom function as the main contributors to the website. Spencer enjoys the visual arts, photography and science fiction. He has always had a passion for learning new things and teaching and helping others. He is currently engaged to his sweetheart, Jennifer Shaw, and they plan to wed in April.

John Muhlenkamp: Industrial Design Sketching Interview John Muhlenkamp is from El Dorado Hills, CA, but has...
Advice on Sketching This advice for how to better render is a...
Kinetic Mastermind: Theo Jansen Theo Jansen, Dutch artist and engineer known for his...

Sketching is Our Language of Communication

Joseph Warren — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:01:17 +0000

ID sketcher Spencer Nugent explains in this article, “the essence of why we sketch ideas as designers is seeded in effectively communicating ideas to our clients. Sketching is our language of communication.”

This is something I believe to be true. Take a minute to view this article, plump with great sketches and renderings, to better understand the levels of sketching. Better yet, look forward to a special video blog interview with Spencer in the near future!

Advice on Sketching This advice for how to better render is a...
John Muhlenkamp: Industrial Design Sketching Interview John Muhlenkamp is from El Dorado Hills, CA, but has...
The Future Of Sketching? Creating perspective is a great tool in communicating visual...

Sketching Tutorials

Joseph Warren — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:50:07 +0000

For those of you who want to freshen up your rendering skills, or maybe just want a little help learning how to sketch, IDsketching is for you. I followed along with this tutorial using Alias SketchBook Pro on my Wacom and step by step successfully rendered the earbuds as shown above. If you go into the tabs, you can even navigate through dozens of marker renderings, hand sketches and computer generated drawings posted by the authors. Novice or professional, check out this creative site!

Advice on Sketching This advice for how to better render is a...
Communicating Through Sketching This video is a little dated, but the content...
From Crayon to Wacom It was said to me not so long ago that...