In addition to my food blog, The Fig +Thistle, I like to share my more successful kitchen experiments with friends and family.
The Fig + Thistle Holiday Treat Boxes were a collection of treats and snacks I cooked, designed and packaged myself. Having an impact on a project through from conception to delivery is one of my favorite things about the design process and something I rarely get to do anymore unless I design the project myself.
For more about The Fig + Thistle follow my kitchen adventures at www.thefigandthistle.wordpress.com
Brass discs inlayed into Brazillian cherry bezels make up these simple yet solid and elegantly industrial drink coasters. The brass and wood will both age gracefully, the wood becoming more red, the metal taking on the rings and marks of use. In the windy climate of the high desert, you might even need these weighty accessories to hold down your napkin while dining on the cliff’s edge!
While at C&D Zodiac I have had the opportunity to conceptualize, design and build the pilot seats for Irkut’s MC-21 passenger aircraft. I started from the ground up, sourcing images from sports cars and classic seat designs.
This project was my first opportunity to take a design from research and conceptualization through to a manufacturing stage. The six month process taught me an immesurable amount about rapid prototyping, manufacturing processes and how teams work in a corporate environment. We sources elements of the mock-up from several of Zodiac’s sister companies as well as third party suppliers. I have tried to document the process.
One of my early aerospace projects was trend research for Delta Airlines. The company was exploring options for retrofitting portions of their fleet including seating, galleys and lavatories. This project provided several interesting elements. Working directly for an airline rather than an OEM allows for more freedom of design and application of newer, trendier elements. additionally retrofitting an aircraft is a much more sustainable and cost efficent option than purchasing new models so there is often more allowance for spending.
I developed trend documents to pitch to Delta executives focusing on form, texture and color. This large scale poster was intended as an inspirational element for further design phases as well as something the client could take away as a tangible result of our research.
I wanted these speakers to occupy as little physical space as possible while still changing their environment with sound. I created these speakers with as little encasement as possible, even using clear acrylic to juxtapose the black of the speaker form.
The capsule shape of the each speaker frame mimics the shape of the speaker cone and also nests into the control panel to make one speaker unit or each frame can be pulled apart to accommodate a larger space.
This tote bag was originally designed for a group project as a bag for busy kid-oriented moms. The bag fits easily over the headrest of a car’s passenger seat and the front panel opens to provide a portable ‘office’ in the car. The tote organizes snacks for a mom and all her kids as well as a large pocket for a laptop, magazines or books.
We worked with Leeds to prototype and draw-up plans for the pocket tote which were sent to their China facility and produced on a limited scale. This project was a great experience in learning how to take a product to production, produce clear plans and communicate with a manufacturer.
I take inspiration from things around me and places that have meaning to me. I like to think that the things I create can act as a record of the places I’ve been and my life’s greatest influences. Topographic maps of central Oregon have become a recurring theme in my design process and that is where the inspiration for these pendant lamps began. Each of the three milk acrylic shades is laser etched and pierced with a pattern from nature. I love the combination of the geometric acrylic form paired with the organic patterns to add a subtle intricacy to the design and allow the light to filter through and play with the shade and the environment.
My inspiration for these bamboo and wenge stools came from old, missionary style coffers. In place of carved patterns, these stools have been laser engraved with a topographical map of Maupin, Oregon that wraps around and across both, making a cohesive image together or separately. They are designed to accommodate a variety of needs from storage to extra seating. Wheels and handles make transportation easy and fun.
During my internship at Pinnacle Exhibits I worked on a project for Creative Nail Design, a hand and foot beauty care company. This project gave me a chance to work with a client’s specific needs and learn how to design a large space within a budget. The exhibit space measured 20′x50′, needed four demo stations and maximum product shelving. Using elements from CND’s graphic design language and a selection of bold colors from the season’s line I created this fully defined environment that spoke directly to the CND brand while keeping an open feeling in the exhibit.
