So this is my last entry in regards to my Design 200 class with Gabe Tippery, though my blog will continue with whatever design stuff I think of and related to EcoCAR.
Design 200 was a very good introductory course that starts at the level of minimal design knowledge. We go through some history, basic theories of design, such as color theory, typography and of the like. Gabe also gave a unique twist to teaching this course by using Social Media as a learning tool, whether it be just researching a topic and writing a blog about it or making a youtube video, utilizing creativity and imagination. This I think was part of what made my interest in Gabe's class amongst the top. The final course project was very fun and gave a chance for us students to get thinking like a designer and going through the process it takes to design and present an idea effectively.
Overall I enjoyed his teaching and the course. A couple things I would like to comment on would be: First I really appreciated Gabe breaking the awkward silence the first couple days of class by asking us to introduce ourselves to the person sitting next you. That created a very comfortable learning atmosphere. The next thing was the unfortunate shyness of the class. While we were all about getting to know each other, when it came to discussion, it usually went silent. Granted I could have said something myself in attempt to start a discussion, I felt as if no one else would speak their mind. So my challenge to Gabe would be to find a way to make interaction easier and more common. An idea would be to have some discussion topics ready for the class that pertain to the topic. Now everything is not discussion worthy and a solid lecture is adequate, but for example when we watched the RIP! A Remix Manifesto it would have been interesting to see what everyone thought about it.
Other than that I don't have much more to say. Once again, thanks for the fun course!
-amorgan
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Business and Design
Just as Technology and Design, Business and Design is a pretty broad topic and applies in the same manner. Business can range from the overall idea or model to a transaction between two people, but along the way Design can play a very important rule. Every idea needs to become physical in some manner in order pass it along to another person, this is where Design plays a very important aspect of portraying an idea in a manner that makes sense to another. Interior Space Design allows one to attract another to your idea in the form of strategically thought out use of space, lighting and objects. Industrial Design is a gateway to take an idea into a form and functional model. Lastly Visual Communication Design transfers the idea into a visually pleasing message. Listed below are examples of how each Design field plays a role in Business.
Visual Communication:
No matter who you are in Business, you will most likely at one point, give a presentation if not several. Even if you did not major in Visual Communication Design, it is a very big aspect of all wakes of Business. Making a presentation flow, while being concise and clear is a challenge of every presentation. Visual Communication in Business does not just deal with presentations, but logos, advertisement and of the like, which are very key aspects to promoting an idea, the company or a product.
My advice when it comes to Visual Communication in Business is: Understand your topic fully, use your skills to accent your idea and take criticism to improve your methodology.
Interior Space Design:
In Business, Interior Space deals with any space that one will interact with another in, be that of offices, a store front or a product kiosk. Interior Space Design can affect the mood and atmosphere in a very dramatic way. I consider space, lighting and the physical to be the three main mediums in which one can design a space. Considering all will not only help design a space that one needs to interact in, but a space that invites the proper mentality. Such as a productive environment in an office, a friendly and service providing atmosphere in a store and so forth.
My advice for Interior Design in Business: To remember how lighting, space and the physical all combine together to achieve not only the physical function, but the human function.
Industrial Design:
When it comes to Business is it pretty clear that this deals mainly with products. Being able to model an idea, whether it be a prototype or final product, a 3D medium allows more than just the visual sense to grasp the concept. One can start to feel and further sense the idea past what is seen. Making a good product, goes back again to understanding the need or the problem one is tackling. To me being innovative is solving a problem not only in a new way, but in a way that makes the innovation in need of only refinement and not replacement.
My advice for Industrial Design in Business: Research and understand not only the problem or need, but also the users of the solution.
-amorgan
Visual Communication:
No matter who you are in Business, you will most likely at one point, give a presentation if not several. Even if you did not major in Visual Communication Design, it is a very big aspect of all wakes of Business. Making a presentation flow, while being concise and clear is a challenge of every presentation. Visual Communication in Business does not just deal with presentations, but logos, advertisement and of the like, which are very key aspects to promoting an idea, the company or a product.
My advice when it comes to Visual Communication in Business is: Understand your topic fully, use your skills to accent your idea and take criticism to improve your methodology.
Interior Space Design:
In Business, Interior Space deals with any space that one will interact with another in, be that of offices, a store front or a product kiosk. Interior Space Design can affect the mood and atmosphere in a very dramatic way. I consider space, lighting and the physical to be the three main mediums in which one can design a space. Considering all will not only help design a space that one needs to interact in, but a space that invites the proper mentality. Such as a productive environment in an office, a friendly and service providing atmosphere in a store and so forth.
My advice for Interior Design in Business: To remember how lighting, space and the physical all combine together to achieve not only the physical function, but the human function.
Industrial Design:
When it comes to Business is it pretty clear that this deals mainly with products. Being able to model an idea, whether it be a prototype or final product, a 3D medium allows more than just the visual sense to grasp the concept. One can start to feel and further sense the idea past what is seen. Making a good product, goes back again to understanding the need or the problem one is tackling. To me being innovative is solving a problem not only in a new way, but in a way that makes the innovation in need of only refinement and not replacement.
My advice for Industrial Design in Business: Research and understand not only the problem or need, but also the users of the solution.
-amorgan
Monday, November 15, 2010
Technology and Design
Technology impacts design in almost every aspect, from the beginning to the end of the design process. Not only does it effect what can be designed, but how something is designed. For example, a method that might have been used before to visualize an idea could have been clay, but with new technologies it is usually easier to create a visualization in a 3D CAD software. Though old methods have benefits, technology allows the design process to increase in ways not possible before.
I have seen this firsthand. For example, last year for Year 2 of EcoCAR, we had to create a spacer for our high voltage lines that were connected to our front electric machine in a short amount of time. So I got some measurements and created a CAD model of this spacer, then using a 3D printing machine we had available at CAR, I was able to use this piece later that day. Without the advancements in technology, this would have been a much longer process, compared to the short 3-5 hours this project took me.
Technology is always advancing and it is sometimes hard to keep up, but if one is active in what they have available to them as resources in their field, then knowing what is the cutting edge technology is what will keep you on the top amongst your peers.
This is why I encourage you to get on a project, a team, an internship or something that allows you to exercise your knowledge gained in something hands-on. The benefits of working with real-world, current technology will greatly supplement your college learning.
-amorgan
I have seen this firsthand. For example, last year for Year 2 of EcoCAR, we had to create a spacer for our high voltage lines that were connected to our front electric machine in a short amount of time. So I got some measurements and created a CAD model of this spacer, then using a 3D printing machine we had available at CAR, I was able to use this piece later that day. Without the advancements in technology, this would have been a much longer process, compared to the short 3-5 hours this project took me.
Technology is always advancing and it is sometimes hard to keep up, but if one is active in what they have available to them as resources in their field, then knowing what is the cutting edge technology is what will keep you on the top amongst your peers.
This is why I encourage you to get on a project, a team, an internship or something that allows you to exercise your knowledge gained in something hands-on. The benefits of working with real-world, current technology will greatly supplement your college learning.
-amorgan
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Painting the Buckeye Charge! Part 2
It's done! Thanks again to the help from Kenny Chapman at PPG, who put in a lot of hours to get this done and looking good in such a short amount of time. We have some great pictures courtesy of Tyler Joswick.
Pictures and a video of the process of painting the vehicle will be added soon!
But for now I'll let the pictures tell the rest...
-amorgan
Pictures and a video of the process of painting the vehicle will be added soon!
But for now I'll let the pictures tell the rest...
-amorgan
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Painting the Buckeye Charge!
Hey all! If you didn't know we finally got around to painting the OSU EcoCAR vehicle, we finished the last coat of clear today and will be sanding and buffing it tomorrow morning to get a nice finish. PPG sponsored us with a Envirobase paint, their facilities and a trainer, Kenny, to help us, and mainly do most of the painting. Jamie Larreau and I both got to do some spraying for a special effect we added to the vehicle. Below are some teaser photos of the paint job and the process. Look forward to later this week, when we show some videos and unveil the completed paint job!
-amorgan
-amorgan
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Environment and Design
Whether you believe in Global Warming or not, everyone can agree that saving energy is awesome! Whether you are a Designer, an Engineer, a Parent or whatever it may be, you can save energy, which is one of the ways we impact the environment. But lets first look at it from the perspective of a Designer.
Designers start at the beginning of a process to make something that has a purpose, but this doesn't mean we should only think of the beginning. The whole process from the life of the design to the death of the design should also be important to the designer. Take for example a toothbrush, not only do we want to design a toothbrush for its form and function, but if we want to impact our environment and society, we want to consider the whole process. What type of materials will be used? What packaging? What happens when the user can no longer use the product? All of these are very important questions that will impact not only the design, but the environment. So what can we do to make the environment better? Be aware of alternative methods or innovating new methods that will help change processes that use less waste or energy, or of the like. Its up to us, as Designers, to be innovative and solve such problems.
As Engineers, it is a similar process, wanting to be environmentally responsible is a start to being green, such as using alternative fuel or renewable resources.
From the view of anyone there are many things we can do as person, right in our house. Such as using more efficient lighting and products, turning lights off when not needed, anything that uses energy can be a potential to impact the environment.
Below I gathered data from various websites, which can be referenced at the Department of Energy's website (http://www.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=natural_gas_prices) to create a Carbon Footprint Calculator, which is basic, but can give an estimate of how much we are impacting the environment.
The average value for CO2 emission is: 49 metric tons CO2/year
The average daily value: .134 CO2/day
*The value is only an estimate and provided by me, calculated using KiloWatts x Hours x Avg Electric Use Emmissions
Looking at this Carbon Footprint Calculator take note that generating heat or cooling has the most impact, which why it is important to make sure your house is properly insulated and your heating/cooling systems are best providing the desired heat/cooling.
-amorgan
Designers start at the beginning of a process to make something that has a purpose, but this doesn't mean we should only think of the beginning. The whole process from the life of the design to the death of the design should also be important to the designer. Take for example a toothbrush, not only do we want to design a toothbrush for its form and function, but if we want to impact our environment and society, we want to consider the whole process. What type of materials will be used? What packaging? What happens when the user can no longer use the product? All of these are very important questions that will impact not only the design, but the environment. So what can we do to make the environment better? Be aware of alternative methods or innovating new methods that will help change processes that use less waste or energy, or of the like. Its up to us, as Designers, to be innovative and solve such problems.
As Engineers, it is a similar process, wanting to be environmentally responsible is a start to being green, such as using alternative fuel or renewable resources.
From the view of anyone there are many things we can do as person, right in our house. Such as using more efficient lighting and products, turning lights off when not needed, anything that uses energy can be a potential to impact the environment.
Below I gathered data from various websites, which can be referenced at the Department of Energy's website (http://www.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=natural_gas_prices) to create a Carbon Footprint Calculator, which is basic, but can give an estimate of how much we are impacting the environment.
The average value for CO2 emission is: 49 metric tons CO2/year
The average daily value: .134 CO2/day
Looking at this Carbon Footprint Calculator take note that generating heat or cooling has the most impact, which why it is important to make sure your house is properly insulated and your heating/cooling systems are best providing the desired heat/cooling.
-amorgan
Saturday, November 6, 2010
EcoCAR Center Console
Alright, here is the current concept design for our new center console replacement. To give a background, our vehicle is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), where we have (currently) an 103kW GM electric machine in the rear, an 82kW Remy International electric machine in the front coupled with a 1.8l E85 engine and a 363V Lithium-ion battery pack. With this design we split the battery pack of a 5 module pack into 3 in the back and 2 where the original center console used to be, which is why we are redesigning the center console. On top of that, we are in the process of replacing the rear electric machine with the same electric machine in the front, due to higher efficiencies and lower end torque. So because of that, the transmission that we will be using will be electronically controlled, versus mechanically, allowing further creative design of the center console, using a turn knob for the shifter.
Below are some CAD models of our current concept design of the center console.
-amorgan
Below are some CAD models of our current concept design of the center console.
-amorgan
Monday, November 1, 2010
Design for Accessability
An important aspect of design is considering who will be using the design. I personally never thought specifically about designing with the intent of accessibility, though most considerations would naturally come about in a design process, having the thought in mind changes the way you will think about your design.
For example, for EcoCAR, the center console design will be using a turn knob for our gear shifter, but my original design I did not consider that you could only turn it by gripping it with your hand. Quite shortly after our class lecture on Accessibility, it got me to think. While this is a specific case, what if the driver does not have the availability of one hand and needs to turn the knob, well by adding a tab that sticks enough to be used as a lever, it is now possible to turn the knob without gripping it with your hand.
Here is a source where you have access to different websites in regards to considering accessibility: http://www.nea.gov/resources/accessibility/rlists/UDesResources.html
I believe the key to designing for accessibility is just being aware that not everyone is capable to perform the same tasks. This includes everything from disabilities to considering the age use of a design. Knowing this and researching the use of your design will, in my opinion, ultimately make you a better designer.
-amorgan
For example, for EcoCAR, the center console design will be using a turn knob for our gear shifter, but my original design I did not consider that you could only turn it by gripping it with your hand. Quite shortly after our class lecture on Accessibility, it got me to think. While this is a specific case, what if the driver does not have the availability of one hand and needs to turn the knob, well by adding a tab that sticks enough to be used as a lever, it is now possible to turn the knob without gripping it with your hand.
Here is a source where you have access to different websites in regards to considering accessibility: http://www.nea.gov/resources/accessibility/rlists/UDesResources.html
I believe the key to designing for accessibility is just being aware that not everyone is capable to perform the same tasks. This includes everything from disabilities to considering the age use of a design. Knowing this and researching the use of your design will, in my opinion, ultimately make you a better designer.
-amorgan
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