Outdoor Sport Communication.
Arc'Teryx Brand Extension Concept
time period. 3 months
type. individual project for junior year design studio
skills. ideation sketching | brand development | 3D modeling | KeyShot rendering
The purpose of this project was to design wearable technology as an extension of a brand. I chose to look into the trending "silent sport" community and analyze the outdoor brand, Arc'teryx. When it comes to sharing moments of excitement, giving real-time instruction, or prioritizing safety, outdoor sport enthusiasts require reliable communication to enhance their experience in the natural world. How can Arc'teryx en
Guess Who: Weinland Park Edition.
Introducing Playfulness into Urban Areas
time period. 3 months
type. partnership with classmate Ruohan Wang
skills. experience design | ethnographic research | woodworking | prototyping | materials exploration
The goal of the outdoor playground installation, Guess Who: Weinland Park Edition, is to motivate children to pursue any career they desire by showing characters that represent the careers of real people in the Weinland Park community. It also serves as an engaging way to get to know people in their neighborhood.
While we were able to find a few participants from going door to door at first, we were more successful in finding them through Facebook direct messaging. The volunteers were happy to have their image converted into a cartoon to participate in the project. Each cartoon represents one eager participant.
To the left is a quick sketch of what inspired the structure of the game. Using a triangular, easel-like shape allows for players to stand on either side of the "board" with your opponent's side obstructed from view.
We started by brainstorming different methods of "covering" each face, as the goal of the game is to eliminate options as you get closer to guessing your opponent's character. We experimented with different processes to transfer each face onto the wood pieces, including laser cutting, painting, and drawing.
The final transfer method: Using a polycrylic paste to transfer faces from glossy mailing strips onto sanded wood pieces. The technique resulted in a clean and opaque transfer of the image onto the wood panels.
The Final Structure:
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Twenty 4"x4" wood panels are divided amongst four medal rods on each side of a easel-like structure. Small rubber dividers allow the wood panels to spin smoothly around the medal rods independently. Forty panels were made, two for each character to make both sides of the structure identical.
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On the top panel is a description of "How to Play" as well as the goals and objective of the project.
The bottom panel is where players choose their character that their opponent will guess using a simple peg and string mechanism.
Within minutes upon installation, curious students at Weinland Park Elementary were eager to interact with the project! The school decided to make it a permanent part of their playground and currently keep it safe by moving it inside at night.
Here's What I Learned!
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Technical Skills
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How to be comfortable in the wood shop using a variety of different woodworking methods.
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Strengthened my knowledge using the laser cutter and wood transferring methods.
Design Skills
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How to endure countless iterations, as solidifying the physical structure
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The importance of repetition and resilience when it comes to brainstorming forms
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The value of form supporting function
Design Research
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Never before had I interacted with the people I am designing for. This project allowed me to interact with the people of Weinland Park, which was both a challenge and rewarding.
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I appreciate designing for people and this showed me how much I can make an impact in people's lives.
