Sustainable Industrial Design
“Design creates culture, culture shapes values, values determine the future.“ This quote by the designer Robert L. Peters is inspiring to me and embodies my belief that as designers, we have the responsibility to make the world a better place. Much of my Industrial Design work features themes of minimalism, transformation, and sustainability. I love creating physical objects that are playful, useful, and have features built in that consider disassembly or a product’s end of life.
In my Industrial Design work, I thrive on being able to consider a wide range of possibilities through sketching, multiple rounds of feedback, and rough prototyping. In the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure of working on things like kitchen gadgets, ready to assemble furniture, and medical devices now going through clinical trials. Additional detail and work samples available upon request.
Transformational, flat-pack furniture
Ready to assemble FURNITURE system • FLAT PACK
rockler woodworking
This shelving system was designed in collaboration with Rockler Woodworking. Some of the outcomes of the project included: Delivery of research and trends surrounding the 'Do-it-yourself' (DIY) furniture movement. Creation of functional furniture prototypes to exhibit at the Industrial Design Senior show. Design of product packaging, branding, and illustrations of assembly steps. My design inspired the Rockler Woodworking ‘I-semble’ Shelf Blocks and enabled me to be named on my first design patent (United States Patent D675258).
BARSTOOL • bent plywood • FLAT PACK
student project
The project challenge was to bend and mold thin layers of plywood into furniture that embodied “cocktail culture”, which initially seemed impossible. Following sketching, prototyping, and several rounds of feedback, a folding barstool design was selected. Inspired by the work of designers such as Charles & Ray Eames and Frank Gehry, my stool referenced shapes, lines, and colors from the 1950's and 60's. The final product emerged from a handmade mold, five layers of plywood, wood glue, and a few days of waiting for the plys to set.
Saving materials from the landfill
EMERGENCY CYCLING KIT • material reuse
TREK BICYCLES
For this project with Trek, we were challenged with finding innovative ways to reuse rubber bicycle inner tubes. In our research, we found that these tubes were often thrown away after use and ended up sitting in landfills for many years. After considering a few potential directions, I created a ‘Trek eco’ emergency cycling kit. By sewing together the inner tubes and reusing fabric remnants, I was able to create space for helpful tools and first aid supplies for people to take with them on the road or trail. The final design could be attached to a bike in numerous ways with two flexible and strong velcro straps.
PLAY STRUCTURE • material reuse
student THESIS PROJECT
For one of my Senior projects, I created a soft play structure for children that invited imaginative play. The form could be assembled into two different configurations to create either a playmat space or the framing for a simple playhouse. After learning about some of the harmful materials and practices used in toy design, my concept featured clean foam and fabric remnants safely stitched together. If produced, a structure like this could take fabric material out of the landfill through creative reuse.