Simply Cool

Why sketch ski goggles?  Because they are downright cool products.  When people use them, they are generally doing something fun.  They look cool.  They are technical.  I would love to design stuff like this full-time.  Someday!

Personal Security Detail

I recently saw images of PSD (Personal Security Detail) operators training.  I did this painting to redesign their weapon of choice, the MP5. 

Game Design

Here is the newest character concept.  I'm intrigued by the idea of cross-marketing games with product placement-and market research.  Everything from eyeware and watches to weapons...in this image I've designed a polymer based .45 sub-compact weapon-and a wristwatch inspired by shell-ejectors...the eyeware is just wishful thinking and nostalgia-they are inspired by my favorite glasses ever, cycling specs by Briko...they were lost years ago!

Old Graphics and Logos

This slide turned up today while going through some old work.  While in California I designed for a large bicycle company-one of my responsibilities was creating logos for our "in-house" clients-WalMart, Kmart, Target, and ToysRus...basically creating branding for their in-house brand bicycles.  Some of the logos are quite funny...

Character Concept

This poor sod has a miserable job:  Outpost sentry at four in the morning.  With advanced optics, and an upgraded AK-47, and reactive personal armor (RPA) he has some sense of security...but you never can tell...

Communicator Design From 1993

I found this old photo while going through my files.  The pictured device (a hard model) was made in 1993.  A school project-the goal was to do a charrette-and show a use of technology which would enhance one's life.  My approach:  as our professors were mainly from Apple, or contracting to them at the time, I chose a popular theme at the time, cross-cultural communication.  To build a quick ethnography I spoke only with exchange and foreign students in my school I had not previously met.  I would introduce myself, and try to learn a bit about them.  I noted common themes in these "introduction" interactions-and designed this concept device to address some of the more challenging aspects of non-native speaking interactions.  The device is meant to disappear during the interaction, simply providing audio cues to both individuals via a headset and speaker.  100% translation is not the goal, as people do very well with non-verbal cues.  It gives simple clues, translations, and information about the dialogue taking place.  I got a good grade on the project...

Sketch Mode: On

...that's actually the title of a cool sketching blog...it just triggers the fun image in my head of throwing on my headphones, and starting a series of sketches.  This is a slide of some first-phase sketches from a project I did for Pyramat Industries-the same company that makes Razor Scooters.  I'm posting it not for the project itself, but to hilite the technique.  I learned this "wormline" style from a Korean friend while in school.  He once asked me: "...how many lines does it take to draw a car?..."  My answer was somewhere in the tens of thousands...he proceeded to draw an entire car with one line, never lifting his pen off the paper.  Lesson learned.  It's an incredibly productive approach-giving quick results during product ideation.  In the case of Pyramat-the owner later confided in me that since I had produced so many drawings during this phase, he wouldn't need to hire me for more freelance designing for another two years!
All in all he received over three hundred of these "wormline" sketches during phase one of the the project-that's customer service!

Would You Drive A Golf Cart?

That's the question they asked of us for this Ford project done at Art Center College...the answer is, yes, if it is cool enough.
My design proposal utilized the open space in front of the driver provided by an electric cars lack of engine/drive train to make an over-sized windscreen which doubled as an info-screen.  An embedded transparent LED screen transforms the inside of the vehicle into an entertainment center when the vehicle is stationary.  In motion, the screen is used to project GPS/Data/Vehicle metrics and other transport-relevant information.  The model pictured is made of clay, paint, starch-printed parts, blood, sweat, tears, years of my life...you get the idea.  1/4 scale...
This design, as well as those of my classmates were well received by the sponsor.  Look for more electric cars on the road near you-once the oil thing is done.

Happy Birthday, Adi!!

The brief was: To celebrate the 90th Birthday of Adi Dassler, propose a product that hilited his visionary approach to using any means necessary to "...make the best for the athlete..."
I proposed a design for a football boot which utilized EAP's (electro-active polymers) which exhibit a different state depending on the electric current traveling through them.  The EAP would be used to construct the sock-liner of the boot and allow the wearer to create a highly customized fit for different styles of play.  The boots could also be more easily washed after play in a "super-relaxed" state-allowing the removal of high-wearing dirt and debris, lengthening the performance life of the boot.
My design was selected as a winner in the footwear category, and published in the company magazine...will we see EAP's in performance footwear any time soon?  Stay tuned...

Gaming Headsets

Gaming on the PC is amazing...the quality of the experience has made astronomical leaps in my life time.  When I was eight years old, I played pong on a home-made gaming console my friends dad had made.  He was an engineer at Industrial Light and Magic-and had some crazy ideas about technology, a gaming console you played in your home?!  Crazy idea...
Here are a few doodles of some early form-language concepts for gaming headsets.

Redesigning A Legend

Giving an update to a popular product in a large organization presents as many political challenges as it does Design challenges...my new theory is that the two are more closely related than I had previously thought...
Here is a proposal to update a classic Adidas shoe-using the same technology that made it a classic, I've reworked the integrated over-molded heel cage and proposed an updated mesh for the vented portion of the upper-modern material applied for added functionality.  Over twenty-five proposals for an update were made.  In the end, a color-update was selected and the face-lift was put off for another season.  It was fun doing the drawings!

Sneaker + Tactical Boot

This style of tactical boot is very popular with operators who find themselves in urban operations environments.  Protection while fast-roping, or navigating debris-while also requiring lite weight and flexible construction for rapid movement across open ground-similar to a cross trainer.  Suede+synthetic upper with wrapping molded outsole construction provides the best of both worlds...

Entrepeneur Client

This project was very fun, dynamic, and always engaging...probably because it was guided by one very energetic individual;  The Inventor!  The touch-sensitive glove was meant to interface with one's digital device be it Blackberry, i-Phone, laptop, home server...he had built a prototype from a golf glove, with wires and metal mesh soldered all over the glove.  I personally watched him "type" over forty words per minute with the glove.  Early in the project I generated many possible product design directions for the product-these are a few of those sketches.

Ten Thousand Hour Theory

The theory goes something like this;  If you've spent over ten-thousand hours doing something, you are truly an expert.  Well I figure I've easily spent that many hours sketching.  I use drawing for Design-it is such a powerful tool when applied to the challenges of products, stories, or any other enterprise where a new direction is needed.  One of my favorite applications of the Design discipline of drawing is using a conceptual approach in the early stages-like this example below-the challenge was to rethink equipment for goal-keepers (a topic near and dear to my heart) and possible new approaches.  By drawing robots playing football, purely conceptual, I was able to play with ideas about new shapes and forms-in this case coming up with a concept where elbow protection and gloves are integrated.

Slides Successful

 There are some "sketchbook" versions of this slide earlier in my blog-but this is one of the final renderings.  Working with great input from the biometrics/advance team we integrated some science into these deceptively simple pieces of footwear.  They sold in to the American market, a first for this product-and something I'm very proud of!

iPad Fail

So typical of technology-my iPad, when opened this morning-gave me the message "IPad locked-connect to iTunes"...anyone who knows me knows I don't open iTunes unless life hangs in the balance-I find it to be one of the worst pieces of software ever foisted on humanity...instead, I broke out my favorite piece of tech-gadgetry-the ball point pen. The concept here is super high-tech sport shoe design language applied to the high-heel genre...this is definitely worthy of some renderings...stay tuned!

Bag Without Full Straps

I've talked about this a lot with another bag designer-can you design a pack without full shoulder straps? I guess you'd need serious interal structure-perhaps a polycarbonate skeleton with molded foam housing...seems like the Crumpler form language would suit this concept well...

Polymer Upper

...reduce weight, improve handling.

High Speed Bag Beginning

Here are the hard points for the high speed bag set up a bit...now for some smart fastening system design...