As we continue to design and develop the Lioness vibrator. I'd like to share photos of prototypes and progress. Here is an early 3d print of the Slice design. This is to test cavity volume, button and fitment. Enjoy.
CANARY SMART SECURITY
About a week ago Canaryreached out to Anh and I and sent us their first product to use. It's a smart security camera that connects to your network and let's you keep an eye on the things via the app. In our case the home office and dog Bentley. The camera is marketed as a home security camera but Its great for a mini studio or a small startup space.
Thanks for the hook-up, Canary team. Special thanks to Brittany of the marketing team-I won't put your full name here so you can avoid any potential stalkers, unless you want me to. Then send an email stating so.
A little background on Canary: They're a startup based in New York. I like their modern approach to security cameras by adding smart sensors that provide me data such as: Air Quality, Temperature, Motion, Humidity, Night Vision, Audio, Siren & Cloud Storage. These features are all valuable. I thought I was just receiving a internet-connected camera. Sorry Dropcam! You've been beat.
The packaging is impressive and made really well. Can someone over at the Canary HQ please let me know who produced your packaging? Because it's nicely executed, and the soft-touch paper and the folded box are great design decisions. My favorite part of unboxing the camera is the tasteful pops of Canary yellow at unexpected moments.
The camera is nested nicely in a paper pulp tray and properly protected. I'm shocked to discover how small the device is. I was imagining something twice as big. It's a bit taller than my iPhone 5s. BTW! if you're reading this Apple, I'd love to get my hands on an iPhone 6 or 7 - I'm familiar with how Industrial design works.
The setup was a breeze, it literally took me 5 minutes. The toughest part was probably downloading the app. I forgot my iTunes password.
I'm super stoked about this camera, the live stream is crispy and high def, and most importantly I can see what Bent's up to when I'm gone. Recently he's discovered a way to get onto the kitchen counter. . .
PS. I've started a personal blog called HOBO. I wrote about the canary there too, check it here.
TRMNL
I think about my experiences when travelling from one place to another. About our existence right before leaving and immediately after arriving. These moments in time- Have they ever been memorable? We hang in limbo in anticipation of our final destination. Compelling stories, excited people and impending memories await. But what about in between? This terminal we navigate through and through is so temporary. It is brief, vague and only a passage. For me the attractiveness of this space is vast. The impression left by others who have come and gone. The comfort and familiarity- however in a foreign place. This space is adaptable and constantly changing, this space inspired TRMNL. TRMNL captures the gray area in between places. Celebrating a brief moment but preserving what’s overlooked. It's effectively the checkpoint that bridges each important moment to the next. Familiar, transitional, yet temporary at the same time; a home for digital nomads. TRMNL is a mobile work station.
THE AUDI EXPERIENCE
"The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work."
--Thomas A. Edison
Coming into 2013, Anh and I felt hopeful for Creative Session and excited for what the future will throw our way. Incredibly for the both of us, opportunities are perceived as fun and hard work merely feels like playing. While we both juggle regular day jobs at Astro Studio and Lab126 we make it a priority to routinely get together, have fun, and design without limitations via Creative Session. With C.S. we love what we do, therefore it never feels like hard-work. As ambitious as this year unfolded, I have to be honest. I never imagined it ending working with AUDI.
It went down like this. We posted on Instagram. Audi Re-Posted with the caption "If this is just a doodle, imagine a full drawing. Now that's impressive. " The sketches gained traction on Social media. Sarah Lindberg (Marketing @ Twitter) tweeted "That would make an incredible fabric print. #IWantanAudiDress." Audi reached out and the rest was history.
"If this is just a doodle, imagine a full drawing. Now that's impressive. "
--Audi
The best part about doodling is the freedom to imagine and explore ideas loosely on paper and then to interpret them into something of visual value. These therapeutic sessions inspire new avenues but notably has become a series we dub "5 Minute Doodle." Who would have imagined a simple 5.M.D posted on INSTAGRAM would've opened up unimaginable doors: designing a dress inspired by Audi from a Post-it note and attending an Audi A3 reveal, a private rooftop party. It still feels unbelievable, even today.
(Custom artwork designed using our Audi sketches.)
"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but doing it."
--Greg Anderson
Audi’s request was simple but the experience was HUGE. Design a dress that retains the original sketch and captures the company's aesthetics. For us both, this journey was worth every moment; as professionals, we are often silo-ed into very specific trades and to say we're only industrial designers is to deny us of the very reason we started designing. Basically, we do what we do for the love of art and creativity and shouldn't be limited in anyway. This project captured more than just industrial design for us, this project allowed us to be uncomfortable, to experiment and to collaborate which is what CS is all about.
Here is a photo diary and video of our Audi experience. We can't say this enough but we are truly thankful and honored to have been a part of all this.
--
This is what started this all:
FIRST
First off I would like to apologize for the sloppy iP5 photos! You're looking at the first watches I've ever designed. This was a colaboration between the man David Whetstone and I through our design gig at ASTRO studios for Electric! These were intended to expand their brand and launch a new watch division! After working in the consultancy world for 4+ years I can tell you this - RARELY does a design stay true to its original intent so when it does EMBRACE the shit out of it. It is definitely awesome seeing the product through production and how honest the watches kept to the original sketches. Thanks to ASTRO + Electric for the oppertunity, the design experience was truly one of a kind! #THUMBSUP
LET'S DO MAGIC
For a while now we've been shooting all our videos with the Canon 5d Mark II. Unfortunately our equipment was stolen about two weeks ago setting us back a bit with our projects. We can't really do anything about it now so let bygones be bygones. Moving forward we're excited about this Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (What a long name.) Because we mainly shoot videos anyway, replacing the 5D would be quite spendy and unnecessary for features we will be using very little of. If you're wondering "What about photos?" We still love our Lumix GF1 and it performs stupendously well. The BMPCC will suits our needs for video and we can share lenses between the GF1 and the Blackmagic. The best part is it is half the price and a third of the size of a 5d. Win. Win.
Although the packaging & design isn't anything to call home about I really like the build of the camera. The body is solid and constructed of an aluminum frame, black anodized display plate and a silky soft touch front. The camera is heavy but the type of prestigious & quality feeling heavy. The Grip is really comfortable to hold and you can imagine the dynamic shots allowed with such a small camera.
Here is our first test shot in RAW. I think I'm addicted to color correcting its such an art form but I've got a lot to learn. (excuse the short/quick goofy edit.)
T431 PROCESS VIDEO
We quickly shot this footage to share on instagram. Most of you whom seen this probably seen the crop and shorter version. Here is the wide screen and full length.
Projecto a Kickstarter Project
I didn't get a chance to fund this project but plan on buying a few of these bad boys to gift to family and friends. My co-worker Monica Mecchella received her tiny projecto today so I took some photos of her un-packaging the little guy. If you're not familiar with the product here is a short video about the "Projecto"
LAMPFIRE
The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness. ~Henry David Thoreau
It used to be each summer a group of friends and I schedule a summer camping trip at the Oregon Coast, generally this lands mid to late August while summer is at it's best. If you're an Oregonian you know we are dark, cloudy and rainy about 85% of the year so we take advantage of the good weather when the opportunity is there.
Now the complications of growing up are that people move away, we become busier, we start families, our schedules and lives are based around timely factors.
Driving to work one morning two miles of my commute is graced with vast plains of grass and greenery. With my window down the crisp air brought back nostalgic memories of my used to be yearly camping trip. Late evenings around a campfire; yelling, joking, eating, telling stories, pure joy, fear, excitement ... insert emotions. This is natures invitation to bond, to come together, to surround ourselves with loved ones and get lost. At this very moment these memories converted into a design, a design with meaning, something to capture the essence of a campfire.
This is the "LampFire"
Check out our full process album via FACEBOOK