Krylon: Leaves Of Grass Wall Art.

I came across these beautiful silverware settings designed by Konstantin Grcic and produced by Serafino Zani. He’s also curating an industrial design show at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

Who says layouts have to be big?  I hear people say “if I had room, I’d have some trains”.  What they mean is if I had room, I’d have an oval for trains.

Those folks need to check this layout out.  Spotted at the International Railfair in Roseville, CA about 2 weeks ago, this layout has 3 industrial spurs, a sector plate that allows the locomotive and one car to move between tracks, and requires about 45 minutes to complete an operating session.  The spur closest to the backdrop reaches a hidden opening in the backdrop that allows loads to be moved on and off cars spotted at the opening.

According to the owner, he built the layout from scrap lumber and parts, with only about $50 of new parts for shipping containers.  The scrap all came from his main home layout.  However, in my opinion, a small layout like this would be perfect for someone in an apartment, a dorm room, or with limited resources.  One small locomotive and a few cars, a power pack, and you’re basically out of the armchair.

Bonus Feature:  “Food Train Layout”

At the train show, my wife found a “Terrain for Trains” plastic-formed layout.  Since I gave up my N scale plans about a year ago, she’s wanted to find a way to run her “Food Train”.

You see, she’s a baker.  The fact that she loves to bake had lead her to collect N scale rolling stock with food-related products or decoration.

Tis being a light week, we’ve ben working on the new 3 foot by 5 foot layout in the evenings (my ow Yosemite Valley layout is waiting for a Boy Scout event to occupy the layout room one more time in early December before the benchwork starts going up).

Here is a shot of the little laout.  By the time we tested the track last night with a GP7, we discovered that all the turnouts were bad and need to be replaced.

Keep watching, I’ll post pictures as we make progress.  This is going to be a family project, so you’ll get to see our different interests occupy different spots on the little layout.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Jeremy

Industrial Design Career Outlook

Companies are always in need to develop a charming and attractive product that sells and it is an Industrial designer who assist in creating new and updated designs for various consumer products. A career in this field requires professionals to assist manufacturers in their quest for beauty, undertake client surveys, visit exhibitions, interact with shoppers and take guidance from current trends to improve on the existing shape of an item.

Education

Industrial design career requires at least a Bachelor degree while most students find it more convenient to have at least a Master in Industrial design. There are numerous schools and specialized institutions that provide the necessary skills to succeed in this intensely competitive field. The outlook and jobs for new graduates with technical or CAD skills makes them better prepared for a thriving career.

These professionals are mostly hired by private companies that are in constant need to redesign their existing brand. As more people get a better understanding of the lucrative and potentially rewarding career, the need to acquire more technical skills beside a degree is gaining importance. Schools are actively assisting students to create portfolios to highlight their works in order to gain better job opportunities.

After Graduation

Most students look to launch their careers by an internship. Many industrial designers get their first job offers from the various internships.  Due to the technical nature and consistent demand, experts recommend not missing on volunteer and unpaid positions. While in college, these work experiences provide greater networking opportunities and a chance to showcase their talents. Dream jobs for most industrial designers are those where they hold intimate knowledge of the products they like, themselves.

Work Environment

It is an intense career. Workers are expected to handle pressure from clients who need their work done in a specified time frame.  Usually, industrial designers work in a clean office environment while visiting manufacturers and other designers to assist in their duties. The nature of the job involves changing shape, size, weight, color and other attributes by using computer simulated models. Before the actual launch, large companies often ask their designers to do further research that may include carrying out safety tests and model creation to gauge a better understanding of consumer tastes. Apart from physical products, computer aided designs help to create eye-catching logos, multimedia presentations and advertising ads.

Example

Examples of jobs in this career include working on every aspect of the automobile design during its manufacturing stage. Modifications are needed to work on different specifications including interior and exterior auto designs. One of the most successful products of industrial designers is the Apple iPod and Mini Cooper.

Job Outlook & Salary

According to the US bureau of labor statistics the job growth for industrial designers will remain average until the year 2016. A career in Industrial design is expected to provide seven percent more jobs then at present.  In United States, there were approximately 50000 industrial designers in 2007 who earned slightly more than $52,000 annually.  Career advancement in industrial design is directly related to the years of experience. On average, anyone within 0-2 years earns anywhere from $40000 to $52000 while more experienced designers with 4 or more years earn at least $60000.

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Please check back soon…
Thank You.

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Some of my more successful prototype product designs using LEDs

Posted by Julie

While I was getting my degree in Industrial Design (or “I.D.” as we call it in the trade),  I was amazed at how many people really had no idea what our discipline really is. Most think it is some form of engineering–and while there can certainly be a lot of engineering involved, Industrial Design is not defined by it.

So today I just felt, for no particular reason, like blogging about what it is that we I.D. people do and why we love it…

In short, we touch–sometimes in very small ways and often in very big ones–virtually every product you buy and use. Some of us design toys, some design cars. We might focus on packaging design, sporting goods, electronics, or furniture. And the list goes on. What makes Apple products iconic? Industrial Design. How did James Dyson turn boring, old-school industries (vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, fans… see photo)  upside-down? you guessed it. And the list goes on and on. Pretty much any trailblazing product or brand you can think of probably got there in large part thanks to I.D.

I love this field–and in particular the soft-goods category–because it combines art with engineering, problem-solving, people’s interaction with things (what we call “human factors”), and even marketing. And I love it because every day is truly different. One day I might be sketching ideas for a new collection of bags, the next I might be at the sewing machine making a prototype. Next week I’ll be designing packaging for a new series of accessories. I’m spending time researching high-tech materials and components for our next generation of bags. It never gets boring or repetitive, especially in the entrepreneurial, small business environment that we nurture here.

Industrial design is dreaming, making, creating, testing, inventing, perfecting. It is about beauty, but just as much about purpose and functionality. I consider myself fortunate to do what I love, and to see my ideas come to life as real products that will be used by people all over the world.

In short, Industrial Design “rocks.”

Anyone want to go back to college now or change their major?

Airdiem é uma empresa francesa criada por Eric e Emmanuelle Gormand, para satisfazer seus desejos de reinventar o fumoir. Sua coleção de narguilés e acessórios, assinados por renomados designers, dão nova cara e significado ao tradicional objeto oriental utilizado para fumar e (para nós ocidentais) dar aquele ar exótico nas residências.

The Pondicherry Narghile
Designer: Régis Dho

The Why (Y) narghile
Design: Atelier SZ - Sibylle Tamer Abillama

The Fez Top narghile
Designer: Hilton McConnico

NARGHILE “Pure”
Nedda El-Asmar

Designer: Hicham Lahlou

The White Narghile
Design: TribuDesign

The Art Institute of Chicago is showing works by Konstantin Grcic in a show entitled “Decisive Design” through 24 January 2010.  As the ARTIC website puts it:

“ This significant exhibition is the first in America to explore the work produced by German designer Konstantin Grcic, one of the most important industrial designers working today. Grcic is known for his logical designs, driven by an honesty of materials and an appropriateness of production methods, yet injected with an inventiveness and originality that set his work apart. Although his production continues to be characterized by simple and distinctive design solutions, Grcic has more recently harnessed an interest in new technologies and materials research—a shift in practice that has afforded him a progressively ambitious portfolio of furniture and product designs that are transforming the landscape of contemporary design.”

Take the time to blow through the Windy City (don’t forget your scarf and ear-muffs) and see for yourself.

Konstantin Grcic in Wikipedia (There is no article for him in english!! Shame on all you english speakers interested in product and/or industrial design!  But you all speak french anyway, right.) 

And here is Grcic’s own site.

designalog@live.fr

“Design Real” is a contemporary design show currently on view at the Serpentine Gallery in London. The exhibit, curated by German product designer Konstantin Grcic, focuses on “real,” mass-produced products that have been made in the last decade. The objects highlighted range from household products to industrial innovations that have had an impact on everyday lives. There is an accompanying website, www.design-real.com, which includes additional information on each object in the exhibit.

Grcic is also the focus of a solo exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago entitled “Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design. Grcic, currently one of the world’s most important industrial designers, is known for his “logical” designs that are conceived based on what an object will do rather than how it will look. Below, are his Myoto chairs (2008) which were produced by Plank.

Alice Rawsthorn has written an article entitled “Eloquent Ode to the Simple” in the Design/Arts section of The New York Times (online) discussing, in brief, the work of designer Konstantin Grcic and the motivations behind his choices for the new show at Serpentine Gallery (London) entitled “Design Real” which she calls his “paean to industrial design”.

Whether you’re a fan of Grcic’s work or otherwise, his highly informed curation of the Serpentine show is well worth your attention.  The show opens tomorrow (thursday 26 november).  The website accompanying the show, www.design-real.com, though currently quite static, once active promises to be quite excellent.

So, if you don’t happen to find yourself in London to see the show, you can at the very least curl up in your Chair_One and see what it’s all about.

designalog@live.fr

We are delighted to be adding the Established & Sons brand to our range and will be celebrating with the team from Established & Sons tomorrow night in a unique space under the Harbour Bridge.  Here is a sneak peak of some of the amazing new products that will be available nationwide from our showrooms.  Tune in over the next few days for shots from the launch event.

Table, Bench, Chair by Industrial Facility / Sam Hecht

Convex Mirror by Sebastian Wrong

Font Clock by Sebastian Wrong

Louvre lights by Klauser & Carpenter

Fold by Alexander Taylor

Just about every design professional has at least one horror story about clients from hell.  As frustrating as these clients can be, hearing other peoples stories can be amusing, as well as consoling.

For an abundance of comfort, check out these hilarious, anonymously contributed stories at  Clients from Hell.

“Well, I have worked with a lot of designers in my day and I am of the opinion that if you are confident in your abilities to meet my expectations then being paid at the end would be fine with you. Ultimately you are paid for the end result, right? I shouldn’t have to pay you for ‘making the effort’.”

“I’m not sure about the colour that you’ve used for the background, I guess it looks OK on screen but when I print it on our office printer it kinda reminds me of a pair of corduroys I had as a child.”

If these snipits made you laugh or reminded you of a particular client, make sure to send in your favorite horror story to Clients from Hell story submission for the rest of us to enjoy.

Since 1950.

Jieldé

I was doing research on my Design 101 final project and somehow, I thought that maybe I could use bubble wrap for my project. After changing my concept several times, I realized that bubble wrap wasn’t going to work. Nevertheless, I did find some interesting things that people have done with it and wanted to share with you all.

People have used bubble wrap to create texture effects while painting.

A company has turned bubble wrap into a calendar. Rather than crossing out calendar dates, you can simply pop it. I wish I came up with it.

Marshall Dines did this piece by individually painting each bubble. He has mad painting skills.

Bubble wrap in the shape of things that it is supposed to protect. By Todo Design.

Volkswagen has an ad featuring bubble wrap. I can’t remember how old this ad is but I think it’s brilliant.

Moving Kitchen by Joongho Choi

Moving Kitchen is a nifty little concept by South Korean designer Joongho Choi. The sleek looking portable mini-appliance can be moved anywhere around the house or even out to the garden – basically anywhere it is needed – by simply wheeling it around.

The product is full of hidden surprises all neatly compacted into the smallest footprint. It features an induction hob and pull out tables on both sides providing adequate preparation surfaces and dining areas. It also features two separate drawers and a small cupboard for the storage of crockery, cutlery and pans.

Moving Kitchen

design gráfico e industrial

The entry period for the 2010 competition opens next Monday, November 30! Fast Company, the world’s leading progressive business-media brand, will serve as the exclusive media sponsor of the 2010 IDEA competition.

Entries to the competition are evaluated by an 18-member jury, led by John Barratt, IDSA, president and CEO of Teague. This panel of world-renowned designers and design thinkers will preview entries online, followed by two-and-a-half days of intense, face-to-face evaluation and debate. Judging criteria will focus on eight areas of industrial design excellence: design innovation; benefit to the user; benefit to the client/business; benefit to society; ecological responsibility; appropriate aesthetics and appeal; usability testing; rigor and reliability (Design Research category); and internal factors and methods, implementation (Design Strategy category). Fast Company will announce the 2010 winners in its July/August issue.

New for 2010, IDSA has partnered with The Henry Ford, in Dearborn, Michigan. This premiere history destination is home to one of the greatest industrial design collections in the world. The 2010 finalist designs will become part of The Henry Ford’s permanent collection.

The entry period opens next Monday, Nov. 30. Regular deadline is Jan. 25; late deadline is Feb. 8.

Visit www.idsa.org/idea for full details. With questions email idea@idsa.org.