Competitions!!

Sorry its been awhile, but I just wanted to write about competitions. There are a few sites where you can find Industrial Design competitions, but for so many you need to have a product that has hit the market. What about design in general. I came across this site which seems pretty new. Many of the projects are just contract work that you compete for. If you win, you get the contract and bragging rights, if you loose you get a portfolio piece. Pretty cool, check em out and see if there is anything for you.

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Heard of This?

As you may know, I'm all about getting better. Constant improvement deters stagnation. So, in my explorations I found this site that has compiled numerous videos on techniques from the big guns. The Gnomon Workshop hits every category from how to draw cars, to the production renderings of Avatar. These DVD's aren't cheap, but they are relatively inexpensive compared to a class, and that's just what they are. I strongly recommend taking a look through what's offered here and choose wisely, don't go broke. I also discovered many of these DVD's are offered on Amazon.com, which is sweet if you have a leftover gift card from the holidays.  I warn you, this can be a time consuming process, due to the vast array of choices and  galleries to view.

Have fun!

 

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Shoe Sketch

Just got my new Adidas KANADIA TR 3's, and I love them! In fact, I love them so much I just had to draw them. This was a variation on sketching, Illustrator line work, and Photoshop rendering. I'm sure many of you are very familiar with the techniques, but if anyone has any questions I'd be happy to help.

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Lady's Messenger Bag Design

Just another quick project. This design was based on the hardcore women we see biking everyday in our cities. I took this opportunity to equip them with a rugged yet feminine (but not too feminine) functional accessory. Like I said, this was a quick project which took less than a day.  From this project, I was able to speed up my technique, solidify my style, and get the juices flowing. I highly recommend taking the time to jump on something outside your comfort zone and make it yours.

Oh yeah, and have fun!

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Making Contacts

This is mostly for students. You have undoubtedly heard over and over how important contacts are. This has a tendency to shoot right over many peoples heads until it finally sinks in, and you need some help. Sure, it’s a weird thing to call on someone for help, but that’s just the way things are. I have compiled a few examples of how I got over this problem.

One approach I took after I graduated was to make a conscious effort to consider new people I met, as future contacts. What I would do to solidify this was to let them know right away, “hey your pretty cool, I might call on you someday for help”. This is an easy way to break the ice with new friends, as well as setting the tone for making that call in the future.

Next technique I tried was to create contacts. I would introduce myself to a local prototyper or manufacturer and talk shop with them. Let them know I work in the industry and would love throw business their way, however you should have a project in mind or it might have the opposite effect. This way you are going the round about way to get into your industry. And, who knows you might get a project thrown your way.

Lastly, I went for the next field over. I was taking a business class and was told that as a student, it is perfectly acceptable to approach someone in a marketing department for advice. So I went to a company whose products I loved and approached the director of marketing and asked some questions. I was very gracious for the gentleman’s time so I rewarded him with a box of candy. The box was a hand made promotional piece that had my designs and contact information on it. Next day, I got a call, a meeting with the president, and a freelance job. This approach is a little ballsy and nerve racking, but it paid off very well. A bit tough to do sometimes, but by contacting someone outside of the department I was able to draw their attention (and mine) away from my true intentions. This made things more comfortable and fun. So, keep up, keep at it, and it’s always better to get contacts before you need them.

PDF Portfolio

I am no stranger to putting together a portfolio, but for some reason the PDF baffles me. How much do you put in, and how much work do you show? I just posted a first draft PDF portfolio on Core 77, and the input was phenomenal. 

First off, I made the mistake of trying to anticipate printing ease and went for a portrait style. It was quoted as reading like a magazine ad and making it look cheap and distracting. Start with 11x17 landscape and bring it down to size from there.
Second, I have done quite a bit of graphic work in the past and as a consequence, I branded myself like a graphic designer does. Don't do this. It is distracting and mine was quoted as the look of "an auto detailing company", plus you feel silly when someone calls you on it. KISS, and only put your name and contact info.
Third: Font choice is a big one. What fonts you use depend on your available space, and style you wish to show for yourself. I used Century Gothic, and was told it looked like a "90's power-point presentation", and was distracting and cheap.

As you know, process is key. Telling a story that is clean, clear, interesting, and should involve all elements of your design without becoming cluttered, isn't easy. So do your best and post it on Core77 for further refinement.

New Direction

When emotions get the best of you, it’s hard to know where to go. As industrial designers, there aren’t 100’s of positions available at any given time. It’s necessary to focus what you have, with what’s out there. This sometimes means going back into your approach and making some changes. It’s probably not a good idea to go back into projects with a new style in order to make them look more marketable. The reason is, your technique may improve, but your design sense stays the same. To become a better designer you must get better at designing, not producing.

So start there.

Search the core of design and who is at the forefront of solution. Look into some kooky design philosophies and study their approach. A good one to start with is Ross Lovegrove’s theory of DNA (Design, Nature, Art). He looks into the evolution of nature and mimics the way beauty is created from it. How can nature be used in mass production with the tools available to us? Is it as easy as it looks? Not really, which is what makes it such an interesting study. This is by no means "state of the art" thinking anymore, but it can open your mind to someone else's thought process.

Okay, found one.

Take on a subject based on products from a company you find desirable. Take the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned and see what you come up with. This is also an opportune time to practice your style as well. Start building consistency with your previous work and voila! A step in a new direction, and possibly even a portfolio piece.

If anyone has an example they’d like to share, we’d love to see it.

What Goes Up.

Fact: HR departments have been slashed to the bone, just like every other department. Now companies are relying more and more on technology to sift through what’s a good match and what’s not. Your wonderful human touches tend to go less and less noticed and you start to blend seamlessly into the Matrix. 

An interesting study with Infopreneur.com, found that many HR Department employees have been run through the ringer during this recession, and are not very sympathetic (really?). They say instead of sending your resume to HR, send it one or two levels ahead of the hiring manager for the position you want. The benefit here is "Resumes travel down the food chain more easily than up", if the boss forwards your resume, a hiring manager is likely to give it a more thorough read, than the 10 seconds HR may spend on it.

So how do you do this? A couple ways would be, make friends, ask questions, go on company tours, and make a few calls. Do whatever you can to get the information you need. If you get the right person, you might stand a fair chance at being noticed, which could send you soaring to the next stage in the process.

Take Something Apart!!

If your frustrated, curious, and your wife just happens to break her Iphone, take it apart. See how it goes together and how easily it can come apart, then document it. I did this earlier and it was very therapeutic, not just for the sake of reckless behavior, but because I learned some stuff as well. Now I warn you, this methods has a tendency to make things no longer work, so do so with care.

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Meet People

Earlier we talked about volunteering as a platform to meet people, get connections, and just to do a good thing. This post is along those lines. Meetup.com, is very similar to Volunteer Match.com, whoes sole purpose is to link like-minded individuals with events and meetings in your area. This website was very useful when I lived in Hawaii, I could find the comforts of home and reach people who thought like I did. It made a huge difference in how I viewed my new surroundings. Check your area for what you like and make some new budd's.

Having Fun

As I said earlier, it's important to take on projects for yourself to keep your skills and spirits up.The decorative birdhouse was a concept I wanted to work on for some time. I love the idea of multi-use products, because it feels like I'm doing my job properly. Here, I entice nature to participate with my décor, and in return I offer warmth and shelter. A simple project like this shouldn't take much of your time, think of it as an unreasonable client who needs this to look production ready in half a day. The skills I worked on here were rapid sketching, speedy research, Solidworks, and Vray. Give yourself a project, 4 hours, and go.

Imporve Your Technique

We all wish we had more time to work on our sketching. It's tough enough to balance work, life, and family, but we have to do it. I found this killer site last year and have been using it as a reference ever since. In IDSketching.com, Spencer Nugent and John Muhlenkamp walk you through several technique improving videos, challenge you with competitions, and show you the best of the best. Their Sketch-a-Day section includes a community forum which gets you the immediate feedback you need with an anonymity that only the Internet can provide. This is a thoroughly non-threatening way to get tips from the top, without feeling silly.

Volunteer!

Ah yes, volunteer work. Volunteering is the best way to get out there, talk to people, and possibly make a few connections. Finding the right group to work with can be a daunting task, but the best suggestion I can make would be stick with what you love. If you love fine art, try a museum. I found this great site that helps the process along. Volunteer Match let's you pick a region and a key word, and it displays the results available in that area. SWEET! Get your juices flowing, and your business cards ready because you never know where opportunity will find you.

Work Your Style

It wouldn't be an ID blog without a proper ID rendering. I try to work on my style whenever I can and believe me, we all do. It's important to keep improving yourself and keep up with industry standards, trends and styles. This project was simply a fly reel I had laying around, so naturally I converted it to a Carbon Fiber model. These are quick and fun exercises that get the juices flowing and give a sense of accomplishment. If your down in the dumps, create a sale.

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ID Resource Numero Uno

OK, I'm gonna start out simple. As many of you know Coroflot.com has been a major source of ID jobs for over a decade. Here you can upload your portfolio and show off your stuff to thousands of designers, search for industry specific ID jobs, ask questions, and much more. This is a great way to show the world what you can do, without the pesky monthly fees of a website. Along with setting up your own portable biography, you also have access to web and viewer statistics to see the interest your projects. COOL! This is not by any means a new service, but if you are new to the industry or somehow missed it, this is a good starting point.