Mongolian Nomads

The pictures you showed were very eye opening. I was kind of confused though. These people that are building their new houses (yurts) in the grass fields.. where were they before this? It was really interesting to see how exactly they were built, though, and it was cool that all the other families that were in the area came over to help. I bet this was an awesome experience for you and I am kind of jealous. Its unimaginable for me to process how they live their lives like that, but it is really interesting to think about.

Rapid Prototyping

Learning about the rapid prototyping techniques was very interesting, especially seeing the videos of how each is done and used.

The four that we saw include:

Stereolithography

Selective Laser Sintering

Deposition Printing / FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

Laminated Object Manufacturing


It was cool to learn that a few of these processes can be found in the engineering department, and I will definitely need to find time to go venture over there and see these with my own eyes and maybe get a chance to use them to help my development process here at KU.

Berry Plastics

Berry plastics is a manufacturing plant located in Lawrence that specifies themselves in plastic products for things like containers to tubing to packaging. They use materials like high-density polyethylene and polypropylene. They use mold processes like injection and thermoform. They also make trash bags and different styles of tapes.

Target Product: Rugs

The product that I documented and researched was home rugs.

There were multiple brands at Target:

nThreshold

nTarget’s “Home” Brand

nMohawk Home

nNate Berkus

nRE: Room Essentials

Each brand used mainly the same materials, that included...

Cotton, Jute, Nylon, Wool, "Other Fiber", Rayon, Olefin, and Polyester

PROCESSES

nGather raw materials

nClean the fibers

nSpun into threads with spindle

nMultiple threads spun together to form yarn

nDye the materials

nOnce spun and dyed, the weaving process begins

Manufactured Landscapes

To start off, the beginning scene with the camera that pans across the side of the massive factory was eye-opening. The film is a basic aesthetic study of industrial landscapes. The documenters shed light on the tedious and repetitive individual processes that make up giant manufacturing processes, like disassembling electronics and breaking down cities that will soon be covered in water. The conditions of the places where electronic waste recycling was taking place were terrible. Smog and pollution filled the air, with disgusting work areas for what they are doing. I am sure that they weren't protecting the workers from materials that contain cancer causing toxins either. The villages they were breaking down that would soon be covered in water literally looked like bomb sites.

El Dorado

I was really glad we got to visit El Dorado, because when I was thinking about coming to KU for architecture, initially, my dad knew someone who was friends with someone at El Dorado, and I visited the place back in 2009 or 2010. The place really looked about the same to me, but it was nice to see it again. I really like how small it was then, and it still is pretty small now in terms of employees. I like how they all treat each other as the same level of worker; there isn't a big hierarchy of individuals within the business. The 3D model they were making towards the back was so detailed and precise, and I knew that would be a tedious process, but it's cool to see a model like that up close and in person. I thought it was funny that their conference room by the front of the office had openings toward the ceiling, and that the conversations inside the room could be heard outside of the room. The shop they had downstairs was cool, too. They use mostly metals down there to work on pieces that they need to have built for clients.

Lawrence Paper Co

The Lawrence Paper Co is a massive factory/plant located in Lawrence. They produce tons of paper on a regular basis. My favorite part was definitely the room with all the big brown cylinders full of paper. Going up to these and reading the label that said how many tons each weighed was mind blowing. Another cool part was the design room where they put designs on paper, and also another where they assembled paper packing units to be displays in grocery stores or gas stations. The room where those were located had an awesome cutting/perforating machine that once you inputed a design, it would automatically do the perforation on the paper in a fast, precise manner.

Huhtamaki

Huhtamaki is a packing factory that makes all kinds of consumer products like paper cups and more. They make cups for places like Jason's deli. They make products that include materials like paper, plastic, and molded fiber. I noticed that the place was very clean, they used lots of expensive machines, and had a lot of automated processes. Those processes include the cup shoots, which were very cool, and the automated forklift. Each one of their materials, paper, plastic, and molded fiber, are used for different purposes in the food packaging/displaying industry. Their coffee cups consist of three pieces, the lid, sleeve and the actual cup. They're made for hot beverages. These cups are quality, sturdy, and thick, and have insulation.

Dimensional Innovations

Our trip to Dimensional Innovations was really interesting. It was cool to see a place of work that included most, if not all, aspects and 'stops' in the making of products. Also, I liked that we visited a place that doesn't make specific products, they are consulted by clients. They 'bridge the gap between design and engineering', which was awesome to see. DI started doing theater work, but now works on the wide range of custom fabrication. One product that they were working on when we visited was the spherical chandelier. I thought this was a really cool, and elegant, design for a chandelier, and it was also cool to know they designed it and are working on it. DI uses materials like wood, aluminum, acrylic, diamond, MDF, PVC, sintra, and more. They have all the normal forming, cutting, and joining technologies like heating/melting, CNC router, table, band, and chop saws, and more. I liked how they start projects on their own, and that their products aren't 100% client-based.

Mardi Gras: Made in China

I enjoyed this video for the main reason of how it clearly shows how a social holiday has turned into a ridiculous, unnecessary event. I enjoy celebrating Mardi Gras, don't get me wrong, but we as Americans have turned the aspect of using beads into a massive waste producer. The city of New Orleans, let alone any other place that uses an asinine amount of beads, does not need to purchase and sell this many beads. These beads have power for a week at most, and then are literally thrown on the ground, left in hotel rooms, or the rarest case, someone actually kept these cheap plastic beads to wear another time. I have been to South Padre for spring break and saw the bead/mardi gras culture first hand and I didn't even think about, or notice, the ridiculous amount of beads all over the city. It wasn't until this video that I really started to think and wonder why these beads dominate the holiday of mardi gras. Even if they were made in the USA, I would still think that the sheer number of beads produced and sold for the purpose of mardi gras is unnecessary. It creates so much waste and are used for reasons that are morally wrong the other 51 weeks of the year. The waste stays longer than that one week, so why should people use and try to collect this many beads, for a couple days, and then let those same beads become permanent waste? The fact that they are made in China, in factories that employ young children at a measly 10 cents an hour tops it all off. First, the chemicals used to make the beads are toxic and cause cancer when melted. From the video, you can clearly see how unsafe these working, and living conditions are for these children and young adults. From the video, many of them appeared happy and were quoted in saying that they would rather be doing what they are doing, then the other options they have in their life. I, personally, didn't expect that to be the case, but it makes a little sense. It doesn't make it right though. I enjoyed how the employees laughed at us Americans when told how we use the beads. I really think this holiday could be just as exciting and entertaining without the use of millions and millions of beads.

Guest Speaker: Justin Atwater Taylor

This was a cool experience; to see someone who graduated from KU's venture in the real world. I thought his ideas for his company was interesting because I frequently played disc golf in high school back home. His company makes disc golf accessories, mainly bags. They make these bags for avid disc golfers who need a way to hold many discs while they are walking the course. I believe his bags were made of a nylon material. The prototypes that he showed were incredible, and it was really cool to see his process from step one to his final bag that is on the market today. The bags, to me, seem a little overpriced but they are definitely grade A quality and if you are a true disc golf connoisseur then you would be obliged to spend the money for this bag. He said they've sold about 3,000 bags this year which is remarkable, especially at $200 a piece. He gave some great advice and it inspired me to be as driven as he was with my career ventures.

Home Contained

This was probably one of my favorite trips we took. I think it was such an interesting idea to make the home in a big container, by stacking them and etc. I figured the home would feel compact and maybe a little clustered, but I was wrong. I thought the entry way from the front door was beautiful. The LED lights made a great touch. Also because of the efficiency that they provide. The upstairs was pretty cool as well. Her son's room was narrow, obviously, but was a good size, and his bathroom and shower was also awesome to see because of its layout. I really liked the porches on the second floor. Especially the one with the garden. It adds a real peaceful aspect to the overall green ideas and impressions that the house essentially gives off on its own. This place really inspired me in my designs to keep things simple and efficient because of how amazing she got her house to look.

Design Manifesto

Design Manifesto

Design is no longer an option, it’s a necessity.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep.

You have to be interested in culture to design for it.

People ignore design that ignores people.

Good ideas never go out of style.

To create a memorable design you need to start with a thought that’s worth remembering.

Good design is partially creativity and innovation, but primarily knowledge and awareness.

The wisest course of action is to take your best shot with a prototype, immediately get to market, and iterate quickly. If you wait for ideal circumstances in which you have all the information you need (which is impossible) the market will pass you by.

The second best friend you can have (the first being someone who can give you a good job) is another designer.

Sustainable design starts from the beginning of the design process.

Land on an idea early on in the process as it will better your end model because of the time spent developing that idea.

Collaborate.

Prototype frequently to keep ideas fresh. 

Waste = Food

Waste = Food is a documentary that showcases the ideas and work of William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The film explores the theory of ecologically intelligent design and green design. Their main points are to one day have manufacturers' waste be completely recyclable in the environment or become biodegradable food for the biosphere. In the film, we learned that their are major corporations that are adopting these ideas, fueling an ecologically inspired industrial revolution. Methods that will allow for this include using completely non-toxic and sustainable production methods. Corporations that are doing so include a Swiss textile factory, Nike shoes, and Ford. This is a great step in the right direction for us so that we can continue to manufacture products at a high level, but actually leave a better 'footprint' on the world that we live in. McDonough is an architect that has environmental designs where buildings function like trees, and actually become a part of the nature surrounding it, instead of hurting it.

Phone Dissection

Zahner

Besides having to drive to and from Kansas city in the pouring rain, I had a great time on this trip. My step dad owns a metal fabricating business back in Chicago, IL., so it was neat to see a similar factory/plant and how they're tools and processes differed. Zahner makes products like metal building pieces, facades, structural parts, and more. Mainly these are for universities, major cities, stadiums, and amphitheaters. I liked how they only bought materials specifically for a project; they never have any extra materials lying around or have to waste pieces if they bought too much. Materials they use includes copper, stainless steel, zinc, ceramic, glass, silicone, brass, and more. Technologies they use includes robotic welds, CAD modeling inputed into machines, sheering, punching, water jet, CNC router, welding, and accurpress. For finishing they do things like embossing, sanding, and bead blasting, which I find to be the best looking finish they did. My favorite machine in the shop was that they had one that was for the bending of metal. The machine calculates the bending of the metal and over compensates for the angle depending on the size and material because when metal is bent, it will always fold back a little bit. And the calculation allows it so that when the metal folds back, it will be at the right degree.

The Electronic Wasteland

Like Sketches of Frank Gehry, I had already seen this video before. It is a truly remarkable piece that really opens up your eyes to what electronics, and especially the materialism of us in the United States, is doing to the world. It is crazy that our country throws away 130,000 computers a day, and 100 million cell phones a year. Some of the metals they described in the video that are contained in electronic waste are lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, and more. And then, also looking at what is going on in China with our waste is terrible. The video stated something along the lines of, '21st century objects are being taken down, broken down, etc., in a 17th century environment and with 17th century processes/etc. That is awful to know and especially awful to know that there are over 45 recycling companies in our country that were willing to sell the color tubes from monitors to China for a lot of money.

Sketches of Frank Gehry

I had already seen this movie prior to us watching it in class on Thursday, but it was great to see again regardless. It is an interesting take on a documentary of the amazing architect, Frank Gehry. It is really interesting to see his process for designing buildings. I thought all the models that he uses are intriguing and definitely makes me want to always make models for objects/etc that I am designing, for the rest of my life. It was awesome to hear that one of his architect teachers said he was in the wrong major, and then ended up being one of the greatest architects of all time. His style is incredible. It makes me want to use some of his abstract form and structure ideas in my work because of how awesome it is.

Hallmark Cards Production Center

Our most recent field trip was spent at the Hallmark production center in Lawrence. I was first somewhat amazed by how massive the center was. Also, I figured they actually designed and printed the cards there, but in fact they get the card templates, that are already designed, shipped to them. They produce ribbon products, bows, and the final stages of the card effects. They also deal with the packaging stages of all of their products. Materials that they use include paper, foil, hot foil, corrugate (for shipping), polypropylene pellets, and plastics. Their processes include embossing press, crinkle press, injection molds, foil roller press, flocking, flitter, virko, dye-cutting and UV spot center. Around 1.5 to 3 million cards are shipped out the door per day. The factory runs 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. They are usually the most busy around Mother's Day. Little to no hand applied work goes on inside the factory. I really liked their virko processes; they do this to raise words a tiny bit above the paper card with plastic and adhesive. The UV spot center is for scratch-n-sniff cards and iridescent over foil and UV matte over foil. To make their ribbons they use the polypropylene pellets, a blowing agent, and coloring. The most fascinating fact about the trip was that they have engineers to make their own machines that are specifically made for certain processes of the card making that goes on. The man that took me on my trip actually showed us one of the machines that he helped create. It was the robot arm machine that manually slides cards under the arm, where the arm will pick up and paste plastic beads onto it in certain spots that are programmed in, depending on the card.

Star Signs

Star Signs makes products that include environmental graphics and signage. They have also designed bus stops in Kansas City. Their primary material is aluminum; they use a lot of aluminum, and for many reasons. Aluminum is lightweight, strong, and combines well with other metals. Their signs need to be able to bear the outdoor elements, so they mainly use coatings and anodizing to stay away from corrosion and oxidation. Other materials that are used include steel, plastics, acrylic, vinyl, polycarbonate, PVC, and hardwoods like maple and walnut. The finishing processes for their products is one of the most important stages because their products are meant to be viewed and to last a long time, wherever they are placed. They use the matthews paint system (automotive grade paint) to make sure that their signs hold their color and look through time. They also sandblast and use photopolymer, clear coatings, and vinyl graphic wrapping. On to their processes, they mainly use a CNC router, 2D & 3D printing, welding, CAD design, sanding, priming, painting, curing, and electrical wiring.

Reuter Organ Visit

Our visit to the Reuter Organ manufacturer was my first real look, or tour, through a full size production plant. It was interesting to see the plant's step-by-step stations and procedures that they go through to build an organ straight from scratch. I specifically thought it was awesome how they cast their own metals. At the church that I used to attend when I lived in Illinois there was a massive organ and I loved to hear it being played, and this trip really made me think about the actual parts and functions of the entire instrument. I liked seeing what actually happened on the inside from the first key press all the way to the sound output through the different tubes at the top. Reuter Organ seems like a pretty successful business since it sells about 10 to 15 organs a year at $450-500,000 each. The manufacturer features a wide variety of materials, including many woods and metals. They try to use poplar because of its tendency to have less knots. The main metals they use are copper, zinc, tin, lead, brass, and steel. I thought it was interesting that some of the piano keys they make are made from cow bone, ivory, and leathers from animals like sheep, lamb, goat, and kangaroo. Leather is a key material for their instruments because there is no substitution for it. They have many different procedures for forming and cutting their materials. I took interest in the cnc router and how they can carve/laser cut out the most complex patterns. They use many different finishing processes for their materials, and I personally think the polish and clear coats looked the most appealing on their materials. After seeing the entire manufacturing plant and all the steps that it takes to fully build an organ, I understand how they can only complete a small amount each year.

My "Author Biography"

Zach Leard, famous author and journalist, was born in the affluent Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, on July 21, 1899. His father was a doctor; his mother, a musician. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Zach Hall. As a young man, he was interested in writing; he wrote for and edited his high school’s newspaper, as well as the high school yearbook. Upon graduating from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1917, he worked for the Kansas City Star newspaper briefly, but in that short time, he learned the writing style that would shape nearly all of his future work.

As an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, Zach Leard was wounded and spent several months in the hospital. While there, he met and fell in love with a Red Cross nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky. They planned to marry; however, she became engaged to an Italian officer instead.

his experience devastated Hemingway, and Agnes became the basis for the female characters in his subsequent short stories “A Very Short Story” (1925) and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1936), as well as the famous novel “A Farewell To Arms” (1929). This would also start a pattern Zach would repeat for the rest of his life – leaving women before they had the chance to leave him first.

Zach Leard began work as a journalist upon moving to Paris in the early 1920s, but he still found time to write. He was at his most prolific in the 20s and 30s. His first short story collection, aptly titled “Three Stories and Ten Poems,” was published in 1923. His next short story collection, “In Our Time,” published in 1925, was the formal introduction of the vaunted Hemingway style to the rest of the world, and considered one of the most important works of 20th century prose. He would then go on to write some of the most famous works of the 20th century, including “A Farewell to Arms,” “The Sun Also Rises,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “The Old Man and the Sea.” He also won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

Essay on Harley Earl

Harley Earl is the designer I have chosen for the last project.

Harley Earl, later known as ‘The King of Style’, was born in 1893 in Hollywood. His father, J.W. Earl, began work as a coachbuilder in 1889. At first, Earl started his career by attending Stanford University, but later decided to leave prematurely to work with, and learn from, his father at his automotive workshop. When Harley came to work with his father, the workshop was called Earl Automobile Works, but that was not its name at first.

            Harley’s father’s workshop was created in the late 1800s to create horse-drawn carriages; it was named Earl Carriage Works. By 1910, the name of the company changed to Earl Automobile Works as times were changing. The shop constructed custom luxury cars for stars of the movie industry. Harley’s career choice to become a designer was directly influenced from his father. He saw a great opportunity in learning from his father rather than studying a new practice. Earl Automobile Works was eventually bought by a larger company, and renamed to Don Lee Coach & Body Works, and in 1919, Harley became chief designer.

            Earl’s automobile designs eventually garnered the attention of the general manager of Cadillac, Lawrence Fisher. At this time in the United States, cars were being constructed to reflect their true functions. Basic vehicle architecture and customer needs essentially dictated how a car would look. General Motors, the owner of Cadillac and Buick, wanted to launch a new brand of cars but they were not quite sure what to do to be different than their other companies. The new brand that General Motors was trying to launch was called LaSalle, and Harley Earl became the front-runner for making this brand a success.

            Earl was commissioned by General Motors to develop the first LaSalle in 1927. This was the first automobile to be designed by a ‘stylist’ rather than by engineers. By mid-1927, Earl was hired to head G.M.’s new Art & Color Section, which was the first time a major car manufacturer set up a separate department relating to appearance. At first, this section of G.M. was undervalued and referred by some as the ‘Beauty Parlor’. By 1929, only after one automobile design that was not received well, Earl and his crew of designers produced hit after hit and they would change the structure and course of the auto world. Harley Earl contributed to the birth of the concept car. Earl used European influences of ‘flowing lines’ to craft the Buick Y-Job, which was the first concept car. Earl introduced many firsts to the automobile industry with the Y-Job’s two-tone paint, curved wrap-around glass for windshields, and ‘fishtail’ rear fenders. Manufacturers designed ‘dream’ cars, known as concept cars, of the future and would reveal them to the public to test the waters with each design. Earl used industry firsts like clay modeling to design and style car bodies. Earl played a huge role in the automobile industry, and if he had chose any other career path, the cars that we drive today might be entirely different.

Wood Project Summary

While completing this project, I learned how to use many of the tools and equipment in the work shop. I also learned the construction of a basic wood box, which I had never actually done before. The strengths of my box are the looks of the structure. The 5 layers of the light and dark wood switching off adds flavor and makes the box stand out. Also, the rounded edges on every corner of the box make it looks professional, and it fits better in the hand. The weakness of my box is that the two compartments, or rectangles, are not proportionally matching each other. The two compartments also do not have the most symmetrical parallel edges to each other. If I was to redo this project, I would take more time in the beginning steps of building the box, so that I could have made the structure mean a lot more to the objects inside.

Reflection of David Pye Readings

David Pye's book about the nature of aesthetics and design is a classic book about good design, and the relationship between function and aesthetics. I like the way he talks about the different ways to mold or shape an object, through melting, carving, and more. I especially appreciate what he has to say because I can tell from reading it that he deeply understands his field of work. Many people, including me, can take inspiration and wisdom from this book and use it today, even though it was written around 30 years ago.

Essay on Duality

The relationship that I will talk about is between my hometown best friend, Colin, and I. We met when we were about twelve years old through one of my other good friends at the time. The earliest event that I can recall with this friend was when we both went with our friend Jack to a professional paintball tournament. He invited both of us, and we met each other through him. At this tournament we interacted a lot through sleepovers and spending countless hours out in the hot sun watching our favorite professional teams play paintball. Colin is the same age as I and has lived in the suburbs of Chicago his whole life. We have numerous things in common, like our musical interests, leisurely activities, and goals in life. Having a great city, Chicago, so close to us has allowed us to bond more through it. We have spent days together, and with others, in the city doing anything you can imagine there is to do in a gigantic city like Chicago.

            Factors in our relationship include aspects like we are very honest with each other, and have the some views about the rest of our friends. There are too many stories associated with our friendship, and I can’t choose just one that describes us. That’s what makes us as good of friends as we are. One time his stomach burst and he went to the hospital and nearly died, and had to stay there for an entire month. This was a terrible time in our lives but we’ve been stronger ever since. It happened while he was at my house and if I did not take him home to his house so his mom could take him to the hospital, something worse probably would’ve happened. I respect him a lot. We will be friends for a very long time. When I graduate we will probably get an apartment in Chicago for a year or two with two of my other good friends. 

Statement of Purpose for Vessel

My wooden vessel contains two separate rectangular openings that are connected by the means of two offset rectangles, connected in the middle. The vessel contains a memory card in one of the sections, and a camera battery in the other section. Both of these objects are rectangle in shape, which influenced me to construct the structure in a rectangular fashion. Since the objects are different, yet similar as they both pertain to my camera, I wanted to separate them inside of the box.