MODL OutdoorsInternship - Summer 2021
Skills Used:
-3D Modeling -Manufacturing Outreach -Ideation -Graphic Design -Research Description: MODL Outdoors is a small startup with team members located across the US. They have a product line of durable water bottles with interchangeable caps called “MODs” which transform the bottles' versatility, and silicone loops which make the bottle able to attach to many things. I worked on many projects during this internship under every team member. They covered ideation, new MOD development, graphic design, SEO, manufacturing outreach, customer calls, promotional event research, and product spec development. I feel very happy with my internship experience. Aside from the opportunity it gave me to apply some of my skills to real projects, it exposed me to the operations of a startup company which I would have not had experienced otherwise. I made a meaningful impact on MODL Outdoors and in turn gained valuable knowledge and experience. I had two main projects that took an extended amount of time to complete. The dog bowl MOD was one of my largest projects, with the goal of bringing the concept through ideation, prototyping, and ultimately to a physical sample. It required technical skills such as sketching and 3D modeling, as well as research and communication skills. As I worked on the project I solved problems with the design with discussion and exploration of ideas with our design lead and online. In the end, I brought the design all the way to the finalization steps with our supplier. Compiling a list of US silicone and stainless steel suppliers was another big project that spanned the entire internship, with the goal of finding suppliers in the US who could create our products. It required almost exclusively research and communication skills as well as note taking skills. Initiative and a willingness to reach out to people were also required. I went from no leads on suppliers to getting multiple quotes from suppliers in the US from both stainless steel and silicone manufacturers. I was offered a part time position as Product Engineer after the internship, and I continue to work and grow the MODL brand from all aspects. |
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1518INKT-Shirt Design Company
Skills Used:
-Graphic Design -Marketing -Entrepreneurship Description: Starting in my Junior year of college (late 2019) I decided to make graphic Tee-shirt designs and grow it into a business. I used mainly my Adobe Illustrator skills but tried out other techniques such as hand drawing and scanning. I make 3 designs each month that are up for sale through a website I created and I market mostly through Instagram. So far Its been a good learning experience with business as well as marketing and design, and I am continuing with it. |
3D Printed CameraSkills Used:
-3D Modeling -Design for Assembly -Camera design Calculations -Human Centered Design -3D Printing and Laser Cutting Description: After seeing examples of functional 3D printed cameras online, in late 2018 I decided to make one myself. I started by finding a metal pinhole disk online to base the rest of the camera off of. From here I calculated the focal length (lens to film length to be in focus) and an exposure sheet. I then started creating the camera body, cap, Lens, and knobs in 3D. The design is fairly simple and the shutter is a basic guillotine style removable panel. It also includes a laser cut viewfinder which is more for looks then for utility, and hex nuts which attach the bottom and side of the camera to a tripod. The overall aesthetic with the detailing and the grips were done to mimic the art deco style of vintage cameras. Parts that I paid close attention to were the cap, lens, and knobs which were designed specifically to maintain a light tight interior. Once the parts were 3D printed and laser cut, I assembled them with epoxy and finished with sandpaper to get a good fit. The first roll I tried to shoot failed due to bad film, but the second roll (see right) came out beautifully. The photos are crisp, and decently aligned. I am very happy with the final result, and am proud that I was able to produce images with a camera of my own design. Areas for improvement in the images, Alignment of the film and light leaks were the only perceived problems. Light leaks most likely came from the lens, and the alignment could be fixed with a more open inner chamber with less friction. The lens itself is also cumbersome to use and can cause the camera to shake when opening the shutter. I would probably re design this part to be more intricate and have a mechanical shutter, however this would require me to use SLA printing which I have less access too. |
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Foldable chairIn the style of Robert Van Embricqs
Skills Used:
-Wood Shop Machines -Parametric Modeling -Design for Manufacture -Design for Assembly -Design for Aesthetics Description: The chair mural is a functional piece of art. When folded flat, it can be laid against the wall as a decorative mural. When folded into its chair form, It can be used as a piece of furniture. This was my final project for the Aesthetics in Design course in CU Mechanical Engineering The design that I chose to go through with was the Robert Van Embriqs because of its uniformity (which I felt would be good for a mural), its many pieces (which also would break up the mural when in “chair” form resulting in a unique design), Its minimal hardware, but also just its coolness factor. The organic nature of the chair would add to the final aesthetic Below are the specifications I created for the chair form:
I started by making a model of one chair piece. This was pretty simple and I also added a hole for the through rod. I then imported the piece into an assembly (multiple times) and used equations to vary the lengths of the rods. I made it so I was able to modify variables to change the design. I adjusted the variables until I got the final form. from here, I created part drawings of the segments, and for simple wooden caps to hold down the straps. I had 70 total segments with which there are 35 sets of 2 which each total 5ft in length. there are then 70 wood caps which hold 35 straps to connect the two segments which interface with 140 screws. The Aesthetic that I ended up going for is an abstract organic aesthetic. Since I was basing the mural design off of the form of the chair, I had to chose something that went with the natural aesthetic of the chair, and also was able to be conveyed when flat and in chair mode. My initial sketches showed me that abstract designs would most likely achieve this versatility over modular and pictorial designs. I was really drawn to the dotted wispy design which was natural and organic as well as abstract, and reproduced it henceforth to explore this Idea. This gave me inspiration for when I would eventually freehand it with a wood burner. The final chair worked as intended. At the start, I wanted to make a chair which transformed from mural to a useable piece of furniture. I also wanted the aesthetic to be conveyed the same in both forms. I definitely think that my choice of chair style (being an organic shape), The material choice (wood and woven fabric), as well as the abstract organic artistic style allowed me to achieve this well. Functionally, I think I could have improved the project with a different hinge material, and possibly taking more care when drilling the pilot holes. I found that the slats shift a bit due to how flexible my hinge is, Interference with my slats and some of the wood caps, and that I had wood splitting on some of my hinges which I had to go back and glue shut. Aesthetically, The design is conveyed well within the piece although I do feel that with more wood burning, I could get a more noticeable and better conveyance of the aesthetic I was going for. In the future I might do more wood burning to darken or add more to the design. The shape is not really changeable so to improve the piece in the future will be mostly with the artistic design. Burning the wood on the side might also be an interesting option to go with in the future as well. |