Building in SL

Building in SL

I love the trees.

New Display in Second Life

Brand Brainstorming

How would you like others to describe your work, website, your image?

I would like others to describe my work as elegant, fun and simple. The silicone is a new fun material in combination with the sterling silver that has been used in jewelry making for centuries. Because of this use of different materials my work as an old feel with a touch of new, it reaches back and touches that part in everyone, that wants to treasure something from the past, as a keepsake. While also bringing that object into the future and combining it with silicon a relatively new material. The relationship between the feel of the two materials is also very contrasting, the silver is stiff while the silicone gives and bends when touched.

My website would reflect this elegant feel. I would only use black and white images in my website, displays would also match this color palette.

I would like my image to be one of fun but to also have a feeling of something cherished. My pieces are very intimate and inviting I want my image to also be portrayed in this way.

What message will be delivered from your brand?

I hope the message of something special and treasured will be delivered from my brand. I want my brand to express that the objects created under its title are precious but not too precious that they are not worn. I want the message for my brand to be that the objects should be fully enjoyed. They should be worn and felt.

Why are you making what you make?

I am making my work because I enjoy creating. I enjoy precious things. Jewelry makes you feel beautiful, it helps you identify who you are, just like anything else you place on your body. I am making work because I enjoy the process of playing with a material and finding new ways to apply it to the jewelry field.

What do you hope to contribute to the world?

I would like to contribute to the world, beautiful objects. I would also like to express that any material can be used in the creation of jewelry, all you have to do is play with what you have and explore the options.

How can you communicate these qualities or values?

I will communicate these qualities of my work by using them myself. I will continue to play with materials, whatever they will be, and I will create beautiful objects. I will communicate by example.

Building in Second Life

Working on a display for my Design and Production jewelry.

Two different size fans.

Creating a fan form, made up of cones.

Creative Competency

Jay Ryan, a print artist has a clear brand for his products. His prints can clearly be identified, they are playful and always contain animals. His hand is present in his work adding character to his posters, that are often done for bands.


IKEA is one of my favorite places to shop, its an all day event. They have everything you could possibly what, even a restaurant. Ikea designs are simple fun and affordable. They use alot of funky patters in there products giving off a young playful feel to them.


Working Class Studio is a design collective that i particularly am drawn too. I like the fact that alot of there work is done by students, as a student i like knowing that its possible to get your work out there and into mainstream stores. There displays are also very strong, as you can see in the images above. They have places the objects in situations that illustrate the objects use. The bright colors of the objects themselves are matched by the colorful surroundings. Everything is bright and colorful and makes sense.

Arthur Hash has created a wide verity of objects, using new technology as well as traditional techniques. This wide skill set allows him to look at jewelry from new angels, questioning the jewelry making process and what materials are being used. In his jewelery he uses familiar subject matter and simplifies it, allowing the object to still be identifiable to extracting the details.


Dirt Devil is now focusing its attention on design along with function, where in the past function has been the leading factor. They have now come out with the new KURV hand held vacuum, it is sleek and sexy. The design lifts the status of the vacuum cleaner into that of an art object. It is no longer something you would put in your closet but something you would display in your living room. It has form and function.


Apples branding has to be one of the most successful i have come in contact with. Everyone and their mom has an Apple product. Everyone wants one, and there branding creates this desire. There commercials for the iphone make it the versatile tool for people on the go, and this is their target customer. Ipod commercials are bright, bold and put you right into the commercial. Music has always been a tool for people to identify themselves with, and Apple taps into this desire to belong to a certain crowd.

I always buy Crest toothpaste, its what my mom bought, this emotional connection to home is why i buy it. Its clever catch phrase "Crest Kid" is also what makes me buy. Slogans help sell products, just like this one.




Hive is a company thats bases its products on good design and friendly impacts on the environment. Hive redesigns products adding a playful touch along with function.


2modern is a collection of new international design, its all here for you. Innovative new products for every aspect of life. one of my personal favorites are the silicone lights by Arturo Alvarez. Check it out!

OM home is a company started by Oorbee Roy, an Indian woman who takes her fabric designs from the Indian art of Alpona, the practice decorating the insides and outsides of homes and temples with geometric patterns. I like how Roy draws from her heritage, her website and all her products are represented by the geometric designs.

Branding Video

This is an awesome video about branding, i never really thought about advertising in an analytical way before. I think people are so used to the constant ads that surround them that it all blends together sometimes.

Branding is everywhere, in this video it said that advertisement's are even placed at the bottom of golf holes, when you go gather your ball from the hold you see an ad, clever, who would have thought to use this space for an advertisement.

People are constantly buying things, but why? are there subconscious reasons for these? This video tries to understand the reasons behind the objects people are drawn to and buy.

This video is packed with information to consider when creating a brand of your own. check it out!

Band-aids as Fashion Accessories

It's no Boo-Boo: Bandages as fashion accessories this was an article in The Herald Tribune that was published this past August. It states that band-aids are starting to be considered a fashion accessories and are worn even without a cut.

Everything should be beautiful and designed, why try to blend this object into the skin. Honestly does the color of regular band aids really match any skin color?

Designers listed in this article for designing band aids were Marc Jacobs, Fabian Seibert and Alexandre Herchcovitch.

How Band-aids are made

This is a link to watch a video about how band-aids are made. Also these are some images of band-aids.

n-e-r-v-o-u-s system

Nervous system creates rubber silicone jewelry using a water jet machine, the water is highly pressurized and mixed with sand this stream of water cuts the silicon and does not alter the material. Water cutting might be a better bet when cutting silicon because it is a cold cutting method, compared to laser cutting where heat will be involved. This process is also environmental friendly, it does not produce any toxins when cutting. Nervous system rubber jewelry is produced by Western Rubber a company located in California. They can supply CAD services, i think this means that they can work with CAD files. This could be a possibility for cutting silicone.

GlobalSpec (engineering search engine)

Everyone should check out Globalspec!

I am in the process of fully exploring the site, but it seems to be dedicated to providing engineers/designers with products and supplies that will help them with their endeavors. I signed up and now have my own personalized page with all the companies that i am interested in working with. It also has new current information on products and processes.

It could be useful for outsourcing companies, i will post more once i learn more about this site.

Silicone

For my next project in design and production i would like to work with Silicone rubber. I am creating pop up designs from 2d blueprints that will be laser cut. the designs will be assembled to create wearable objects.

Most of the work i have seen being made from silicone are flat table wear items such as placements, coasters and doilies. I would like to use this material and create 3d forms.
This is an example of current 2d uses of silicone, these are doilies made by Modern Twist.


New Silicone Jewelry


This is a broach made of silicone disks. It was once available at the MoMa store, it is made by an artist from Argentina but i could not find the name of the artist. if anyone knows let me know.

This is exactly what I was thinking about doing originally for this project, with a rubber type material. Squeezing it through fabric with holes and creating forms from what was pushed through the holes. The outcome was similar to these necklaces by Tzuri Gueta. These forms are beautiful and have a lot of detail, i bet they feel really nice as well. These forms are created by extruding hot silicone through silk tubes.I love these objects, they feel like they are alive and still growing.

climate of design today

Today’s design climate appears to be one of fun forms, clever ideas and the use of new innovative materials. A lot of the designs I am seeing are simple but not too simple where they become boring. They also seem to be functional in someway, but also have strong elements of design. The design is not sacrificed for the function but rather both elements are achieved to create a new objects.

These are index card cutting boards, designed to prevent cross contamination of food. They were designed by Damian Evans and are sold on the MoMa website. Its functional, helpful and cool.
This eco-friendly porcelain reusable cup, takes a familiar disposable object and transforms it into a reusable object saving paper cups from being used. designed by James Burgess and also available at Moma.

Tord Boontje created this whimsical lampshade from one piece of metal that was it laser cut. It can be wound around the light bulb however you like. Great idea, simple construction and good use of laser cutting.
Droog created this lamp made of milk bottles. Its soft glow creates a comforting feeling. it reminds me of coming home from school and my mom having cookies and milk ready for me as an after school snack. Its a simple idea which everyone can relate too. The use of recycled materials is also a trend that has come up a lot. There is now a new awareness of the environment and people are designing smarter because of it.

Silicone Placemats

Silicon Placemats designed by Modern Twist and available at Bluehouse. All the products sold here meet at least one of their environmentally friendly categories, these placemats fit two categories, they are made by hand and are durable and long lasting.

Creative Caffeine

These are some images of my creative caffeine. they helped me work with the material to see different ways i could manipulate it. I was working with a rod from a window blind.
Melted blind.
Tool Dip.
Felted.
Smashed with hammer.

Skills

This is a list of all the skills i have with in the field of making. Most i have learned threw my Interdisciplinary Crafts classes at Towson. It ended up being a lot longer then i thought it would and will continue to grow.

Mold Making
Working with Resins
Stained Glass
Printmaking
Casting
Enameling
Soldiering
Wielding
Wax Working
Rhino 3D modeling
Illustrator
Photo shop
Die Forming
Felting
Flocking

Upcycled Jewelry

At first glance the material Jiro Kamata used to create these objects is unknown. They are elegant and beautiful and they are also created form eyeglass lenses. After discovering what the material is and relating it to the original purpose,does its value change? Does it matter what the material is, or is it just a nicely designed object? The idea of upcycling opens many challenges and possibilities for designers. Weather the selling point should rest on this fact i'm not sure,but then again who knows. So maybe thats all thats needed a new creative use for old materials, that keeps people wondering.



The upcycled material within this necklace is very obvious. The artist Beate Klockmann doesn't alter the material at all just attaches the chess pieces together. Does this open explanation of what the materials is, make the piece less intriguing?