Back Ache

If you spend enough time at SF campus, these chairs are so common you kind of forget that they're a staple.
People forget how unbearably uncomfortable they are.

Each stool is either ridiculous tall or too short for working.
And they could really benefit from a small amount of back support.

But what's really fun about these stools are the bottoms.

 The bottom knotches SHOULD be adjustable.. but no one really knows how to adjust them.
We've attempted screws but we can't find anything that properly fits the holes.

I've used these stools for at least two years and all I know is that the legs become wonky and start to shake all over the place.
However, with a simple mechanical height adjustment system (a.k.a some sort of stopper installed into the feet)
and a backing these stools might be more comfortable than most office chairs.
And probably healthier.

A new kind of clock

Manifold Clock from Studio Ve on Vimeo.

This takes a whole new concept to time, the only problem is..you still can't tell what time it is.
I'm sure the designer saw numbers as too cluttering of an addition..but even a few roman numerals would have helped out..
I mean a clock IS meant to tell time.

I'm really tired of commuting.

More so, of attempting to carry four different types of boxes with nothing but these horrible bus handles to hold on to:

Not only do these grips slide all over the place and twist over your wrist; they're placed inconveniently high for your average 5'4" individual (a.k.a, myself.)

My usual scenario: one hand on this shaky grip, tool bag placed between my feet, jacket slung over my shoulder, back pack on and an extra purse/bag of supplies on the opposing arm.
Sometimes there's a phone stuck in the palm of my hand.


...Needless to say, I drop stuff often and maintain an unwanted set of biceps.

Honestly, if these grips insist on swinging all over the place, they should at least hang low enough for my arms to stop crying.

The sitting situations aren't much better either

This is just me sitting next to one of the arm rests.
I'm used to being shoved up against people through these railings or awkwardly trying to move my arms around, since these railings are just too short to be armrests and too tall to stay out of the way.

I don't understand why they exist, because they definitely don't separate people from each other.
In fact, I have an easier time avoiding contact with people when we don't have this divider.

What would be nice, is a curve running from the top bar to this photographed bar.
Like so:

That way, there's a secure metal bar to grab on to, preferably one that doesn't require dislocating my arm.
Also, replacing the swishing bands with grip coated hooks would be a better call, that way the crazy bus drivers of San Francisco can make their outrageously sharp turns without fear of a domino effect in their bus.

Early in the morning..

Not sure what got into me, but I woke up early enough to peek at the farmers market in San Francisco:

 

 What originally was a hunt for fresh food became a focus on the many structures throughout the area.

Surprisingly a lot of the tents followed a similar protocol, but they seemed impractical to set up within a rainy/windy situation.

Apart from what looks like a flimsy sense of security, these tents seemed fairly nice.

They're quick to set up yet wide open, allowing customers from all view points.

What I was mainly wondering , do these groups have to follow a specific protocol when using tents for a farmers market?

Because I can see a circular tent being both far more attractive and efficient in displaying food. 

Even the hinges could be applied to a more circular design:

There would still be four main posts, but I just think a circular tent would flow with a much less obtrusive aesthetic. Plus, the tent could fold in as an umbrella AND easily add a curtain option incase it's raining.

Pillows

The worst situation I've dealt with, as a student, is sleep deprivation.
Honestly, there's no avoiding it, because organization or not, I'm still losing sleep from commute times and high-work requirements.
So, whenever I do get sleep, it's crucial that I get as much of it as possible.

Here's the problem, the majority of my pillows are like giant marshmallows, like so :

They actually engulf the form of the spine and head rather than support it.
The effect results in my frame slowly sinking into it's cushy interior throughout the night and throwing out of alignment.


I've been contemplating one of those serta pillows, or tempur-pedic brands, however they just seem to lack the same cushyy lining that I'm fond of .

From what I can tell, most of my friends say these pillows are overrated and too firm.
What seems like an ideal situation , to me, is a tempurpedic pillow with an excessively cushy exterior wall.

That way, when a user sleeps they still have that luxiurious aspect to their bed ,but overnight their postures and form won't suffer?
It's worth a try?
Plus pillows would look a lot cuter when fluffed....

Fire Hydrants

Recently my class received an assignment to redesign a neighborhood.
I decided to focus on an area of Berkeley, Downtown Bart Plaza.
It's literally only a corner of an intersection, but the BART entrance is fairly impressive.

One of the my main focuses were the fire hydrants in this area

 

Originally, the idea of designing a fire hydrant seemed kind of pointless. Firefighters seem to be fine with the objects and they do their job.

But when you really start focusing on any object, you can see it's faults.

For example, this particular hydrant lacks a chain of any sort, which means the cap can easily get lost after a hectic fire.

Lots of hydrants deal with loose bolt issues, shaky foundations, and environments which either cover of camouflauge them.

These are all the most common technical areas...the only other problem would be a lack of musical entertainment for firemen when they're doing their duty...but a music player might be a disrepectful addition....

Back on topic, this particular area of Berkeley happens to scream "ECOFRIENDLY" to my face.

The area itself is covered in bike racks

Compost bins and recycle signs are also prominent in the large area. 

The area is generally floral, so I decided to add that feature to redesigning the fire alarms in the area.

First I looked at specific sizes for a normal hydrant, and then I decided to create my own "environmental" version. The main contrast is between the copper tone and the obnoxious green bolts, which actually help a fireman with easily spotting the hydrant.

If Shrek's world had fire hydrants, it would be this baby.

Incense...

In my old household, there was a daily routine to burn incense. My apartment, thankfully, has adopted this tradition in full force.

 

The real issue is ..as you can see..an issue of safety...

Flames shouldn't be surrounded by this many objects, unless you plan on burning down your house.

A quick google search for incense burners shows the general...overlycomplicated layout of most pieces:

The majority of these pieces (though small) are all complicated shapes and textures...seriously far too complicated for catching a few flyaway embers)

My solution to the problem is a simple plate with a little bit of kneaded charcoal eraser glued stuck to the middle. It keeps the incense stable and catches all of the loose ashes...
The only problem is organization:

would would be great is a kind of incense holder with a compartment for matches and ashes off the side....

something like so:

Lately...

I've been looking through a lot of piles of old jewelry throughout my house.
The problem is, the majority of it clumps up in large masses like so:

  

Earrings are an easy solution, you can pin them up to a piece of cloth and be done with it, but I wanted something more functional for all of these loose chains and baubles.

Initially I thought of those fancy jewelry racks, like so:

 You tend to find these throughout millions of little fashion boutiques and gift stores, especially in the affluential neighborhood of Rockridge Oakland. However....this tight-budgeted art student prefers to avoid the content of these stores.

Next best option? I decided to solder together my own wire rack, with a more mobile form.

One of the key themes throughout any of my design work is a focus on form, curve, and play on angle.

A fantastic example of all three of these shows up in a hand, the most dexterous limb I can think of...or the most dexterous appendage? Regardless, these are a few photo/materials studies I conducted for this rack.

This is a photo of a copper piece by CCA senior Emily Choi. Her metal-arts gallery, Bemusement, displayed countless flowing forms, perfect for the appendages of a finger, so I attempted to use the same methods she did to create my hand.

Each copper wire had to be softened with fire (annealed) soldered to each other at specific joints (which were rings made of more copper wires). I have never gained a deeper appreciation for metal than when working with these small and fickle wires. I'm hoping materials and manufacturing will give me a taste of large scale welding/casting metal works for my future projects.

The layout under the sheets of copper are specific measurements for each finger.

So far I've only got separate fingers, but the pieces will be mounted to a wall piece and patina'd black, hopefully adding a little more organization to the mess of jewelry in my house.

Last post for today...

I basically write notes about these posts on the side... and leave them there. I promise I'll update them on a more organized basis in the future.
Maybe...
But lately I've been redesigning cupholders for cars, in hopes of encouraging a stronger sense of organization within a car...
Or at least helping people remember their Starbucks coffee cups before they leave the car.
But I stumbled upon this
Saab
Which is basically a flip out cupholder. I can't get over how nifty the flipping function of this cupholder is. It's both sleek and well balanced (The bottom feature actually flips into a base for your drink)
The only thing that would make it perfect is an adjustable ring for different sized cups
...and maybe a heat sensor but that might be a bit excessive..

There's actually a few videos posting throughout Youtube of this contraption, that's just how captivating it is. People really like spinny objects.

Just to avoid any copyright issues, I'm simply going to post a link.

Luxirare

The majority of this blogger's creations are all industrial meets fashions. She goes as far as creating the metal clasps fixtures of her bags, which is just fantastic.
But what I really appreciate is her ability to cater to her own needs.
It's hard to find an acceptable camera bag which both protects your camera, leaves room for the fifty other wallet/ID's you need to carry, and look stylish.
I've been following her lately, but she's definitely got the do it yourself aspect down.

Cheese graters....

So this thing looks like a cheese grater.
...Except it's not...

 It's really a pen holder....

Here's an image for scale

 

The story of this device starts with a cup of yogurt. Or really, just me trying to save some money....

If you're me, a yogurt cup is a perfectly acceptable container for all of your art supplies.

Plus it shifts into a convenient water container for your next painting project.

However....if you're a more aesthetically concerned individual (such as my roommate) a yogurt container belongs in a recycling bin.

So as a more design friendly solution, she decided to buy what I call the cylindrical cheese-grater.

I'm..not really sure if it's actually a pen holder or not, but it looks pretty cool when it holds my pencils...

It seems like a strange object to blog about, but I've been noticing it everywhere. When I get a chance I'll post more stalkerish photos of these objects in context, but I've seen them in:

• Metal working studios
• Coffee shops
• Office buildings.

I mean, they're pretty cheap but the I just enjoy how Ikea manages to sneak their way onto every work space throughout Oakland.

And they're really not friendly for colored pencils, once the shavings and lead nicks build up.
In a way I can see that being useful....since it forces you to clean up your supplies...but personally I think this thing has capabilities to create fantastic grated cheese.
(Or a cool lampshade, but that's not as amusing.)

Lighting.

Basically, I am obsessed with playing with the forms of light and shadows.
The problem is.. the more experimental a light can be the more material and electricity it involves.
In this day and age, that gets us no where.
Anthropologie (a ...fairly expensive clothing store) happens to give a creative alternative to most lighting methods.

 They utilize news paper like the above lamp.

 Spoons and forks!

And somehow get away with simple lightbulbs alone.

The thing is, regardless of their ecological methods..the prices range from $300 to $4,000 depending on designer.
Anthropologie's market consists of a mass of very devoted shoppers, who are willing to pay for their pricey vintage creations....but the store exists as more of an inspiration for me.

Some of the less recyclable materials out there happen to be

 

Styrofoam and plastic bags. 

I've seriously never seen an acceptable way to reuse these things...

So there's this whole concept of UP-Cycling, which is basically reusing materials towards new useful product. You're not technically going back to the materials original elements, but you're not wasting NEW materials for the sake of your new item.

The problem is....I have no idea how plastic bags could hold up against the heat of a bulb, or how I can mess with the opacity of styrofoam to properly showcase a beam of light.

That's what experimentation is for...but styrofoam is such a hassle to work with.

• Styrofoam crumbles more than a coffee cake, it's honestly the most frustrating substance
• Buying solid blocks of Stryofoam to reshape would be counter productive....because then I'm not reusing materials...
• This is more personal but when this stuff squeaks together, I want to cry.

But there has to be a way to make these look more attractive. I mean, if Anthropologie can sell a a chain of spoons for $4,000 (Seriously, Look for yourself.... ) , I can make a pretty shade out of plastic bags and styrofoam.

A few pictures of the environment..

You can get an idea of how private the area is.

Observations in a Coffee Shop

Activities

• Majority of users on laptops/reading books
• Stirring drinks 
• Children jumping to follow parent's actions (Such as stirring drinks and pouring sugar)
• dishes washing
• cups spilling coffee off of edge

Basic methods of holding cups (seriously these cups either need to be redesigned or people need to stop planning the death of their coffee. How do they not expect coffee to fall when they hold it like this...)

(The cup on the right is beautiful, huh?)

• People struggling to answer phone and balance coffee
• Most individuals in coffee shop commandeer a whole table in the form of a temporary office
• Chairs hit each other constantly due to the cozy/close environment

These chairs form to the body and have a bar for a footrest.  Why would anyone want to get coffee and LEAVE with fantastic chairs like these?!

• Most feet positioned in a cross position or propped on table legs/wall edges
• People immediately move towards most private/isolated areas
• Individuals having trouble closing bathroom doors while carrying all of their stuff (they go in with all of their belongings for protection?)
• Papers tend to fly about in temporary work spaces of coffee shop

Environment

• Warm inviting colors and walls surround area
• Furniture is generally modern plastic/wood 
• Overhead lights consist of a minimalist style with a warm yellow tone
• Flies flock by food and coffee
• Walls generally covered with mirrors to open space
• Strange.... modern paintings placed on walls
• Paint on structures is scratched and worn (adding a more lived in feel)
• Cabinets behind the order-counter resemble home kitchen counters
• Chairs crowded close together to (add a more community feel?)

Basic chair layout

• Music is at a low volume, mellow, either soft pop/soft rock or classical
• Shelves on the side covered in coffee supplies and book

Coffee lids stacked in an inconvenient manner

 They always stick to each other.....and it's hard to separate them when you're in a rush and trying to grab one and go (with a coffee cup in the other hand)

Not sure why I drew these coffee machine sketches, but they were intriguing. There was also a steam machine which easily burned the baristas.... it could benefit from a little safety padding.

• One fan running in the whole building (the shop probably prefers a warm atmosphere)
• Welcoming red paint and door
• Homey/non formal chalkboard menu 
• Low tables - make it hard to cross legs
• Tables lack coasters
• Coffee shop manages to stay warm despite the walls being 50% windows (Opens up the environment while still keeping the area cozy)

+Coffee cups made of clear material possibly give the impression of more liquid because of the same reasoning? I'm probably ....stretching this reasoning a little too much.

Interactions

• Fast working clerks, quick orders
• baristas split cleaning duties
• everyone keeps to themselves , they go out of their way to maintain privacy

+Strangely enough...even though they're private they all look up to stare at everyone else..

• Shuffling in pockets to look for change
• People only look for what they want once they reach the register
• No one notices me staring at them...YESS
• People only require of one other acquaintance to open up
• Individuals partaking in casual conversations use their coffee as a method to end their sentences
• Credit card purchases consist of a 5$ minimum, forcing more hand cash interactions... (Yes I know the interactions are not the main reason for the minimum.)
• Best seller for most coffee is emphasis on the community and warmth of the atmosphere. Keeping everything calm forces most of the customers to maintain a mature and contained composure.

User

• Majority of ages range from 17-50
• Both male and female adults
• lots of college students cover the environment (possibly because of the two colleges nearby..)
• usually wearing some form of travel shoes, lots of the individuals here seem to be suited to outdoors environments. ...probably why they're in a coffee shop instead of their houses.
• Individuals dressed in masses of layers, seem to prefer warm atmospheres (go figure)
• young baristas, very active and keen to keeping up with fast orders