IMAGE/ ABOUT ME BIO //
My name is Ben Ruby. I am a young Canadian designer with a B.A. in industrial design. I love to sketch and have a knack for graphic design.
I have employed at such firms as Spark Innovations, and Phoenix Performance products working under such designers such as Len Clement, Steve Copeland, and Jonathan Liberty. I have also participated in numerous design competitions (peoples choice and third place at the INSITU chair show), been featured in the September 2011 issue of Cycle Canada for a motorcycle concept, and completed an undergraduate thesis.
CONTENT //
IMPULSE CANADA CAR VACUUM CLEANER EAR PIECE LIFT ASPIRIN AMP
IMPULSE // The Hoslten Impulse was a concept that I did in my third year at Humber. The Impulse is a throw back design that’s recaptures the feelings and emotions that connected riders with their bike post WW1 & 2. These riders were pilots from the war who were searching for that rush that they found when operating an airplane, as well as a bike. This was an extremely successful project, resulting in a feature in the September 2011 issue of “Cycle Canada”.
SOLIDWORKS PHOTOSHOP
HOLSTEN // Story telling is an extremely important aspect of design. I felt that by developing a “brand” for my motorcycle would help to reinforce and validate the design. Holsten is a motorcycle manufacturing company that emerged in the late 2020’s. The “IMPULSE” was their ground breaking model that attracted riders across the globe by bringing them back to their roots like with such bikes as the Red Indian. A perfect marriage of man and machine. The Impulse is loud, powerful, unnecessary, and most importantly, fun.
CLAY MODELLING The goal of this project was to design a vehicle that is in some way reminiscent of Canada, as well as Canadian culture. Opting to stay away from stereotypical solutions I gravitated towards other more subtle inspirations, such as Lawrin Harris’ later work with glaciers and icebergs
CANADA CAR //
SKETCHING PHOTOSHOP
The Algoma’s design langue speaks to those who wish to travel our great country in the most comfortable way possible. Taking design cues from Lawren Harris and the natural landmarks of Canada, the Algoma truly is a Canadian car. This vehicle is intended to seat four people, comfortably. By locating the electric engines inside of the rear wheel wells the cabin of the vehicle was able to be brought forward, allowing the passengers to sit in the reclined position face to face.
ALGOMA //
PROCESS //
FORMING The base was fabricated using pink insulation foam and sealed with shellac
CLAY APPLICATION
CLAY SHAPING
Once sealed, the clay is heated in the Oven in small pucks then applied at one quatre inch.
The longest phase was sculpting the clay. Dimensions were referenced from tape drawing.
FINISHING The final stage was finishing the surface by slicking and polishing the clay.
VACUUM CLEANER // Bearing aesthetics in mind I rendered the model in a tasteful white and green paint job with the motion sensors and actual vacuum enclosed in a black component. I also covered most of the components in plastic for easy cleaning as well as protection. The green wrap around shield was implemented to protect all the vital, more fragile pieces.
SOLIDWORKS PHOTOVIEW 360
INSPIRATION //
As an avid star wars fan it’s often easy to find inspiration in unorthodox places. For example, this vacuum cleaners form was originally shaped after the “mouse droid” (seen to the right). The mouse droid has similar characteristics as a vacuum cleaner even though the overall purpose is different. Rather than a communications messenger, the vacuum cleaner uses the same self guiding ideals as the mouse droid and is relatively the same size.
EAR PIECE // Worked with chief designer, Len Clement to design a modular ear piece to be fitted with current bull riding helmet models. This month long project resulted in successful product that was manufactured and is currently in market.
MANUFACTURED PART
MANUFACTURED PART The modular ear piece designed for Phoenix was designed to prevent the riders from getting their ears cut from a bulls hoof without inhibiting their ability to hear the directions of the rodeo clowns when dismounted. The form was another influencing factor in this design. It had to match the original curvature of the helmet and aesthetic of the helmet while looking durable.
PRODUCTION //
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE The chair project was done in collaboration with 3 other designers; Chris Wright, Elyssa Smelko, and Jamie Riccottone. Together we designed, developed, and built a chair for a chosen district of Toronto that will meet the demands of those populating it as well as the cafe/bistro we were designing it for.
LIFT CHAIR //
Lift contributes to a sustainable life style. The materials where carefully chosen as to promote global well being. Bamboo is the fastest growing vegetation known to man, making it an extremely renewable resource. The stainless steel legs are also a good alternative to its chrome counterpart.
SOLIDWORKS FABRICATION College West, situated in little Italy, takes its name from the University of Toronto (originally kings college). After the baby boom it has become a culturally rich neighborhood.
LIFT CHAIR //
BAYER //
The aim was to design and develop a sustainable packaging system for any one of Bayer’s medicinal products. In collaboration with Cameron Smyth, and Calvin Murray we designed a new package that resulted in a dramatic decrease in waste as well as an innovative new dispensary method. As a group we finished fourth in this competition.
SOLIDWORKS PHOTOSHOP
While developing a more sustainable product for Bayer we focused our attention on a few areas that we felt used more than necessary. Those areas being; access amounts of material, use of space on shipping pallets as well as shelves, and the materials used. Retail ready eliminates the need for the cardboard exterior and increases the load of each shipping pallet by 50%. When introduced to active bacteria, the product bio degrades
ASPIRIN 1 - Rotate bottle 2 - Flip tab open and retrieve pills 3 - Close tab and let any extra pills return to bottle
INTERACTION //
PRODUCTION //
SOLIDWORKS PHOTOVIEW 360 Mobility and convenience are very important factors to consider when designing for an urban commuter. Operation is simple with three modes of use; a fully propelled mode were the rider can coast by using just the motor, an assist mode similar to that in an e-bike, and finally a fully human powered mode were AMP is propelled entirely by the user
AMP //
FEATURES Current media trends regarding the green movement has resulted in a “push� for alternative transportation and fuel sources. This has resulted in a new boom in bicycle usage, leaving the market primed for new innovative green alternatives for personal transportation.
SOLIDWOR KEYSH
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RKS HOT
KEYSHOT SHOTOSHOP By integrating front, rear, and side lights into the frame of the bike, the user can enjoy a much safer, and easier nightime ride.
LIGHTEN UP //
THANK YOU //