Connor Bland
Northumbria University Graduate Design Portfolio 2020
Contents About Vitreis Globulis Funki Chum Sonic Seasoning Blend Dex Freelancing Placement Experience Fun Theory Contact
About me
Hi there, My name is Connor, I’m 22 and a Design for Industry graduate from Northumbria University. At the moment, Im looking for a full time job to continue my passion in design. I like to stay creative even when im not designing. You can usually find me behind the drum kit working on rudiments and other fancy drum related things that bore most people... or just polishing cymbals. Having played drums for almost 13 years now, it’s a key part in my life and keeps my mind on a constant creative buzz. I feel like this maintains my desire to design, always looking to create things which are out of the ordinary but beautiful in their own way.
Education Northumbria University 2016 - 2020 Design for Industry BA(Hons) Fulford Sixth Form 2014 - 2016 A-level Geography A-level 3D Product Design Level 3 Btec Applied Science Fulford School 2009 - 2014 11 GCSE’s Level 3 Graphical and Algebraic Equations Experience Freelancing 2020 After graduating from University, I started freelance designing for Leeds based company Print72. This involves adjusting and checking documents on the adobe package to a print-ready standard. Working remotely is ideal in these current times, however, expanding my workload is my priority right now. Paragon Creative 2019 During my third year placement, I worked at a local set design company. I was lucky enough to experience three different parts of the company, interactives, graphics and fit out. I met so many amazing people here and learnt far more then any other experience, ranging from technical CAD skills to communications between workshop and design studio.
Connor Bland Industrial Designer
IPL-Plastics 2018 For my second year internship I went to Quebec for 3 months to work at IPL-Plastics, the largest plastics manufacturer in North America. During my time here I worked as a product designer. This involved: testing products, developing exsisting products, CAD work and amending the bill of materials. The language barrier, size of company and level of expertise throughout the workplace helped me on developing my design. During this placement my ability to learn new skills and confidence when pitching ideas to colleagues massively improved.
Vitreis Globulis Innermost Lighting Live Brief. Large and luxury. To use a material not traditionally viewed as a luxury and use it in a way which would be accepted in high end designs.
Inspiration Initially I looked at materials like cable and wire, and thought of ways to use it in the design. Then I was inspired to look into glass bubble forms which create a random structure.
Sketching Then I focused my designs on an orb and fluid style, experimenting with ways the wire could cradle the orbs or fuse during the molten glass blowing process.
Iterations
Arrangement of Orbs Different variations of the orb arrangement and size. The majority are inspired by planetary alignments, chose to develop the second.
Exploring Colours and Textures The options of unusual colours or textures within the lamp such as a UV lamp or smashed glass within the glass.
Front View
Side View
Orb 1 and 2
Orb 3
400 mm
200 mm
Steel Rope 6m
Technical Drawings For the final product, the glass will be blown from inside the steel rope structure to form a distorted shape around it.
Vitreis Globulis In this live brief I worked with the Innermost CEO, Steve Jones, the brief to create something luxurious using materials or processes not associated with the high end market. The Vitreis Globulis (Latin for Glass beads) is a chandelier style light installation which incorporates the steel rope fixture into the light itself. This prototype imaยงgines the orbs to be blown glass, inside the steel rope structure to form one solid piece as it sets into the glass.
Chum
Design a high chair that appreciates the constraints of two users, parent and child. Second year group project. For this brief we worked in small groups to produce a model high chair. The target market was aimed at working families with 2-5 year old's, looking for a lightweight, cheap and fun alternative to other high chairs on the market. The back of the chair is one piece of MDF with thin laser cut strips to allow it to bend round the base of the chair. The simple design encourages kids to explore their creativity.
User research Jane Single Mum, Full-Time Artist “Due to me working at home, I spend a lot of time supervising Daisy, playing games with her. If there was a chair that incorporates some playful element to it, I would have the reassurance Daisy is safe and busy while I work!�
Daisy 2 Year Old, Full-Time Toddler
Child Friendly
Washable
Lightweight
Dimensions By calculating the average height for 2 - 5 year olds we were able to mock up on illustrator a profile view of a chair to give us some idea of dimensions.
Durable
Development
Chum For this project I worked in a group of three, with a 5 week deadline. The main goal for this project was to ensure the high chair provided the child with a sense of security, as well as keeping them entertained when dinner time is over. While working on the chair I spent most my time in the workshop figuring out ways of bending the mdf, securing the strap to the chair and using various machines cut the shapes and mill the slots. Oh, don’t forget the rigorous testing of the drum..
Sonic Seasoning A wireless taste altering device for Kenwood. In this live brief I worked in a group of five to create a new product for the Kenwood range. This concept came around by looking into the future of the kitchens and other future technologies we could implement into the project. After researching bone conduction and discovering the ability to alter taste perception through sounds, we decided this would be the focal point.
Obesity is a consistent issue in our society, the idea of adding salt or sugar to something without suffering from the negative repercussions would be a big step in reducing the amount of obesity cases.
Inspiration
We began by looking into different headphones and technologies surrounding kitchens. Virtual reality headsets were also a focus when researching these technologies.
Charles Spence A study on how sound affects flavour An Oxford professor who published a study on restaurant background noise affecting people's perception of taste. Through this research he discovered the frequencies of sound which correlated with perception of sweetness, saltiness and sourness.
Interface design
Browse through flavour options
Simplistic scroll to select mode
Home screen
Select intensity of flavour
Exploring shapes When designing the module, I kept in mind that it will have to sit on the table during meals but should not be intrusive, so a similar size to salt and pepper shakers is ideal. The ear piece is designed to rest behind the users ear and sends vibrations through bone conduction, therefore it does not obstruct the users ear.
Sonic Seasoning Our final concept is a home module which stores up to 4 ear pieces inside. To ensure the ear piece works for everyone it is wirelessly charged inside the module. Taste perception is altered through bone conduction ear pieces by various frequencies which are adjusted on the module screen. Twisting the screen of the module will adjust the levels of salt, sugar and sourness tasted by the user. Although this is all conceptual, studies have shown that this is all achievable with the technology we have today. The image to the right depicts the possibilities this technology has in the future, I made this on photoshop, and is heavily inspired by Bladerunner. The VR headset resembles another aspect of eating with families for parents who work away from home, still being at the dinner table wherever they are.
Funki Final Major University Project Using the power of mycelium to grow children's shoes, whilst supporting healthy growth. Throughout this project I carried out extensive research through a series of interviews, exhibitions and material exploration. Ultimately, this project showcases the possibilities of biomaterials and how we can apply them to products on todays market.
The Problem
Leather has huge environmental implications. The demand is peaking and the consequences are worse than most people assume. Cattle use 30% of the Earths land surface and generate more global warming greenhouse gases than all transportation industries combines. Alternatives are essential if we are to become a greener planet.
Retailers like Adidas are continuing to use harmful materials, due to consumer demand. Customers want leather because of the aesthetics and durability. A sustainable alternative with exactly the same properties could change the customer preferences. This would be a great step in switching to a greener planet.
Of the 26m tonnes of waste produced in the UK 12m is recycled, and 14m tonnes is sent to landfill sites. This gives us an average recycling rate of 45%. If we push the use of biodegradable materials, the strain on landfills can be eased. The natural treatment of mycelium products means they can compost, whereas treated leather cannot.
Children outgrow their shoes up to 4 times per year, leaving most households with a rather large surplus of shoes. 90% of outgrown shoes end up in landfill, most of which are manufactured using unsustainable materials. When designing Funki, I have ensured these shoes will encourage healthy growth at an important stage in life, while utilising bio-materials.
Mycelium
Mycelium is the root structure of mushrooms. It can be grown into any desired shape in just a couple of days. The properties of it can be altered in the growing phase. These changes are in density, colour and hardness. Using mycelium as the sole would be a viable option, even in today's market, as it matches the comfort of foams used in high end running trainers. Currently it is used as a biodegradable polystyrene alternative pictured left is mushroom packaging by Ecovative. When testing the material myself, I discovered that it requires a waterproof coating to stop it from degrading, which can be applied using a non toxic solution like LiquidOff.
The carbon footprint of leather is at an all time high, since the demand for leather goods is increasing. An alternative that serves the same purpose, which has zero impact on the environment is essential and a big step in turning the world green. For the upper, mycelium leather would be an ideal material as it can be grown to equal quality to that of deer leather. With a flame retardant, anti-bacterial upper, mycelium shoes have the potential to revolutionise the sustainable footwear market.
Components
Moccasin Style Upper
Amadou Down
MuSkin Insole
Mycelium Foam
Rubber Grip
Colour-ways Bio Turpentine Dyed
Carbon Pigment Dyed
Blue Oyster Mycelium
Breakdown
1 - Bio plastic popper fastener embedded in hemp tag,
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securing the upper around the foot. 2 - Woven hemp fabric housing the popper, and the leather upper. 3 distance.
4 2
3
4 - Recessed sections in the mycelium grown sole, allowing
1 5 - Lactae Hevea biodegradable rubber patches sunk into the mycelium for added traction. 6 - MuSkin insole, supporting fast moisture wicking with antibacterial properties and a velvet texture. 7 - Amadou fungus (natural down) between the mushroom leather nets supporting and insulating. 8 - Running stitch around the edges of the mushroom leather nets, concealing the down inside.
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8
7
User Friendly
Unfasten the popper holding the leather tab on the heel.
Release the tab and unfold around the shoe.
Slide the foot in and secure tab to popper again.
2 Weeks to grow
Composts in 3 months
Antibacterial material
Batch A desktop product that can be batch produced. This third year solo I experimented with Jesmonite and plywood to create a laptop stand suitable for batch production. Each side folds into one another to create an X shape, elevating the laptop to prevent overheating and neck strain.
Above is the technical drawing used to lazer cut the plywood.
Experimenting with Jesmonite Jesmonite consists of natural raw materials with a blend of water based pure acrylic polymers. This combination makes Jesmonite superior to other building materials. It’s strength and durability attracted me towards using it, but what sets it aside from materials like clay and concrete is how light it is.
Portable Laptop Stand By using lightweight materials the stand can be packed down into a bag efficiently, so if you're at work or Starbucks, you're stand can always be with you. Birch plywood is known for its strength and stability as well as being cheaper than other plywood options. Jesmonite consists of natural raw materials with a blend of water based pure acrylic polymers. This combination makes Jesmonite strong, flexible and generally superior to other materials with similar properties.
Second Year Group Business Proposal. Accessible prosthetics provided on a subscription service, 3d printed prosthetics for kids and young adults looking for a cheap, functional and beautiful alternative to existing lines. Our ideas were pitched in a dragons den style presentation to a panel of lecturers.
Why a Subscription Service?
There are no services that provide children with new prosthetics when they need a new size. Current prosthetics are either expensive, lack function and feel generally under designed. Children outgrow prosthetics as fast as 6 months.
Prosthetic Arm The far left is the anatomy of an arm which was a key starting point for this project. After this I then found that a backwards thumb was essential for a prosthetic arm, as we wanted the fingers to function on movement. The progression of this design is based on functionality and aesthetic values.
Grip Ten When th fingers running of the fi the simp
Wrist and Elbow Pros
Both wrist and elbow are the mo With both designs, they have fe affordable products in the mark
Silicone fingertips
Adjustable grip tensioner
nsioning Mechanism he arm is pulled the user's the will close due to the cables through the arm. The tension fingers can be adjusted using ple dial, for a tighter grip.
Adjustable length
sthetics
ost common form of amputees. eatures not found in any other ket.
Adaptable design
Custom cup
Prosthetic subcription service. The app screenshots below are the 5 steps required to purchase the subscription. The measurements for one's arm or leg can be adjusted and resubmitted whenever necessary. The product arrives in a sealed black box containing the prosthetic and the custom cup size. When you outgrow the cup, you can return it to be reused and we will send you back a new size. The prosthetic is universal to any cup size we provide. The current waiting list for prosthetics is around 6 months; these can be made and shipped within 2 weeks.
A personal project of mine. Fashion is a big part of who I am, I love filling sketchbooks with random doodles, which inspired me to create a street wear / skate wear brand. Through the constant use of Photoshop and Illustrator during my studies, I have become confident and fluent in using it as a tool for mockups, as well as developing a style, keeping it consistent.
T-Shirt Range
Character Range
Lookbook From a photoshoot at a coastal fairground in Tyneside, I made some mock up t-shirt designs for a debut lookbook using photoshop and illustrator.
Freelancing After finishing university I have quickly established myself as a freelance designer, securing work including branding, logos and promotional materials to a print ready standard, with a number of local businesses.
ATO Tour Merchandise Iterations of a merchandise line for Leeds based rapper ATO. Using Illustrator I created the handwritten style graphic for the t-shirts and inside label.
Logos and Content Creation Below are a series of the logos I have made throughout my time designing. Ranging from the 'Dig it' logo used in children's play parks around the world, to 'Thinking Outside The Box' for the front cover of a music teaching book commissioned by the British Dyslexia Association.
WINE FIND @barberskar_
DARE TO BE
DIFFERENT RIVERSIDE BBQ Saturday 25th July 12-5PM £9.95 Book online at www.waterfront-cafe.co.uk
SUGGESTED BBQ MENU £9.95
07858177775
all served with a Salad plate and house Coleslaw • 8oz Prime Beef Burger served in a Brioche Bun • Chicken breast marinaded in Lemon & Coriander served in a Brioche Bun • Tiger Prawn & Sunblushed Tomato Kebab marinaded in Garlic, Chilli and Ginger served with Rustic bread • Salt & Vinegar Haddock Parcel (Haddock steamed in a foil parcel with Salt & Vinegar crushed Potatoes & Green Beans) served with Rustic Bread • Halloumi & Red Pepper Burger served in a Brioche Bun
Placement Spring/summer design placement at Paragon Creative. For the second half of third year I worked at Paragon Creative, leading experiential design, fit-out, interactive and scenic arts company, delivering projects in museums and heritage, science centres, leisure and attractions found all around the world. During my time at Paragon I was lucky enough to work throughout three departments; graphics, fit-out and interactives. This grew my confidence and skills in a variety of design disciplines with different teams.
Renders While working at Paragon I had the opportunity to contribute to some concepts of a supermarket kids play area in Saudi Arabia. These designs are for a tender, showcasing the way Paragon would utilise the massive space on offer. These renders have since been sent off to the client, awaiting confirmation. I designed these in Sketchup and rendered using V-ray.
Fun Theory This first year project consists of a short advert and research video of our talking bin...
Fun Theory Can bins be fun?
In this group project we wanted to find a fun way o f a ff e c t i n g p e o p l e ’ s b e h a v i o u r. S o w e d e i d e d t o tackle the issue of littering. How can you convince the public to dispose of their litter responsibly? Our idea was to create a sentient bin that could communicate with the public, allowing them to i n t e r a c t w i t h i t d i r e c t l y. T h r o u g h t h i s b i n w e h o p e d that people would think more positively about putting things in the bin.
Contact bland1n0@hotmail.com 07565965087