mccord.blackwell@gmail.com mccordblackwell.com 408.676.6611
my life has been a series of opportunities created by a world immersed in aesthetics and functionality. how I choose to act on these opportunities determines who I am and my stance on the world around me. I believe my choices have guided me down the path of design and has given me the opportunity to explore my passions and turn them into reality...
gleem bollard blu-gold lanca cafĂŠ sol qua-gro rapture minki czysty fuerte foundation projects
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
gleem gleem is a coffee table designed to use air to our advantage.
why I wanted to give people a reason to gather like they do around camp fires, but indoors in the comfort of your own home. The living room has become more of the TV room, I wanted to take back the space from the television and give it back to the user.
we have suffered from a lack in communication ability. I wanted to make something that faced this issue head on.
communication taking from the fire pit, I wanted to move the social aspect back to the people inside of the house. I took the body of a coffee table and morphed a piece of furniture and an appliance into one creating a source of conversation and interest.
for something as simple as a fire pit, it is an extremely powerful and an age old means of communication.
where as the television and couch arrangement have diminished interaction.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
inspiration cross sections create such an interesting form. I decided to use them as a guiding force for my coffee table. looking to art performed by Mya Lin as well as topographical maps, for inspiration.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
materials & tech my materials and fuel choice contributed a great deal to my choice in concept. I chose Corian as my main material. Corian is a Du Pont product that has characteristics that I was looking for. Flanola is a type of Bioethenal that produces minute emissions as well is a bio fuel source that is renewable.
the table my final concept was to move the fire place from the wall to the middle of the room. doing so by placing the fire within the coffee table itself.
rotating the handle opens the burner cup and allows for ignition of the fuel
once light the flame can be adjusted by modulating the doors of the burner
snuffing the fire is as simple as closing the doors the entire way
bits & pieces
components list: 1. burner 2. corian slats 3. brass sheeting 4. cast brass members
1
4
2
3
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
bollard
making the urban environment intriguing and interactive.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
metaphor man discovered the ability to create light early on. fire was the dawn of technology for man. has the discovery done more harm than good? that is the paradox that I wanted to bring to attention.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
inspiration
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
concept with my inspiration clearly spelled out, I wanted to develop a piece that played with one of human kinds most dangerous traits, curiosity.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
development the public security device called the bollard provided an ideal product to develop around. having a light source encapsulated in a ply able material that could be played with and peeled away from the exposed edge would reveal the light source. this interaction and curiosity seems to be uncommon in the public place.
the bollard bollards are used to protect large buildings from vehicular traffic. the bollard was ideal due to its already monolithic nature. the twist was to give the bollard more than one purpose.
the basics the bollard became not only a security device, but a social piece with a subtle statement. providing people with a seat like area and something to play with the bollard has now become a thing of play and intrigue. stimulating the public in an area that you would not typically expect to have a interactive structure.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
blu-gold rethinking the black box of disc players. taking a long time running form and turning on its head.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
project brief the objective was to take the mystery out of the products that we use on a daily basis. this day and age we seem to not have an understanding of how things work. as if when you use your ipod it magically takes your commands and turns them into sound. This mystery is due to the lack of understanding of what is inside of the things we use. the design project is intended to not to just reveal the internals by enclosing them in clear plastic, but by studying and analyzing the components that make the product function. Take these components and showcase them, glorify them and make them the center of attention. I took this challenge and ran with the idea that I want everything on the inside to be glorified and made to be the most important part of the device, second to its intended function.
who am I designing for? Cassie and Kurtis have just finished moving into their new home and are having friends over all the time, their home has to be clean and inviting. being playful with decor and limited on space, they are looking into alternatives to the plane black box
“When I buy electronics they look like the cardboard box they came in.” “Why can’t it fit the room? I would rather not have to hide my electronics due to them being boring and black” “We’re tired of the same old thing.” mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
user survey responses and priorities after taking a brief survey, results showed that concerns and issues stemmed from size and cost of most players that people owned.
keywords
“
sexy
not black!
smaller
�
visible
different
quick
accessible
interesting survey results show key areas of interest high 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 low
function
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
cost
ease of use
looks
size
product matrix cost & aesthetic analysis when looking at the spectrum of current products it reveals that there is an opportunity available.
cost exorbitant
brick
art appearance opportunity
cheep
clamp design the clamp design was taken from the pannini grill for inspiration. I liked the idea of clamping around the disc. a spin on the record player.
initial concepts metronome design with the metronome in mind for the movement of the disc versus the laser head itself. I liked the concept of moving the disc instead of the laser to read the content of the disc.
wall mount design looking at freeing up the clutter of the entertainment system, I was thinking that wall mounted would relieve space as well as freshen up the traditional form factor of the disc player.
disc holder design starting with a sarcastic concept of a taco, I then realized that there might be some validity to the concept itself. holding the disc in a state of limbo creates a sense of tension.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
narrowing down metronome
wall mount
clamp
the metronome design showed promise with its effect of showing progress with out the use of a screen
the wall mount design was appealing due to its effectiveness in being a piece of art when not in use and again being an alternative to the traditional
the clamp design was a new approach to loading the disc. Giving the user an alternative to the long time running reign of the disc tray
art
design
key functions simple gestures are the modest commands the are required. right to advance, left to rewind and tap to stop
swipe
left
tap
right
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
ready position
key functions telling time the entire system is automated from start to finish. drop the disc in and away it goes. the disc will scroll from left to right to indicate where you are at in the movie.
insert disc
once over the disc will return to the middle and turn of automatically.
positioning the wall mounted design allows for the player to be oriented to in any direction. the design was intended to compliment the TV not to distract from it.
beginning of movie
progress displayed
end of the show
orthos & parts major parts and components
spin motor laser body drive motor
5.063 2.350
3.375
1.114
1.375
9.094
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
lanca
the 21st century bike flag.
who & why
mission statement
profile
experience Description • Santa Clara County • range of activities associated with urban cycling • safe and secure riding experience that supports commuting and short distance errands in urban areas. • other comparable regions • suburban or rural areas • support transportation of cargo • intermediate security needs • retailer - Specialized/Globe • user • sales force • service center • production
with a baby on the way and an active lifestyle Roberto is struggling to find the time to maintain his current activities.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
motive
safety
visibility
elevation
providing afet for riders in urban settings was a key motivating factor for me.
safety by visibility was a way to achieve a less hostile environment for bicycle riders
a way to increase visibility is by elevating the light to a more accurate eye level of drivers
the light the flag has two operating positions. when not in use the flag is collapsed and stows at a comfortable height that is equivelant to the radius of a typical bicycle wheel. extend the pole and the flag then snaps in the upright positions. once fully extended the flag then illuminates and is ready to use. it is that simple.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
getting there the way I discovered the function of the flag was to make multiple mock ups. from that number of mock ups I was able to determine the best route to pursue.
action
the light emitted was enough to remain visible from a far distance. combined with the extension and its exaggerated movement, the light even more noticeable in traffic.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
light I wanted to keep the asthetics simple and sleek, in order to not take away from the overall feel of the bike. the flag should compliment the bike instead of detracting from it. In order to keep it clean and complementary I decided to use mostly brushed aluminum and acrylic. the light is a low power electro luminecent rope inside the acrylic rod. electro luminescent wire is an unconcentrated light source, requiring only a small amount of energy and componentry. electro luminescents were idea becuase they fit into the small space and produced the right amount of light.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
cafĂŠ sol
an accessible public area that can power all your gadgets.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
sol San Jose’s Green Vision Clean Energy Showcase was an opportunity to develop a public structure that utilizes the power of the sun.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
sketching a preliminary method to explore the possibilities of form. with a few ways to support the large solar awning I took a a couple of directions and pared them down to a semetrical design on a post. this umbrella design seemed to provide the most shade while minimising the actual foot print of the awning.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
inspiration
looking at Italian espresso bars and American diners I wanted to create a place for people to take a break. whether it be five minutes or fourty five minutes.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
location
the Paseo de San Antonio provides an ideal location for my structure. major destinations near by provide ample foot traffic, not to mention the south facing sky is not prohibited by many tall buildings.
materials
there are three inovative technologies that I wanted to use in the structure.
Color Kinetics is a large scale LED company that has done many public instalations. this lighting provides a great source of interest and variability to the structure.
High Flex Solar is an inovative company that produces light weight, flexible solar panels. by removing the glass substrait and replacing it with flexible plastic. the weight is dramatically reduce, and making it a prime canditade for my solar structure.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
Lirtracon has developed a type of concrete that is imbeded with glass or plastic rods. these rods allow light transmission in a single axis. I decided to use this material to give the large structure a lighter and more open feeling.
in san jose
the details
18ft
18ft
I wanted to have the majority of assembly done in factory. in doing so on sight construction will be reduced to a minimum for time and cost reasons.
22ft
a simple sub structure provides rigidity for the flexible solar array.
the table top houses the outlets for charging. the steel I-beams and concrete uprights house the wiring as well as provide the majority of the strength the concrete base is the foot of the unit, housing the batteries and major components.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
qua-gro the perfect house plant, takes care of itself. qua-gro is a digital device that constantly monitors the status of any plant.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
potential problem the house plant is something that adds to the home. color, cleanliness & purity to the home. they simply demand a lot of attention. similar to a pet, just less guilt if it dies from neglect.
possibilty the solution is to create a system that helps those who are trying to add a fresh feeling to their busy life. how? by providing the plant owner with the plants specific vitals. indicating necessity of care, particular to specific plant types needs; such as water and sunlight. doing so by means of their existing home network. periodically checking the information and relaying it to your computer. demanding less time from them and their busy schedule. providing time to appreciate the beauty of plant life, with out the worry of neglect.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
ideal user people lead busy lives, business travel, long work days and social obligations are just a few of the reasons why people neglect their house plants. qua-gro is aimed towards the user who is home enough to want to keep it fresh, yet are gone more than 60 hours a week. having a home that is current and are accented by a wide variety of plants, from the exotic to the perennial. different plants have different needs and qua-gro takes the guess work out of the up keep.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
the monitor
1.125”
0.565”
6.125”
4.75”
8.875”
2.750”
how to use it 1
insert the device in the soil the plant is in. Making sure it is in the desired area.
2
allow a minimum of 24 hours for monitor to assess the conditions of the plant in its environment.
3
once the monitor has completed one full cycle it will relay the plants vitals and information to the program loaded on your device of choice.
the device is designed to grow with the plant, there for the unit is modular and can be extended to keep sensors level with the foliage
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
rapture
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
project brief the project was a way for us as designers to get a hands on experience with a new media as well at try our hand at designing one of the oldest tools to man... a fork. the fork has been dated back to 400 A.D. and has been in use ever since. Its design has been ever changing yet its function has been the same since the day it was created. our task was to make one of our own in our own image. given three items as a source of inspiration we then progressed from gestures on a page to an actual form, all the way to casting and silver plating our forks.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
influence there were three items that were a source of inspiration and influence. the three items were: a song, a word and an image.
Agile: -Quick and wellcoordinated in movement -Active; lively
Pebble Circle by Andy Goldsworthy
Quermos Paz by Gotan Project
gesture
refining the influential expressions in these gesture drawings. the refinements are used as the guidelines for the fork design.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
process taking gestural drawings and keeping the original inspiration in mind I made mock ups and sketches to come to my final decision
casting the casting process includes: -first, a mold of the final design was cast out of plaster, in order to create a wax model. -second, the wax model is then invested in ceramic coating. -thirdly, the molten bronze is poured into the ceramic investment. -finally, bronze is devested and finished and polished, ready for silver plating.
final product
final product: the final polished bronze fork was then silver plated to create an impressive luster.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
minki
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
samsonite competition samsonite competition requirements were to develop a product that would aid parents with small children in travel travel is a vague term: home to grocery store, road trip for the holidays, International travel leaving a large amount of opportunity to explore
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
current market & products
visiting retail stores and public locations was a way to observe and document user behaviors as well as current market products. this data proved to be a useful resource to reference when coming up with concepts
samsonite brand
samsonite has many existing lines. taking design queues from their existing products was another resource that provided guidance and direction.
design opportunity the simpler the concept tends to be the more difficult to develope it. a blanket did not break the mold, in that sense. backed by the research, I discovered that swaddling a child in public is no easy task. having a familiar item from home to comfort a child in public seemed to be a great opportunity to create a useful, unique product. the problem lies in the gap between home & travel. a blanket is a kids best friend. their home blanket is to big to bring in the car let alone the store. a travel blanket is not the same as their blanket that they know. Why not give them both.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
final model the model was comprised of multiple fabrics with different tactile and visual patterns in order to stimulate the child’s brain growth.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
features function needed to require minimal time & effort. zippers, buttons & thread were not optimal for these requirements. snaps were a feasible option, but posed a choking hazard. I decided that hidden magnets were the ideal solution.
visual section tactile section
swaddling section
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
czysty a computer case
persona & environment Carl Scott retired 3 Star Chef current Residence: New York, New York a taste for fine wine and food. a sense of style that is elegant yet durable. married with no kids allowing for a more “delicate” home. living “comfortably” in a townhouse looking over lower Manhattan
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
case dimensions thermaltake LANBOX lite computer case case type: gaming cube dimension (H*W*D) 11.8 x 9.1 x 16.9 in motherboard support micro ATX mini ITX form factor
low volume trying to place a computer case in the kitchen is difficult, one needs the unit to stand out from the other counter top appliances in order to avoid the accidental stuffing of bread in it. yet not wanting to stand out so much that it is an eye sore of the visually busy environment. for the low volume case a cast aluminum body was desired due to its irregularities creating a inviting feeling.
high volume in order to produce a cost effective high volume case, the major part of the case is comprised of bent sheet metal. stainless steel was chosen in order to produce a more desirable finish. the rib is a cast sheet of ABS plastic, in order to emit light and keep its finish.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
fuerte
student desk chair
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
intended user ages: 6-8 education level: elementary environment: developing countries / underprivileged towns
8 year old dimensions 56 lbs overall height: 50” seated hip width: 9.5” bottom of foot to elbow: 20” back to calf: 14” foot to under thigh: 12.25”
6 year old dimensions 44 lbs overall height: 45” seated hip width: 8.5” bottom of foot to elbow: 18” back to calf: 12” foot to under thigh: 11”
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
discovery fuerte is a high volume solution to the lack of educational tools in third world conditions. using simple and low cost materials and a simple form allows for a product that could be distributed at relatively low expense. the seat is meant to be used in two ways, communal and individual. they are able to be arranged in a circular pattern for listening purposes. light weight enough to move easily and be sat on backwards and used as an individual desk chair combination.
Criteria
Sheetmetal
Composite
Rotational Molded
comfort
low
part cost
moderate to high; process allows for curved surfaces low; due to minimal sec. ops.
tooling cost aesthetics
moderate; extensive sec. ops. medium low
moderate to high; process allows for curved surfaces high; slow production rate, extensive sec. ops. medium high; sleek surfaces & form
durability weight assembly shipping size sustainability
very high ≈65 lbs + none large high
moderate to high ≈30 lbs none large
low to medium moderate; bulbous form, vivid colors high; wear & UV tough ≈30 lbs none large low
manufacturing utilizing rotational molding, reduced overall cost by limiting tooling cost. as well as keeping part cost down by minimizing secondary operations. using 50% post consumer HDPE also drove down the cost of parts.
bill of material rotational molded chair Part #:
Part Name:
Manufacturing Process:
Material:
Notes:
1
Main structure
Rotational Molding
Polyethylene (PE)
.24 in. Nominal Thickness
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
shipping shipping was considered in the cost per unit of the chair. stacking and nesting was considered when designing the product to achieve maximum space saving. a shipping containers volume is 2,700 cubic/ft. and shipping air is a cost considered, so getting these chairs to stack tight allowed for the minimization of wasted space per container.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
foundations tucango rectangled glassy seated curvz box
tucango the mp3 player was a means to showcase our ability in digital rendering. using the programs at hand we were to design and create a digital rendering as realistic as possible.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
rectangled the rectalinear was a way to get a grasp on how masses must compliment one another by allowing us to use only the simplest of forms.
seated
the chair was a challenge to create a flat pack chair with out any fasteners or glue of any sort. the chair needed not only to stand but also support the weight of an average user
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
glassy glassy is a study of how two forms must be complimentary by shape and proportion. subtlety was a key yet elusive objective.
curvz the project was to create a form using only four cuts and a block of wood. the idea was to get a grasp on how curves interact with one another in three dimensional space. the wood of choice was Tasmanian zebra wood.
mccord blackwell mccord.blackwell@gmail.com
box box was a practice of both symmetry and thermo forming. giving us an opportunity to design a cargo box that would compliment the car of our choice.
thank you for taking the time to look through my portfolio. hopefully in doing so you now have a better understanding of not only my designs, but who I am and my view of the world around us.
mccord.blackwell@gmail.com mccordblackwell.com 408.676.6611