RITA HULL Industrial Design Portfolio
HELLO FRIEND.
Education IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Ames, IA Industrial Design Sustainability KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Stockholm, Sweden Industrial Design Engineering Service Design
ritahull19@gmail.com issuu.com/ritahull 847 830 4054
Skills
Experience
Adobe creative suite UI / UX design User research Branding and social media Visual communication Graphic design and layout Product photography Photo editing Rapid prototyping Woodworking Computer Aided Design Microsoft Office Apparel design Conflict resolution Team player
ORCHARD HOUSE DESIGNS / INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
Achievement Environmental Science Volunteer High School Volunteer Chaperon Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Nu Active Member College of Design Dean’s List 6 Semesters Award for Competitive Excellence 4 Year Recipient
Mundelein, IL November 2017 - current Became one of the initiatory members of small e commerce business in which I designed furniture pieces with a natural wood aesthetic for home use HANSA COFFEE ROASTERS / BARISTA, KEY HOLDER Libertyville, IL August 2017 - current Create a positive community by providing efficient and personable customer service while learning extensive knowledge of coffee industry as well as brewing methods SCANIA / SERVICE DESIGNER Stockholm, Sweden Fall 2016 Sponsored project through KTH, worked with the service design team to learn and apply principles of service design to towards creating a system of sustainable mobility PLATO’S CLOSET / FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER Libertyville, IL August 2010 - August 2016 Researched and photographed fashion trends to create a visual display of apparel and accessories, edited and posted photos to promote the store through social media IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY / ACADEMIC TUTOR Ames, IA Spring 2015 Assisted students in learning class material by leading discussions, organizing study sessions, and facilitating test preparation; tutored Spanish Language levels 1 and 2
TAIMI
Aeroponic sprouting machine designed for urban dwellers
THE PROBLEM Demand from a growing population will require 35% more food, which will affect how and what we eat Some of the nutrients in food are lost due to long distance transport and stressed soils Most of the world’s population lives in or near a large city
Design goals Contribute to a self-sustaining urban environment, develop a smart and effective product based on modern home perspective, provide a large audience with healthy, nutrition-packed sprouts through beautiful and valuable experience
Benefits of sprouting
RESEARCH Sprouting is a method of germinating seeds, including grains, nuts, beans, or other kinds of seeds, to make them easier to digest allowing your body to access their full nutritional profile Sprouting begins with soaking the seeds, which activates them. After the required soaking time, the seeds need to be rinsed 2 to 3 times each day. This process does not require soil, only water and air
Increases nutrient absorption
Easy to digest
Water
Seeds
3 to 8 days
Full of fiber and nutrients User Experience Sprouts are easy to grow and rewarding both in nutrition and convenience
Contain antioxidants
More densely nutritious than mature plants
ICONIC BRAND The scope of the project included fitting the design into the product line of iittala, an iconic Scandinavian housewares brand known for beautiful design
Aeroponics
Hydroponics
Manual
IDEATION Integration of service design
USER EXPERIENCE
Encounter
Purchase
Interest
Set up
Reward point
Reward point
Order more
Make dinner
Share with others
Sparks interest in more people
FINAL PRODUCT We chose the Finnish word “taimi� to name the product, meaning seedling or sapling. This word characterizes the function of the product as well as the user experience; users are introduced to a new awareness of sustainable living which grows with the use of the product
Plant Lights Aids plant growth
Multifunctional Pods Allows for overlapping cycles
Dishwasher-safe Materials Convenient cleaning
AEROPONIC SYSTEM The water tank uses a spring loaded cap that acts as a valve; when in place, the weight of the tank pushes the cap and releases the water into the small reservoir located between the tank and the pump. The pump distributes the water to the nozzles, which provide each sprouting pod with moist air.
MATERIALS The design emphasizes wood and glass to further connect to the iittala brand. However, the structure requires steel to provide adequate support to the entire structure. Instead of welding or adhesives, the construction utilizes geometrical lockings and four screws. Treated wood
Clear glass lid
Metal mesh
Steel structure
Frosted glass base
Steel screws
SPROUT MATE Application interface and logo design
LOGO DESIGN The logo characterizes classic alfalfa sprouts, one of the most popular sprouting seeds, in both form and color. Beginning with a variation of hand sketches, the final logo was done in Illustrator. The name “Sprout Mate� communicates to the users that the app is a helpful tool to accompany their sprouting products.
Mate Sprout Mate
APP INTERFACE Throughout the development of the product, it became clear to include a base of information where users can find information about product usage and recipes. The app is designed to be optional yet compliment the use of the product if users decide they need more information or timely reminders. Tech is purposefully left separate from the sprouting system to allow users to connect to the natural sprouting process.
DEVELOPMENT The app includes timed notifications that remind the users to rinse the sprout seeds and add water. Users keep track of the sprouting process by logging into the app and checking on their sprouting cycle which shows a time line of the process.
USER EXPERIENCE The app provides nutrition information as well as a system in which users can order new seeds to sprout. Users can see where the seeds are harvested. The app also has an option for returning a damaged or broken product as well as providing customer service.
HATNAP
Travel wearable designed for nomadic lifestyles
USER RESEARCH Millennials are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation due to busy and demanding lifestyles, causing lack of energy, inability to focus, depression, and declining health.
22%
Only 22% of individuals in their 20s and 30s say they are getting enough sleep regularly
40%
40% of Millennials report that their stress has increased in the last year
29%
Only 29% of Millennials say they are doing a good job reducing stress
DESIGN GOALS Encourage busy students or professionals to sleep more by napping during breaks or while traveling. Create a portable product that adapts easily into fast paced, nomadic lifestyles and provides a comfortable, convenient experience in order to improve the energy levels and health of the users.
FABRICATION The hood has a core of soft material in between layers of knit cotton. The inside layer is jersey knit cotton, soft on facial skin. The outside heather gray fabric mimics a sweatshirt aesthetic.
13 17.50
4.50
7.50 Heather gray knit cotton
Black jersey knit cotton
White elastic
All dimensions in inches
USER SCENARIO Place the hood on and pull the elastic to gently contour around face to block undesired noise and light. Sleep comfortably on the go: at a desk, on the train, or on the bus.
GHOST
Apparel design and fashion photography
WHITE SUMMER Beginning with the idea to create a fashion piece for a summer collection, the process began playing with the idea of a white hot summer. Mood words such as luminous, ghostly, and gleaming set the tone for simplistic and clean apparel and the look being monochromatic white.
PROCESS The final piece is made from white linen, the length is a crop cut. The details are in the back as the fabric comes together in two buttons with a slight overlap. The straps crisscross and structure the top to form an angled opening.
FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY The final piece was styled in two different ways with the surrounding photo shoots complimenting the outfit. One was a black and white tennis court shoot with white denim and sneakers and the other in an idealistic field of wild flowers.
ORCHARD COLLECTION Organizational storage pieces with a natural wood aesthetic
DESIGN GOALS Develop a furniture piece for people living in small homes or apartments with limited space, maintain structure while focusing on a piece that is easily disassembled and flat-packed, challenge design by not using adhesives such as glue or screws
FORM EXPLORATION Drawing inspiration from clean, minimal joinery methods and simple shapes, the form evolved into an extended triangle
PROTOTYPING Developing connections without using nails, screws, glue, or adhesives was a defining element of the process, experimenting with physical prototypes was the best way to find the most secure joints
ASSEMBLY The design uses nine separate pieces. Instructions are absent of words in order to convey the assembly steps in a universal form
FINAL FORMS Different heights of the shelves create different levels of adaptability; the top for quick reach items, the middle for display pieces, and the bottom for storage. Each piece of poplar wood locks in place using angled slot joints
RITA HULL ritahull19@gmail.com issuu.com/ritahull 847 830 4054