Studio Blog | Stéphan Angoulvant

Product Design 1

After my successful results with the insect-inspired family bench last term, I was excited to see what my third term would hold. Product Design 1 was a direct continuation of Design Process 2 with the focus being oriented more towards user research and the development of a functional product.

The project for my class was to create a portable barbecue grill for a specific target audience. I quickly identified “river fishing” as a general market and with a few weeks of research and interviews began to understand exactly what design criteria that implied.

The research phase started with a benchmarking of existing products and retail environments, allowing us to get a good understanding of the market.

After a few weeks we proposed three different directions. My research led me to investigate three river fishing grills based on different cooking methods. Ultimately I chose to design a barbecue based on the concept of plank cooking, a Native American method which uses a soaked plank of wood as a grilling surface. (PDF of the presentation)

By mid-term we had clearly defined our concept and began to develop mockups. I decided to base my grill on a new ethanol fuel which is currently marketed as the FlameDisk. (See the large format presentation here)

My design started to become clearer and tried to remain as compact as possible with replaceable ethanol cartridges that could be loaded from the side and a lid that fit inside the body for storage.

The whole unit was meant to be waterproof so that it could be carried through the water by fishermen.

Vents can deprive the fuel cartridge of oxygen allowing the user to save fuel.

The cedar plank is soaked in water using the lid as a basin. When in use the water evaporates to create delicious smoky flavors.

Our new SolidWorks skills became useful as we started to develop the final version of the design.

The next few weeks were dedicated to finalizing all the details and create the finished model.

My final presentation went fantastically well. I urge you to look at the PDF version of my presentation here.

Rapid Prototyping

Catching up with my recap from last term, here are some highlights from Rapid Prototyping, an aptly named course in which we learned the tools and techniques for creating quick physical models.

Throughout the course we learned to use SolidWorks which allows for the creation of computerized 3d models, mainly for prototyping and production.

Our first project was to design a vase and create it in Solidworks so that it could be printed using a starch-based 3d printing machine. The advantage of this machine is that can build very complex shapes including undercuts.

The result was sanded and painted for our class presentation.

Our second project was to design a plate that would be cut using a flat CNC mill. The constraints were greater in this project because we were limited by the thickness of the material and also by the fact that undercuts cannot be made on this type of machine.

The result was cut out on a beautiful piece of cherry wood which I sanded smooth and finished with wax.

Much of our work at the end of the term revolved around our main studio class, Product Design 1. Here’s a sneak peek of that project:

Viscom 3

Following our first two Viscom courses, in which we learned sketching and shading, Viscom 3 was aimed at rendering different materials using various media. This is an edited version of our work throughout the term.

We started with a simple sketching exercise going from quick doodles to a more refined form.

Our first assignment with materials was in rendering wood and concrete. This was a mix of markers, pencil and chalk.

Next we rendered glass using markers, pen and gouache.

Chrome and matte steel were done in chalk and pencil.

Our midterm piece was a large drawing incorporating the materials we had previously studied.

In the second half of the course we started using digital media, in this case Photoshop paths.

There were also numerous exercises for us to practice our skills drawing and shading with the Wacom tablet.

We were gradually given more freedom to explore different digital techniques.

Near the end of the term we returned to analog media with watercolor as a quick and emotive technique.

Our final work for Viscom 3 was related to our product design course which you can see here.

Development of Form

Each semester at Art Center presents its own challenges, I’m beginning to accept and expect this. My third term came to a close a week and a half ago. Reflecting upon it I feel a great weight off my shoulders, knowing all the while that harder obstacles will face me soon.

One of the courses I took this summer was titled Development of Form, taught by the legendary Gaylord Eckles. The main assignment for the term was to select a product we would draw for the duration of the course. I chose a 1962 Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash. Each week were assigned many pages of sketches, with a particular theme in mind. These are some of the highlights of the term.

We started with basic views of the product including perspective sketches and orthographic views.

We then progressed to sketching hands and arrows.

Our first assignment in shading was to render the inverted shades of our product.

Here is the reverse of my drawing

The following week we sketched the product with a great number different lighting scenarios, here are two examples.

Each week in class we reworked a few of our homework pages to correct the mistakes. It was a very instructional process which greatly improved my technique.

Starting Third Term

I’ve had a relaxing break back home in Paris and now we’re back for 14 weeks at Art Center! This should be an exciting term (my third semester) and I’m looking forward to all the classes. The mid-term and final wrap-ups seem to be working well for me, so I’ll keep going in that fashion. In the meantime, check out this great piece from Katherine Bennett titled “A Peek Behind the Curtain” at her blog Design Investigations.

As she mentions, several students have created accounts of their experience in other schools. They’re well worth a look and can be found in the forum thread I started at Core77. I’m hoping to see even more students share their process and not just in the field of product design!