ID ring project
Project brief:
To create something that is interesting and fun for me to build that can also be used in my everyday life to make it more effective or more aesthetically pleasing. If it could be built during online learning, then it is even better.
Idea Brainstorm (Padlet):
From this I chose three ideas I was attracted to:
– ID card redesign
– Scream room
– Sleep pod
Based on the three ideas, I formulated my SWOT analysis:
ID card redesign:
S:
- Cool looking and fun to use
- Easier to carry
- Unique compared to the standard ID card
W:
- Cannot fit within lanyard
O:
- Teach people how to make their custom ID cards-educates people
- Use 3D printing
- Could be done even during e-learning
T:
- Can’t access 3D printing
- ISB doesn’t like people doing this
Scream room:
S:
- An easy way for me to relieve stress
W:
- Too big
- time-consuming
- materials are hard to get
O:
- Help others relieve stress as well
T:
- Cannot be done while staying online
- Similar to the music room
Sleep pod:
S:
- Portable and usable in the wild
- Can be used on the duke of ed or other camping events
- Unique from tents and sleep bags.
- Lots of precedents
W:
- A little big and hard to make
- Time-consuming
- Materials can be hard to obtain
- Tools are necessary
O:
- Can be borrowed or used by friends while camping
- Comfortable experience
- Sleep in school when tired
T:
- Cannot be made without supplies or tools
I decided to choose the idea of making custom ID cards because it seemed most plausible to make during e-learning.
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Design problem: |
The ISB ID card seems to plain and boring to use, people rarely have it actually around their necks and the photo on it is often too ugly. I intend on creating a new card by extracting the chip from my current ID card. It can take the form of a card, or a random 2D shape, or even something that is 3D printed. |
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User/audience |
My user and audience would be the students or employees that dislikes their ID card and wishes to give it a new design. |
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Purpose |
It entertains and makes the audience more enjoyed when using the card through the cards unique and interesting design. It could also be used as a form of decoration. |
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Constraints |
Limitations: Online, lack of materials and tools (laser cutting, 3D printing, etc.) Constraints: Acceptable by the school security, can work as usual. |
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Goals |
Create something that: 1. Something I can and will use everyday 2. Easy to use and fun 3. Cool-looking |
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Materials/resources |
1. Fusion 360 2. Films of plastic 3. iPad/Apple Pencil Eg. iPad/Apple pencil, specific prototyping materials, etc |
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Mentors, assistance |
1. Mr. Griffin 2. Mr. Costa 3. Parents (if online) |
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Questions or supporting information |
Feedback from Sophie:
how can u extract the chip? (u answered this though) i like your idea of changing the card and your consideration of being online. are you changing the appearance like creating fun patterns on it or creating a new shape or making it somehow not like a card but something else?
Ideation Matrix:
Padlet for inspiration:
Concepts sketching:
Special thoughts: Make the chip magnetic by sticking a magnet on, so it can be used for many different objects, as shown in the figure, it can stick on like a necklace, ring, or phone attachment. This could be convenient for people who use a lot of different devices in their daily life.
Feedback: Rachel showed me an example of the ID ring that her friend in WAB had made and I thought it was really cool.
I decided that I really liked the idea of having a chip on the ring, which I thought was really aesthetically pleasing and convenient for the user. Therefore, I further developed my concept:
Develop:
Here I tried the concept of having the ring/bracelet be expandable so it can fit people of different sizes. This is done through having a piece that can be moved stuck within the bracelet at the beginning, and then it can extend once it is pulled out. It was inspired by my notebook:
Feedback from my sister:
This looks cool. However, this concept seems a little unnecessary since people could just buy the size they want and also because it made the bracelet/ring look cheap.
Therefore, I stuck to making a regular ring with a chip on it:
Designs for the ring:
I applied my ideas to make it magnetic to become a regular ring once the chip was removed. The chip was covered with a case so it won’t get damaged, and the magnet was placed under the case.
Final presentation:
For my final presentation, I went for a simplistic feel and had the rings in three colors, black, metal, and gold. I think it looks pretty cool. It should be convenient to use daily, and I made something I would choose.
Reflect:
Overall, I enjoyed the process of designing my product, as it was pretty smooth, and I almost always had new ideas for the product. I liked the thumbnail sketches, and it helped me scribble down my thoughts on paper. However, I really think that I can improve on my process by spending more time on developing my final piece, rather than exploring different ideas. So next time, I would probably just stick to one design and develop it. Though we were unable to make this at the end due to the Covid-19 pandemic and e-learning, I was still very interested and had a lot of fun throughout the project.
I really like the colors and aesthetic of my final design since it’s simple and cool. The form of the final design is fashionable. Also, the idea of using the magnet makes it more convenient for the user. However, if I had another chance, I would probably make it more unique through changing the form or adding a logo.
Wearables
Presenting The Portable Coffee™
Compact coffee grinder with the funnel, to provide the best possible experience for the user. Instead of the unfavorable instant coffee, make a cup of black coffee with these too components
You can also put them together and carry it like a bag, convenient and delicious.
Enjoy!
Padlet
Ideation process:
General brainstorm:
Idea #1 neuro bike helmet
Idea#2 coffee mug backpack
Developing ideas:
Based on Mr. Griffin’s idea on creating something that brews coffee instead of storing coffee, I changed my mug coffee backpack into a compact semi-auto coffee brewer
However, Ryan told me that it seemed too big, too heavy to carry around. Why don’t they just bring a full set of coffee brewing tools? Therefore, I decided to make it compact. Only as big as the size of a hand and easy to carry around.
Compact product:
After developing my idea, I realized that I slightly went off the task, since it’s just a miniature coffee maker; therefore I added a belt to my coffee maker, making it portable and wearable.
Altered design:
Based on this I created my fusion design and printed it out:
Though the outer shell is complete, it is still missing the interior components of the grinder for it to work. To make it wearable, a belt will also need to be attached to it. So, if I had more time, I would work on these missing pieces and try to further improve my prototype.
Overall, I enjoyed the project as I had a lot more time to work and learn about fusion 360, and also create something that looks pretty cool. The design process was also great, since we had a lot of time for ideation and designing our projects.
However, if I were to do this again next time, I would change the design of the exterior shell a bit to make it look more fashionable and interesting.
Pavillion project
Project: Create a Pavillion, which is a structure that is used as a resting space.
Design ideas:
- Cool place to hang out
- Outdoors
- Calm and relieving
Based on these guidelines, I sketched out some rough ideas:
Sketch #1:
This sketch shows an outside layer that looks like a typhoon, messy and scary. However, on the inside, like a typhoon’s eye, it’s calm and peaceful. With the incorporation of sound insulation cotton, the inside would be very quiet.
Sketch #2:
I call this pavilion the emperor’s new pavilion, where the pavilion is just a base with nothing on it. With this idea, people can imagine on the pavilion they want, or they could just sit on the slightly elevated ground.
Sketch #3:
This idea shows two arcs that are connected with a centerpiece that is made of glass. The sun would shine through the middle and people can enjoy the shower of the sunlight on them.
Sketch #4:
It uses the concepts of tensegrity, making the upper piece/roof look like it’s floating. This would make it look cool and also a place to hand out. Also, it would be mainly made out of glass, so it looks like it’s levitating even more.
Designs:
After comparing the few rough sketches, I decided to focus on idea #1 and idea #4
Further Developed sketch of idea #1:
From my initial idea, I have developed it so that it’s like a mushroom tree, which I thought was really interesting. The mushrooms could also be a place to hide under when there is rain or the sun is too bright.
prototypes:
After making this prototype, many have commented that though it was cool, it is still very messy because of the swirling structure. Therefore, I decided to focus on the other idea
This prototype worked out very well and was mainly made out of cardboard and sticks. It had the floating effect I was expecting and was also clean and not too messy.
location:
I chose these locations because it would be places where people can relax and calm down, also look at the great view. If the pavilion was placed by the soccer field, it could also be a place for the people to watch the games. If it was placed on the roof, it could also be a place to watch the sky view.
Feedback and reflection:
Based on the feedback, people said the effect was very cool. And the feedback also aligned with my design idea, which was about turning some of the pavilion into glass. Though the pavilion was cool, I feel like it wasn’t very comfortable to relax in, so next time I would make it so that it is more cozy and comfy.
Presentation:
Reflect and Share
Final Product detailed photos:
In the beginning, I was working very well with the motor spinning properly with good speed. Later on, the motor seemed to be broken, since there was voltage going in it, which I measured with the multi-meter. It might not have worked because of the heavyweight of the stick and the ping pong ball. Another reason could be that the voltage that’s actually going into the motor is quite low, meaning that the soldering job might have made the circuit inefficient.
Other than the crucial problems, I also think that the product is as aesthetically pleasing as I want it to be. The exposed hot glue and the cardboard really made it rough.
Therefore, I would want to improve on the following points:
- Improve on soldering and building a circuit
- Designing a product so that it is more visually pleasing
- Work on time management so that I can have more time to fix and improve
I was quite successful in making the prototype of the circuit, which I learned a lot since it’s the first time I’m having any access to it.
I also think that my fusion 360 pieces were quite successful and I improved on my CAD skills.
My project is both environmentally friendly since the power source is from the solar panels. It also does not use much plastic. Therefore, it will not have a big impact on the environment and might cause more awareness through my project.
It will also positively benefit my users since it can teach physics in an easy-to-see way, and hopefully make it clear to the audience.
Finally, though it was a little disappointing that my project failed to work, it is still a very interesting concept and device and I learned much through the process.
Create and Improve
During the first few classes, I learned more about how the circuit board works and incorporates renewable energy. After talking with Mr. Michie, some of my classmates had similar ideas about connecting the solar panel to the battery hooking onto the motor.
We made this prototype for how the system would work using the testing breadboard. The battery would be connected to the solar panels through the breadboard. Mr. Michie recommended adding a diode so that the battery won’t power the solar panel if the battery electricity exceeds the electricity coming from the solar panel. It would also have a switch, so when the solar panel is charging, the battery can be controlled. Then, the battery would be connected to the motor, which also has a switch between it.
Next, I tried to make a few parts with fusion 360, which includes a few pieces. that can connect the stick on the motor to the container with the ball inside.
Piece #1
Piece #2
Piece #3
Later, I realized that piece #1 and #2 was kind of unnecessary. Piece #1 can just be replaced with piece #3 glued onto the stick directly. Piece #2 was too big and really kind of unnecessary.
I printed piece #3 out, and hot glued it onto my stick with the motor on it.
Then, I began my process of soldering the wires based on the testing board. The process took a long time since it was my first time soldering, but I learned much from it. Some connections continuously broke so I had to solder them multiple times. Soldering took around 2~3 days to complete. I also printed the piece and glued it onto the stick.
Finally, I began to put all of them together, first sticking the solar panels onto the cardboard, then putting the rest of the circuit in it. Finally, I glued the motor to the box so that the spinning parts stick out and connect to the stick. Finally, I connected the container with the ping-pong ball on the stick.
G9 engineering project: Develop and Plan
Developing my ideas:
Swinging bottle with the ball:
Based on Newton’s second law of motion, the law of acceleration, I want to show how acceleration causes more g force on the body. Therefore, my idea is to have a bottle with a ping-pong ball on the inside while having the ball strapped to a motor with a string.
Once the motor is started, the bottle should gradually accelerate, causing the ball to experience more g-force, thereby letting it move to the further end of the bottle while swinging. Then when the motor is slowing or reaching the maximum speed, the ball will experience less g-force.
Another interesting way of operating this device is to change the air in the bottle, to water. Then the ping-pong ball would move to the closer end instead of the further end.
Through this device, the user can easily understand how the law of acceleration works. However, with a big swinging bottle, it could be dangerous and not too durable.
Multi-level ball ramp
As shown in this model, this J-shaped ramp has three platforms that are in different levels. The ball will start from the top level, going through the ramp, and launched to the second platform. It repeats this process until it reaches the final level. Through this device, the user can understand the law of conservation and friction, since the height launched cannot reach the initial height no matter what.
A negative of this device is that the ball could be inconsistent in which platform it would land on. It also could be a little difficult to understand without some explanation.
String slide device
This device shows the friction between the rope and the different weights of the objects. As we know from Galileo’s leaning tower of pisa experiment, two object with different weights drop relatively at the same speed. Then, instead of doing so, this device shows the friction between object that can cause it to travel in different speeds.
The user would slide the ball off a rope that is placed diagonally, then the time travelled would be recorded. There would be three different weights, from heaviest to lightest.
The cons of this are that it shows that it isn’t very clear, but other than that it’s fine.
Materials:
Considering that most materials needs to be environmentally friendly or renewable, I decided to choose wood or recycled plastic
Benefits:
- Renewable
- Biodegradable
- Durable
Cons:
- Not smooth
- Heavy
Final project:
After comparing the different ideas, I decided to make the swing bottle with a ping-pong ball device. This is because it was the most interesting, and easy to understand choice.
Sketch #1:
In this model, I’m planning to incorporate the solar panel as the renewable power source of the motor. Using the motor, it will swing the rope around it, the bottle will then be swung around, and the ball should experience more g-force.
Final detailed plan:
G9 Science and Engineering: Define and Inquire
Through this project, I will design and create a device that can help the user to learn physics. This device should be durable and harmless, while still being visually appealing and interesting for the user. My product should be targeted towards students or teachers that would use this device as a demonstration so that they could learn from it.
Precedents:
Mr. Layman’s swinging device
Designed as a toy, Mr. Layman’s device also shows information about physics. Since it’s using the gravitational force to try and let the ring hook onto the hook, it shows the motion of the ring in the air. Through that, we can observe that to let the ring reach the backboard, we need to either move a little back or push it by a little from the original starting point to overcome the friction in the air. However, some negatives of this device are that even if the ring touches the hook, it won’t necessarily stay on it, so it’s somewhat inconsistent.
Newton’s cradle
A classic device that is shown to almost every student. This demonstrates the law of conservation of energy as it transfers the motion from one side to another. The only negative I have is that the rope is easy to be messed up for kids and could be a pain to unwind.
Straight ramp vs Curve ramp device
This device has 3 different ramps to compare which is the fastest when on a straight ramp, curved ramp, or super-curved ramp. Though this is extremely simple, it shows the acceleration of the balls based on different ramps and finding an optimized ramp. This is a very awesome device and the only negative is that it can be a bit big, but note that this would also work in a smaller scale.
Inertia demo device
Based on the Newton’s first law of motion, inertia, this device shows how it works. At first, the device is set up to have a plastic board under the ball. Then, a metal board would be pulled back and released to hit the plastic board. Finally, the plastic board would fly out because of the impact, but the ball would only fall downwards. This is a clear demonstration that is easy to use and understand. Cons of this particular device could be that its using a metal sheet, which can be a safety hazard.
Walter Lewin’s pendulum
Though this is more of a demonstration, this is a very cool and clear device to show the law of conservation of energy and friction. In this demo, Lewin swings the pendulum from his chin, and after reaching the other end, it swings back. Because of friction and the conservation of energy, it does not hit his chin. However, even if this was an awesome device or demo, it is still to dangerous. Like Lewin said himself, he was putting his life on the line to show that he is a true believer of the law of conservation. So, maybe not fit for a normal device.
Ideas:
I am thinking of something that is similar to Mr. Layman’s device, which is shows how friction affects the energy of the ring. However, instead of the ring structure, I prefer have it roll it down a ramp like the second device in the precedents. This device should show the law of the conservation of energy or the dissipitation of heat like in Lewin’s demo, and hopefully easy to understand for the user.
2 Buckets Challenge
This first concept shows a solution for a messy table. By combining the tech of Apple and a table, it can remove all files, devices, pens from the table. With this, I believe it can be very convenient for someone that’s lazy to clean anything, like me.
This solution shows an interactive dog trainer for owners. It has a part that’s like a Robo cleaner, to clean after the puppy. It can also train the dog with its ball tosser, speaker, and treats feeder. With this device, the owner can avoid all the hassle of walking the dog, cleaning after the puppy, training the dog, feeding it. Instead, they can spend more time by playing with the dog or doing something else.
This third concept is a solution for plastic in the shoe industry. By using synthetic biology, it can create synthetic materials to make the shoe, while not creating any pollution. However, this technology needs more time to mature.
Finally, I decided to choose the first idea, which was the most interesting to me since it solves a problem that is closely related with my daily life. Also, it could be more popular than the other products. 
Food Truck Logo Design
Client name: La Cantina
Background: La Cantina is a startup food truck business located in Melbourne, Australia. Currently operating from a vintage van, they serve a range of fresh, contemporary Mexican food at public locations or private events.
Audience: La Cantina is targeting a health and flavor-conscious audience in and around the city of Melbourne. They are able to cater to various functions, as well as public events such as festivals. La Cantina sees its food as affordable, fresh, flavourful, and healthy. La Cantina’s audience and people who live in Melbourne are typically interested in:
- Outdoor lifestyle
- Multiculturalism (many different nationalities live in Melbourne)
- Healthy living (eg exercise, sport, fresh food)
- Fresh food
- Sustainability (eg low waste, low CO2, sustainably sourced food)
Context: La Cantina require a logo for caravan signage, aprons, and a printed menu
Keywords: Fresh, Mexican, sustainable
Aesthetics direction:
Incorporate both the elements of the taco and food truck, while following the same aesthetic feel that the burger king logo has (simplified, easy to identify).
Ideation Matrix:
Here are my 24 design ideas:
In the selection of these logos, I’ve asked many people, both outside and inside of the course. When I asked which ones of these were most memorable and fit the keywords, they commonly said that the 3D taco car logo, the sunset logo were the ones. So, I chose to create these in Affinity.
Logo designs:
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I’ve completed the basic designs of my two candidates. Finally, I’ve decided to use the second design because it had more relevance to the company.
Type font choice:
Avant-Garde Gothic:
Slab-Serif:
Personally, I prefer the aesthetics and more traditional looks of the slab-serif. So, I decided to stick with that.
Review your design brief. How effectively have you addressed the criteria of the brief? Have you responded to the keywords? Is anything unclear or missing?
After asking some of my classmates, they have all said that they liked my bright colors and simple design. So, I believe that I have been able to achieve most of the criteria of the brief, the logo shows that the restaurant is fresh and Mexican. I have also followed by original ideation matrix in creating my logo so that it looks exactly the way that I want it to be.
Review the “logo design top tips”. Is your design aligned with this advice? What needs to be improved?
I believe that I’ve followed most of the ideas, however, I still haven’t checked if it is memorable to the audience. Also, the negative space and positive space are too clearly divided, so I need to improve on that.
Set goals for the lesson. What specifically do you need to improve to refine and complete your design?
Based on some feedback from my classmates, I decided to improve to fill in the dominant-negative space and create a balance. Refine the details of the logo and put it into the mock-up photo.
Later design to fill in the negative space:
Compared with my formative, I believe I have learned and improved a lot through the unit. The formative was a rough sketch and lacked detail and time. For the summative, I’ve learned to use affinity designer rather than procreate. This made the logo design much more detailed and specific. I was also able to receive feedback from a lot of my classmates, making it more visually appealing for the general public. In all, I’ve improved in my techniques of creating a logo design through the process.
Presentation:
Presentation PDF:
Logo Design PDF:
Response to Design Brief:
- What creative decisions did you take and why?
I have decided to choose two of my 20 rough ideas and add more details to do it. After completing the remaining two, I chose to focus more on the more simple and more related logo design. Then, I added the cacti and bright colors to it to further connect to the design brief.
- Which design elements and principles have you emphasized and how does this make your logo effective?
I have used 4 design elements (Line, Shape, Negative Space, Color) and 1 design principle (Balance). The element of line and shape was to make it simple and easy to understand. The color emphasized the freshness and naturalness of the food at La Cantina. The negative space makes it appealing to the audience. The design principle of balance was able to symmetrically balance the design, emphasizing the geometric standards of a logo.
- What did you do well in this project?
I did really well on creating lots of diverse rough ideas and focusing on my final design, adding lots of details and ideas to it.
- What would you improve/do differently next time and why?
Typography for “Backyard Boy”
Define the project:
Create a poster related to a song based on the things we learned on Typography.
Music List:
- River of Gold
- Backyard Boy
- I’m gonna kill Santa Claus
Keywords (Chosen by myself):
- Slow music
- Relaxing
- Appealing
Padlet for typography inspiration:
This includes fonts, images, and songs that I could be inspired by.
Here are some of the rough ideas:
Thumbnail:
Rough Drafts:
The rough draft here shows the I’m in bold letters while using the fancy font. Disadvantage: Too font-based, not so much on the imagery.
In this concept, I thought about the idea of using a Disney-ish font, because often, Disney is associated with dreams. This is only a concept, not a draft!
In the rough draft, I thought about incorporating a cursive font. To show the type of music, which relaxing slow pop music. However, the draft is too plain and does not have anything as imagery.
Here, I thought about the background that I could maybe use in my final design. This consist of a few pieces of clouds and a bright sun to show that it is a dream.
Here, I tried to think of the music in another way. However, I did not like the bold capitalized black font.
Music List:
- River of Gold
- Backyard Boy
- I’m gonna kill Santa Claus
I initially had three ideas for the music. However, the I’m gonna kill Santa Claus and River of Gold were either too violent or depressing in their diction. In contrast, Backyard Boy had this chill and relaxing vibe, while also being optimistic. Therefore, I decided to choose the verse “I’m living in dreams” from the song Backyard Boy.
I focused on the fourth rough idea because of the combination of aesthetics and lettering. Other rough designs are all just pure font, or too aesthetics-based. So, I felt like the fourth idea can really mix and balance it well, with the cloud and curvy font.
The more detailed drafts:
I created this idea because I commonly associate dreams with clouds and the night sky. And the blue/purple background is associated with dreams because it had a similar color to twilight, 
As I mentioned, clouds are what I associate with dreams. So I created this draft, which I later used in my final project. However, I didn’t like the use of color, So I combined the colors of the first draft to this.
I also associated candies with dreams…I don’t really know why.
Feedback:
Dominant elements
Type
color
Style of music
Slow pop
Design elements
Movement
Good color choice
But g looks bigger (odd)
Focus more on details like the outlines
Final product:
Process:
Here, I used the lines to make sure that all my words were in a straight line and also set the x-height, this is because I was gonna freehand everything.
In the draft above, I have revised the letter g after someone said that it looked kinda odd. I improved it by making it smaller and more cursive.
Version 1:
By this stage of the project, I have already created my final few versions. My classmate said that the colors weren’t able to blend in well. Therefore, I had spent some time smudging the borderline in the background. They also suggested that my clouds were too plain, so I added a small shadow to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Version 2:
Version 2 differs from version 1 by the lack of an outline
Mr. Griffin suggested this idea to delete the outline. Since some of the text has an outline, and others don’t, he thought it would be more consistent if I didn’t have the outline.
Explanation:
Using design terminology, how does your poster successfully communicate the style of the song?
My poster communicates the style of music through many lettering techniques. With no serif, the style would seem less formal. It also used standard and uniformed x-height and cap-height to make sure that the style isn’t like rock, which can be all over the place. So, it could suggest a form of slow pop. I also used the design element of color to suggest that the style is relaxing. I used the principle of negative space, to suggest that the music isn’t too intense or full of content.
Overall, I am very pleased with my final result and enjoyed the process. I really think that when I am looking at my poster, anyone can feel the dreamy slow pop music. I really like my use of color, which had made the whole piece much more visually appealing.
Finally, I preferred the one without the outline more.
This is because the one without the outline seemed a lot more natural, whereas the other one had the words pop out. Though this is a slow pop song, I still think that it is very relaxing to listen to, and the one with the outline fits into the theme.