keepin on
All of our stuff looks amazing. We’ve been up all week trying to finish, but I really don’t even mind it. A lot of failures, but enough successes to have it be worth it. Also P&G finally emailed me back and said they have ‘fulfilled business needs for the moment’. So it looks like I’ll be staying in Atlanta for the summer. Which is fine, I just need to find a design related job. Does anyone know of any?
Once again, our project blog is at http://teamsplitends.tumblr.com/ . It’s updated a lot more often, so you can get the play by play.
Looks like we’re going to have a good turnout at our event too!
-Sarah
http://teamsplitends.tumblr.com!!
We have started a tumblr for our hair salon group. It will be updated very periodically as we are in David’s shop building our full scale models! Also make sure to read our post about the event next Wednesday evening, we want to show off our work!
Also P&G has yet to email me back 😦
-Sarah
Ahhh best day ever
Yesterday I basically figured out my life. Since I’ve been in ID, I’ve wanted to design medical devices. I quickly learned I couldn’t just do that with an ID undergrad/grad. I went to talk to the biomedical engineering advisor because I wanted to somehow incorporate a minor or certificate or even double major into my degree. I got a little discouraged while talking to him because he kept mentioning I only had to take 12 hours for a minor, but all the classes had prereqs. It sounded like it would take at least a year. But I could do it. He then said ‘Hey, why don’t you have a talk with this guy on the third floor? He likes incorporating design into the courses he teaches in this department, and you guys might have a lot in common.’ So I went up and he happened to be available. He talked to me about the courses he’s teaching, one being the biomed senior design course. He says they solve a problem by developing a product, testing and prototyping them and everything. Then he pulled out this huge binder and said ‘I’m also starting a master’s program here in 2010 called Biomed and Design.’ I about kissed the man. I can’t believe they’re about to offer exactly what I’ve been looking for for two years right here at Tech. From what I’d seen on the website you could only do a biomed masters if you had an engineering or sciences undergrad, and he pretty much said no I specifically want ID undergrads. Turns out he graduated ID from NC State and has worked at all these medical companies designing products for them. SO exciting! It’s just this huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.
Now I just need to get in the program… nbd.
Also I got a 94 on my materials test! I don’t know how that happened.
Aaand the hair salon is coming along nicely, we’ve got basically everything figured out minus a couple dimensions here and there.
-Sarah
P&G
Today was definitely a challenge. I spent last night preparing for my interview and studying for materials final. I got about four hours of sleep so I could get up and prepare some more before my 11 am interview. I then realize P&G sent me an email that says they needed to cancel the interview. I understand because of the economy that they may not need interns at the moment, but I was still disappointed since I had really wanted to work for them. So I called the woman who I was in contact with and left her a message saying I was really interested in the job and if there was anyone else she could get me in contact with I would really appreciate it. I felt a little foolish, but really, what did I have to lose. And then I emailed her saying the same thing, maybe a little more eloquently. I was really surprised to see that really soon after she emailed me back saying the interviewers wanted to reschedule. So she’s sending me a new list of times to interview. I know it’s a bit of a setback, but it does give me more time to prepare. Aaand I don’t know if the two instances were actually related, but it’s nice to know that being a little pushy sometimes isn’t a bad thing.
-Sarah
ah I must keep going.
Soo much to do. I’m really enjoying the hair salon redesign, it’s constant work though and with a group, things can get stressful. I’m also sort of slower at making study models. I mean they turn out well, but I think I need to find better glue, or figure out how to make paper cement work in my favor. I’m trying to think about what materials we would need to build the full scale model. It’d be really awesome if we could get full length mirrors in there, I don’t want to make them out of tin foil. Making that track is going to be awesome though, because I guess that means we have to make the ceiling, which means we have to make walls. Which means this will be huge, because I’m pretty sure we’re going to go with the more open layout where the walls are further away from the mirrors. It’s gonna be good though.
All that and a couple tests along the way. I can do it!
-Sarah
finalizing sketches
This morning was a little sluggish. We sat down and went through all of our sketches and narrowed them down.
I think we’ve got a pretty good direction. I’m going to be finalizing the sketches that deal with our overall salon layout. We think it’d be a great idea to lay the mirrors out consecutively so there’s a mirror in front and behind the customer. My two concepts are based on that layout being pushed up against a wall and the other standing freely in the middle of the room. If the mirrors were perpendicular up against a wall then there’s opportunity for better visibility for the customer, and more storage and outlet options for the stylist. The free standing mirrors along the length of a salon allow for more walking space for the stylist, and a more open environment in general.
I’ll also be working on the rolling storage. At Aveda they said the rolling tray was their best friend, so I think making everything moveable is an important element. Most of my changes are customer-oriented, so I’ll have to go back and see how I can fit the stylists’ role more.
Also I’ll be making some sweet study models for this so watch out.
-Sarah
some concepts
We did some rapid concept development today in class. I think it went really well actually. I could keep up with it, which makes me think I could do this on my own. And I think after a few more of them, the sketches themselves will look a ton better.
Some of the stuff me and Adam came up with today:
Light up mirrors to spark conversation
Low to the ground chairs for more comfort
Tracks along the ground for appliances
Appliances that dangle from the ceiling
A circular “bar” for stylist, customer sits in the middle
Suction cup as bottom of chair
These are some of the many, I’ll post some of the drawings when we finish them.
Our group decided to finish out the 100 each by Wednesday.
Also, this materials jigsaw is killing me. I should be home right now, or doing actual studio work.
-Sarah
Hair Salon initial research
Me, Jesse, and Adam have started our ventures through different hair salons. We thought we would visit salons from different ‘levels’- so from low end student center hair cuttery to upscale Buckhead salon. The first hour of research was a little frustrating. We went to the Great Clips in Tech Square and the woman just could not understand what we were doing. She firmly told us they were busy (that’s just exactly what we were looking for, nbd). Then she took our information and said she would get back to us. So then we walked to an upscale hair salon nearby and saw they were closed. As we were calling Aveda Hair Institute, we realized that a lot of salons do not open Mondays. Rough.
So we went to the student center, which was a success. We got a ton of information. None of us realized there were so many problems going on. To begin with, there were no specific spots for most of the appliances, except for the dryer. And the counter in front of the mirror was so small that barely any of it fit on there. There were no other trays or cabinets, just one under the mirror. The shampoo stations were up against the wall, which should just always be avoided because you can’t get behind the client. We met Wayne while were there, an employee who’s been with them for 3 years. Wayne told us that since the shampoo stations were backed up to the wall, he had to lean in awkward positions, which caused his back to hurt. They have strict sanitation laws, and use various forms of Barbicide to disinfect everything.
The chairs were not connected to the ground, so when one of the clients tried to sit down, the chair went forward. The idea of a non-stationary chair is great for things like wheelchairs, but may cause problems in non-disabled persons. I noticed that the stylist we were watching kept rotating the chair so that she could comfortably work by outlets, which forced the customer to look away from the mirror. The other stylist who was more experienced did not have the same habit.
I then ran into my roommate, who’s mother worked as a stylist for 20 years. She gave us a lot of valuable information. She has acquired so many health problems because of working- like arthritis, bursitis, a pinched nerve in her neck, and bad knees, hips, and shoulders. This is because of constantly standing on your feet with little or no breaks, and having your arms up most of the time. I asked her if it would help if she was sitting down in a stool while she worked, and she said absolutely not, the stylist has to be moving around at all times so sitting down and rolling a chair would be time consuming. She suggested very comfortable shoes, and a thick mat.
The next morning we went to visit Aveda Hair Institute, where we were received very well. They gave us a comprehensive tour and then let us roam around. Aveda is a learning salon, so all of the mirrors and drawers are movable and thin to fit as many stylists on the floor as they can. The first thing I noticed about the stations were the holes the drawers had to fit the appliances. They were slanted, there were only three, and the dryer didn’t fit when the nozzle was attached. We met Jen and she slowly opened up to us about some of the issues there. She said there was a lot of space for your stuff, but not a place for your stuff. All of her books and tools were thrown about it her cabinets.
We thought maybe it might be a good idea to have the chairs only turn 180 degrees instead of 360. There’s no need for it to, and the customer would still easily be able to get out of the chair. Also Wayne at the student center told us about high end salons where the appliances come down from the ceiling, and when they’re need the stylist just pulls it down.
We also didn’t see any place for the customer to put their belongings. Most of them kept their bags on the laps. The magazines were on the floor, which made it difficult for the customer to pick them up mid-cut.
I think those were all the main issues. We will probably revisit these places throughout the project.
-Sarah
New York recap.
We’re all finally back from New York and settled in. The trip was amazing. It was a lot more eye-opening than I thought it would be. After the 14 hour bus ride up there, we dropped off our bags and rushed over to Crush+Lovely. The focus of their company may not be exactly what I want to do, but their offices were amazing, and they were laid back enough to want to do cool stuff like take us out for a taste test.
Then we went to Smart design, which is where Carla Diana works (worked as an instructor at Tech last year). What struck me most there was the shop, it was pretty comprehensive, and they seem to put a lot of emphasis on model making skills.
Curve, which was right next door, had a different approach to things. They were a much smaller company, but seemed to handle tasks just as large. This is also where we were introduced to the magic of Wacoms. I think we all knew they existed, but I persoanally didn’t know they could emulate hand sketching so well.
That night we were a little burnt out so we just ate and slept, and played princess uno.
The next day got up and headed to Nulux. It’s a lighting design shop that designs and manufactures their lighting in house. It’s also something I wouldn’t see myself doing, but it was pretty impressive to see all the innovative solutions they had come up with. And the girl who showed us around had graduated from Tech, which gave me a lot more hope for my future.
Next up was Utley’s. They basically make high-end models. Such a shock, to find out that perfume bottles in ads are actually bigger than actual size. Crazy. That place has mad skillz.
Then it was over to Rockwell, the architecture group. They did the design for the Oscars. And Cirque d’Soleil. and a bunch of Broadway shows. Place was ridiculous. I think it’d be a great place to work.
After that we went to Ecco. They reminded me of what I thought I was going to see in a traditional design firm. Their designs were really cool, and it was nice to see that they had a mix of electronics and furniture.
That night we hung out around manhattan and visited Times Square, stopped the bus a couple times.
Next day we woke up and headed to Material Connexion. Huuuge library of materials. My favorites were the translucent concrete, the 3D formed wood, and the skin like one. I would really like to get a membership there via Georgia Tech.
We headed over to frog design. They were a lot more structural than other firms, and even seemed a little secretive. I don’t know if I agree with all of their designs, but they’ve made such a contribution to the design world, they’re hard to ignore.
After we headed to probably my favorite place on the trip, Core77. They were so personal. And we got on the blog!! It surprised me to know that they all had backgrounds in design, but they were awesome, and Alan gave me a little advice on what to do for grad school.
The last firm we visited was Karim Rashid, we didn’t actually ‘visit’. But we met up with one of his designers, and he took us to a couple art galleries. The best thing he told us was that SolidWorks was actually useful. I really wanted to hear that from someone outside Tech, because it’s still hard to believe that it’s the standard out there.
Saturday we hung out at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. Not what I expected but still really great. I think my favorite thing there was the room with the television where you could see a Donald Duck cartoon. Just the way the room was laid out was great thinking, the way you have to sit on the floor and tilt your head up like when you were a kid.
That night we went out to dinner, no designers came to visit 😦 but we still had a great time.
Next day was rise and shine and back to Atlanta. I’m home safe, but I caught something on the way down, so I’m not feeling great. But it was so completely worth it.
-Sarah
T-23 hours
Less than a day until we start our ATLtoNYC adventure! The comfortivity bus leaves at 5:30, and I can’t wait to spend the entire week with these guys. So I learned a little bit about frog design. To be honest, all I knew was that one of our instructors worked there, and her portfolio seemed a little out of the ordinary, so I wasn’t expecting much. But I was surprised to see that they have done SO much stuff in so many areas. They did those really cute Disney phones! And that new HP touch screen. Pretty sweet. Well I’m real psyched to see them, and all the other places, too!
Started a little work on the hair salons. We’ve picked out a few we want to go see in Atlanta. Everything from african hair braiding to upscale boutiques. We wrote down a list of our assumptions about what the process is too. I learned things. Like apparently some salons have toilet paper neck things they put on you so hair doesn’t fall through your cape. Interesting.
Ah so many things to do!
-Sarah
sarah 