"Cool" outdoor seating/lighting. Ideal for the pool-side or an outdoor bar,
this bench can be pulled apart for people to find a more engaging position.

What to eat today?

Last night I went to see FOOD, INC with my amigos. It is a shocking and one-sided documentary exposing the darkness of food production for a capitalistic society. I never thought that raising and slaughtering animals was an appealing process to watch, but mass raising and slaughtering.......uck, I am sure glad that I was in a movie theatre so I could close my eyes and smell popcorn not cow excrement and amonia.

I thought that I might become vegetarian after watching the movie; however, they also featured a segment on the monopoly of soybean production and how one seed company is blacklisting and filing suits against certain farmers for not complying exactly to their seed patent. They send out a team of 75 investigators all over the country to make sure that farmers are not keeping seed for the next year and they also have a hotline that farmers to call to report other farmers for violating seed patents. Sounds a little fascist to me. Like I said earlier, the movie was a little one-sided. So now after being frustrated with the whole American food system, I can no longer just peacefully eat my cereal in the morning. I am sure I will be over it in a few weeks.
I think one of the most sad parts of the movie documented a mother who lost her 2 year-old child from eating a hamburger infected with a strain of e-coli bacteria, and now she can not even say a negative thing about meat because of Veggie-liable laws that prevent people from degrading the name cattle farms and slaughter houses even if it is just a personal opinion. Legislation also prevents any photographs to be published of the industrial slaughtering process. I am not exactly sure how the movie is not racked with lawsuits.

Applying infographics to Human Factors

Redesign wheel that proportionally, documents time to task performed.

beauty sketches

How I interpreted travel beauty round 1

chair studio update

Currently I am trying to make the ice cubes more mobile with in the seating a arrangement and create more of a cohesive story about them. I hope to make the trapezoidal forms from molded wax. That will be a trick.

Mood Board

This is my contribution to our groups mood/ image boards for Travel related beauty products.
The goal of this board is to inspire active adventure related beauty products for extreme conditions with functionality being the key form determinate.

Summer time Goals

So its a little late, but now that the quarter has started I feel like I have a better perspective of realistic goals for summer quarter. Here we go!

1. Assert my Opinion: Because group projects are the theme of this quarter, I need to make sure that the rest of my group understands visually and conceptually the ideas in my head.
2. Do not concede- synthesize and cultivate: Going along with the group project theme, I think often when working in a group, one person concedes to another group mate's idea. Perhaps another designers initial idea may be chosen, but this does not mean it can not be further cultivated and brought to another level.
3. Have fun, Breathe, and Win the street salsa competition( haha): While the workload may be almost unmanageable, I need to find time to be human and enjoy the opportunities that I happen to have this summer.

Teaser page and portfolio

You can view my portfolio as well. http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/meyermg/-LCX1GyQC2lJglmHdQ4_W8a3oKRZ4K0ZC7PN0Oc3EnYoFO8OfSyXOfPcaYb2E6_r
I have a few questions about transparency and color mode. I am trying to fix it, but many of the pages are not as crisp. It seems like when I save as a pdf the document color mode is changing.

Inspiration

Our only planned stop while traveling through Europe was April 25 th to 27th for the Milan Furniture Fair. An unexpected surprise; however, was the Public Design Festival that was taking place near the Superstudio Museum. The festival was called Zona Tortona, I took in a lot from this festival, and mainly that their are millions of chairs out there. If you want to check out the website for the festival and organization....here you go...zonatortona.com

cholorific

Descom Winter 09

I think we learned more in this descom class than in any other, and I think my work reflected that. I really enjoyed the USB project, especially the illustrator rendering. Our storyboarding project helped us think of how we were going to communicate our HP project. One of the only complaints I would make is that the tea kettles came at a very stressful point in the quarter. The amount of work necessary for them really made us either put the HP project on the back-burner or not put as much work into the tea-kettles. All and all they turned out well but maybe if the tea-kettle project and the storyboarding project were switched it would have been more feasible to handle. Well I don't want to end this post on a negative note so.......your awesome
Mike Roller!

Blog: Tool for Communication

I think the blog is a great tool for communication, it is also nice to have a more permanent place for our work and thoughts after it is printed and presented. It is more casual than a portfolio and quick way to get feedback from our classmates. However, I think a community blog would be a much better way to communicate between our peers because it would act more like a running discussion. I feel like it is too hard to keep track of 22 or so individual blogs, along with the professional ones that we already follow. I am a pretty lazy web user, it is not where I like to spend my free time.

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a very broad term that includes many phases of analytical thinking. At first, the goal is to think broadly with both crazy out of the box ideas and with practical solutions. Some ideas are discarded, some ideas are explored further. When a few ideas are decided on, detail oriented thinking takes place. Where do buttons go, what emotion should the form relate, how exactly should it function, what color should it be, does it match the companies form language, etc. When these details have been decided, the designer must think of how to tell the story of the product and explain the choices he or she has made.

How did I do?

Looking back at my goals from the beginning of the quarter, I didn't really accomplished any of them, but I think I still think I accomplished a lot over all this quarter. While my sketching did not change as dramatically as I would have liked, other form of visualization greatly improved. For the first time, I am really proud of some of the work I am doing in Descom and it is the first time where I have felt like I can put some of it in my portfolio. I definitely did not accomplish last goal of not over-exerting my-self and getting regular exercise, but I figure I will be getting lots of exercise in Europe!!!

The Echo is designed for the contemporary tea drinker in the comfort of a home or in a quaint cafe. The kettle enables a time of relaxation, a time to loose yourself in your own thoughts or a time to socialize with others. Inspired from Hungarian culture, especially from the city-life of Budapest, the Echo is designed to be eclectically modern. It is designed to be simple and elegant but with a little surprise. The city of Budapest is filled with hundreds of nooks and crannies. Many small tea houses are located in these alcoves where people migrate towards for five o’clock tea. The Echo symbolizes this place, where the space is a unique source of inner contentment. It is a place that others may not know about but will bring them joy as well if you show them to it.


The larger outer ring of the Echo is a ceramic electric tea kettle. Resting inside the outer ring is the glass milk warmer. The thermal barrier created by the ceramic of the tea-kettle and the glass warms the milk with out scalding it. This makes the milk perfect to pour into the tea cup after the tea has steeped. The Echo tea kettle uses materials that have been proven to last the test of time including ceramic, glass, and stainless steel. The echo is meant to be left out on the counter or table to be used as decoration or for a source of conversation like the people of Budapest would do.



Here is my final process book!


http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/meyermg/Uz3GK64a1YTCTJ4uJXkdRzA1QgmUdy3YAImPl9F9ki0

budapest teakettle

Here are some of the iterations I have done on my teapots while I was playing around with hypershot. I started designing this kettle with Budapest 20 and 30-year-olds in mind. I have never been to Budapest, but from what I have gathered through image searches and a little research is that they embrace an eclectic modern aethetic. They are a very friendly and happy group of people, and their city is filled with quaint nooks and cranies. With this tea kettle I am trying to employ the simplicity of the modernist aesthetic but also incorporate a small surprise to make it more approachable. Functionally it is a teakettle with an itegrated milk warmer.

Happy Accidents

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit "random"
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to ... Read Moreflickr and click on "explore the last seven days"
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

In creating an Album cover in response to Carly Grigg's album cover Madlib post on Facebook, I realized that happy accidents and awesome inspiration can be found in associating a purely random combination of words and images.

Story Board for Computer

Revelation from Cincinnatus Assessing

Saturday morning a few of us from studio awoke at 7 am in order to assess the giddy high-school
seniors that came to campus for the annual Cincinnatus competition. This is my second year assessing even though I do not completely agree the way Cincinnatus is conducted and judged.
With another assessor I judged two sessions, in which the competitors had two work in a group to come to a mutual conclusion. Interestingly both groups had two competitors that dominated and shut down the other competitors; however, the person who shut down the most in both situations
was the person who sat next to the clearly most dominant person in the room. So I have decided that if I am ever in a room where there is clearly one dominant person, I will sit across or at least a few seats away from them. It is a very interesting social experiment, and I recommend if you are invited that you participate. I really learned what I define as a good leader, even though I did not witness a good leader in the room.

"Good Design"

Good design is so hard to define because it is dependent on the purpose of the product. Sometimes the product requires simplicity sometimes it requires complexity or obscurity. Although good design can take so many forms, there are a few commonalities that distinguish good design from the run of the mill. Ease of use, surprise, and market compatibility are three factors that often lead to successful products in the market.
For example, the origional I-pods used a completely new and surpisingly easy selection scroll. The simplicity that this technology afforded drew con sumers to help launch apple as the MP3 retailer.
As consumers we look to apple for innovativation integration of technology and design.
Although John Deere tractors have a completely diff erent aesthetic, yet they are known to be the top of the line among the consumers because of their quality, relia blility, and innovative features.Quality and reliablity make John Deere products easier to use than their competitors.
Two completely different products yet many would consider them both examples of good/successful design.

Patrick James is an advertising storyboard artist who is able to bring product stories to life. While researching I looked at many artists' online portfolios, however, most of the time I did not understand the story through their art work. What makes Patrick's story stand apart is his ability to represent vividly the movement and emotion of the character so that the viewer can understand clearly how the actual commercial will materialize. I also think that his clean line work and playfully rendered scenes are make his work fun to look at.
View his porfolio at http://storyboardsinc.com/artist/james/james_color_3.shtml

This my start to a mobile desktop computer for the music loving, soccer playing, and family oriented Brazilian consumer. For wall, desk, or lap, the computer can move with in the house easily so that the consumer can finish some work while watching the game. When the game is not on, the family can listen to music from the mega-speakers!

See my final USBs, sketches and all!
http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/meyermg/F4DrqP-sJ2I6QZ8q5EXksWWBDBjo2SIS6IIIjw3mrVU

The Green Mile Trailer

Emerging technologies

While researching for our HP project I came a across a few developing technologies that may have an impact on future designs.
The first deals with power. Marin Soljacic, like all of us, was annoyed with having to find his charger for his cell phone and then go plug it in at an inconvienent time. So, he and his colleagues discovered how to use magne tic resonance coupling to power a 60 watt bulb wirelessly 2 meters from their coil. Using this application, they are working on technology that will automatically charge small electronics and even laptops.

Another technology that is up and coming is electronic paper. Like paper, electronic paper is flexible, but unlike day to day paper, it is made up of microcapsules that carry charges that are bonded to steel foil. Depending on whether charge is positive or negative the capsule will carry either a black or white pigment. Together the microcapsules with carry an image much like a newspaper.

The last technology is best discribes by this video on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0xptspGpkc
I think it has some great capabilites for advertizing products with out having a display model in the future when
they can make the hardware on this technology less massive.

Puma USBs

I learned a few things about visualization while rendering these USB drives. One- use graphics to your advantage, especially if they are good. Two- Use a consistent light source even on different pages, it can still be confusing if the light source is coming from different directions.
3-contrast is very important because if contrast is subtle on screen it will not be visible when printing.

Teaser

My portfolio

http://www.daapspace.daap.uc.edu/files/download/meyermg/HGZcBgtCiho22IdxuOrsbv9BmBDpFCSFwi4WtezEPLY

space diapers with suction power

See Tony, when we get old, diapers won't be so bad to wear.

MyFC Fuel cell charger

I saw this on dvice.com's blog, and I thought it might entertain some ideas for cord management! "The Swedish company myFC (My Fuel Cell) wants to free you up from power cables with advanced fuel cell technology. Its latest prototype is a charger that uses a compact, flat alternative to the usual fuel cell stack — it's a passive planer fuel cell. It's so thin thanks to the company's remarkable band-aid-like FuelCellStickers, pictured in the gallery below, which are layered together to create this charger. Add hydrogen, and the result is clean and seemingly effortless passive power, and the only byproduct is water vapor that dissipates into the air. "

Puma on Brand Image

When I walk into a Puma Store there is a consistency yet a refreshing newness and excitement visible in their products. Bold pop-colors, interesting materials and textures, and a melding sport-traditional design with pop and punk influences are a few ways which unify their products beyond a common logo. To me, Puma stands out above other sport life-style brands because they connect to their target demographic so well. Their imagery on their website evokes the companies intent of being a global life-styles brand for those who are young or who want to feel young. According Puma's website, their marketing strategy has included "Extensive global campaigns such as “I’m Going” and “Urban Mobility” which displayed the hallmark values of the PUMA brand – inclusiveness, innovative design, sophistication and individuality."
However, I think what impressed me the most though when I visited the store were the security tags. I almost wanted to steal something so I could have the tag. Picture coming soon!

Creating a portfolio

There's a very interesting article in Coroflot's blog section called "Building Your Portfolio Website: Six Things to Always Do" posted by Carl Alviani. I especially thought that the 3rd rule he mentions is particularly good to keep in mind while developing a portfolio to sell yourself. You want to present yourself as T-shaped. You want to high-light your strengths and show that you know a lot about a particular interest but also show that you are multi-faceted. Alviani emphasizes the T-shaped portfolio "gives an overview of a large number of projects, then depict[s] a few of your best in greater detail, you demonstrate both flexibility and expertise without overwhelming the viewer." We do so much work on all of our projects that it is hard to edit our work down to just the essentials while still showing our competency all the areas of design process.

http://www.coroflot.com/creativeseeds/2008/04/building_your_portfolio_websit_1.asp#more

Prickleme?

Prickleme = everything that gives me an itch
Also, prickle has a K in it so inherently it makes the word 'prickle' funnier than the word 'itch' (sorry all you fans of the itches).

Goals For Junior Des Com

1. I want to create more detailed, refined sketches that tell a story. I plan to accomplish this by slowing down and thinking about what I am going to draw, tossing sketches that are bad and just starting over,and using underlays.
2. During this quarter, I want to minimize the excess projects in my portfolio by deciphering which projects tell the best story about process, decision making, and design capabilities.
3. This quarter I want to stay healthy and not be over-exerted at the end of the quarter by scheduling time for exercise and social activities.

Me!

Formally known as Megan Meyer, I also have a few nick-names that range from Magouch to Gretchen to Queso girl (because I like to dance salsa). Feel free to make up your own. I will generally respond to names other than my own as long as it is clear you are talking to me. My hobbies include dancing, playing various non-contact sports, cooking, learning about random, interesting stuff, and galabanting around with fun, smart, and creative people. The same attributes I find appealing in people, I find appealing in design --fun, smart, and creative, yet simple enough to understand.