CNC Machinations

So, given that I'll be graduating in a year or so, I've started to think about what I'd like to do for a senior project. Naturally, I want it to reflect my values as a designer; namely something clever, useful, and centered around functionality.

At my last coop I was introduced to MAKE magazine, a wonderful publication devoted to, well, making stuff yourself. It's awesome, and probably deserves a post of its own, but for now all you need to know is that one issue had an article on building your own CNC machine, and within that a mention of a site called Build Your Own CNC. This site was made by a guy who is so into CNC tech that he's designed a fairly inexpensive set of CNC machines you can build yourself made primarily out of MDF pieces cut out on . . . a CNC machine. Poking around on this guy's site really got me thinking about the possibilities of CNC tech, and led me to the following idea:

Why not design a small furniture shop devoted to making products out of sheet goods machined on a CNC?

Weirdness in the Workplace

My uncle, who sometimes sends me random bits of interesting stuff, just sent me a link to this interview with the CEO of Zappos.com about developing an internal culture to maintain people's passion for what they do. It's a great read for anyone who's interested in running their own business.

Why a Creator?

So it occurs to me that I should explain the title of this blog. Why creator? Why not designer, since I'm going to school for design? To add to this confusion, I'll answer the second question first. The thing about calling one's self a designer is that it's horribly vague. Graphic designers, fashion designers, and interior designers all use the word 'design' as if it only refers to what they do. Their are lots of business called [name here] Design, and there's no way to know which kind they do without visiting their website. I want a word that will either let people know exactly what I do, or at least force them to ask. I don't want to just be another 'designer.'

So why creator? Well, to me, the creation of something is a wholistic process, including inspiration, research, revision, prototyping, and production. Art to part, as they say. I want to do all of that, not just make pretty pictures of a neat idea. I want to take my ideas and make them REAL. I want to create.

Designing a Better Portfolio

I just finished reading these three articles on how to improve your portfolio. The first one has some pretty standard (but still good) advice on what all portfolios should have and do (consider your audience, show a range of skills, try to stand out somehow), but doesn't have any real insight. The second is fairly similar, but it also makes the point that you need to demonstrate some business savvy by acting in a professional manner when interviewed. Again, good points, but not ground-breaking.

The last article however was a real gem. It was by far the longest of the three, and it really went into detail about what the author, a co-founder of a product design studio, looks for in a potential hire. From telling a story to keeping the graphics to a minimum to demonstrating your design thinking, he covers a lot of ground. If you're looking to revise your portfolio any time soon it's well worth a read.

Goals

One of my favorite books in the world claims that ambition will take you further education, charm, or even talent. A big part of that is having some good goals. Now, I've put a great deal of thought into my big-picture goals, but my professor has asked us to put down some goals for the next quarter. I'll put down those big ones later.

First, the obvious ones:

Make a great portfolio

Design an impressive workstation

Both of these are required by the studios I'm taking, but don't see them just as chores to get done so I can get a diploma. I take pride in my work, and I really want that to show. As far as an action plan for getting these done, we've got one in they syllabus, so I see no need to write a new one down here.

Work on sketching

One of my weaker skills, I really need to devote some time to sketching. I feel that I can sketch well enough to communicate my ideas, but very beautifully or quickly. In all honesty, it's my least favorite method of getting an idea out of my head (I prefer to work in three dimensions), but I recognize that it will be much harder to get to where I want to go if I don't get better. To that end, I plan on setting aside a chunk of time each day to sketch.

Get more organized

Organization is one of those things I'm quite good at when I actually try. Specifically I'm talking about time management here. To this end I've already started using iCal with my iPod Touch to keep closer tabs on my classes, and I plan on using it to schedule blocks of time to work on specific tasks as well.

Get more connected

Ah yes, social media. This is something I've been working on gradually already, but I want to continue to focus on it. Maintaining this blog will be part of this (and this means posting more than just what Mike is asking for). I also want to actually use my LinkedIn account, and reach out to and maintain relationships with those I already know in the design community.

Those look pretty good. I'll keep you posed on how these go.

Beginnings

You know, I never seriously considered starting a design blog (or any blog for that matter), but now that I have to for a class (thanks Mike!), I'm realizing that this will be a damn useful tool. Here's a place where I can rant about design, post neat stuff I stumble across, throw out interesting ideas I'm considering, and (hopefully) get some useful feedback.

I think I might actually be looking forward to this.