June 2014
Boogie Time is an adventure arcade game where you take on the role of a booger as he traverses a dangerous maze within the bowels of a giant, searching for his long lost love.
When asked by Fresh Pot studio to lead the creative direction on their arcade project, I was left with little to no rules except that the back-end framework of the project should not change or be complicated.
I took this project as a challenge to create a colorful adventure through simple characters, style and an engaging interface; one where it can be appealing to all ages.
A major part of the interface was the seamless transition between the start screen and play field through intuitive touch interactions with the characters and environment. In place of any true narration, dialogue or words, the story was told through subtle animations, interface and the absurdity of the game's environment.
May 2012
Chocochomp is a colorful and playful packaging design with an interesting interaction on the act of eating sweets
Contained inside Chocochomp is a set of teeth like candy and appendages that that can be popped out from its's paper body.
Yank out Chocochomp's teeth and enjoy.
Paperboard, chocolate
October 2015
Little Fire is an interactive bed side lamp that allows users to control through the simple blow of air.
Inspired by small flames and embers, Little Fire is lit up through a simple puff of air, the harder one blows the brighter the lamp will glow. And much like a real flame, Little Fire will eventually burn out, slowly dimming to a close over 30 minutes. This allows anyone near the lamp to slowly ease into the night.
But you can also stoke its forges and relight the hearth before it's light goes out, restarting its timer.
You can also just blow out the fire to turn it off.
Powered by a 9v battery and controlled through an Ardunino microcontroller, Little Fire is a collaborative object with Irisa Xiong and Alessandro Alempijevic .
Ash Hardwood
Oct 2014
photos by Noah Kalina 2014
Conceptualized by Snarkitecture in New York City and fabricated through MachineMade, the Calvin Klein Holiday Display suggests a traditional holiday moment, reimagined to create an abstracted all-white landscape that appears as a snow drift infilling the windows of the Madison Avenue flagship.
Moving throughout are a series of custom model trains circulating through the windows and surrounding topography in a mesmerizing and endless play of being revealed and concealed.
Through MachineMade, my role in this project was to assist in the installation and space planning of the store wide display while also managing fabricators to streamline the install process. Starting from the windows and circulating through out the store front, the CNC milled track system is upheld by a series of fiberglass rods cut to topographical lengths.
This project is presented in association with Art Production Fund.
July 2016
client: Uniqlo
Uniqlo: Airism is a pinwheel display with an attractive, iridescent effect aimed to draw passerby into Uniqlo's Flagship 5th avenue and SoHo Stores during the Summer 16 campaign.
In collaboration with marketing agency De-Yan in New York City for Uniqlo, Duggal Visual Solutions was asked to create an intriguing and on-brand display for their new line of AIRism wear.
As an associate designer at Duggal, my role in this project was to collaborate with De-Yan on a concept and realize it through production, managing Uniqlo's price constraints and brand identity. To convey the cooling effects of AIRism the motorized pinwheels visually evoke a refreshing breeze on a hot summer day. During final production phase I made digital preparation of drawings and 3D models for manufacturing and assembly.
photos by Duggal Visual Solutions.
May 2012
Crystalyst is an exploration of the palpable aura of an object when left alone against the transcendental quality of time, resulting in a slow object and a temporal light.
Inspired by the growth rate of crystals, Crystalyst begins as a closed object, with a thin shell of veneer covering its surface. When used and turned on, the heat from the light bulb within slowly expands the veneer.
Over the course of hours it's surface slowly peels open revealing more and more cracks of light. Thus the changing light quality signals the passing of time.
By the end of a day's cycle, Crystalyst would be filled with heat and energy; ready and fully open for the night's use.
Ash veneer, polypropylene casing
December 2011
Hexlet is a toy that introduces children to a world of color and inventive creation. The modular blocks and four different tracks allow for a limitless amount of diverse play and marble fall systems.
Hexlets is a design aimed at the importance of child development. Using a modular and buildable block system a child would develop their fine motor skills and promote social play. The colors and track system would stimulate pattern recognition and creative problem solving.
Color families are used to subtly indicate types of blocks,
cool colors - two way tracks
warm colors- three way tracks
Each block face is also embedded with magnets that allows an easy coupling of tracks as well as multiple starting points encouraging dynamic systems.
Hexlets are crafted from locally sourced FSC certified beech wood and colored with non toxic paints
Beech wood
Aug 2016
client: American Express
Tennis Throne is a play on the popular Game of Thrones for AMEX'S sponsored Fan Experience for the 2016 U.S Open.
Conceptualized by Momentum in New York City and fabricated through Duggal Visual Solutions, the Throne is a gigantic structure comprised of hundreds of tennis balls. The throne's design attempted to create an immersive fan experience by offering an opportunity for photo shoots with various tennis athletes for American Express' marketing campaign.
My role in this project through Duggal Visual Solutions was to assist with the lead designer with aesthetic and proportion designs as well as preparation of drawings and models used for manufacturing. The throne was not only inspired by Game of Thrones but the porportions were also heavily influenced by the ideals of bank architecture; large, imposing, confining and safe.
May 2014
Mizu is a salt water powered lamp aiming for an alternative to unstable electric grids or kerosene lanterns for rural communities within oceanic islands.
Many communities across the oceanic islands of south asia lack access to stable electricity. Kerosene lanterns instead have been relied on for a source of lighting but with it comes environmental, human and fire hazards
Mizu instead can be activated by the abundant ocean water sorrounding these communities or with a simple tablesalt-water solution.
Like a living organism, Mizu requires life giving water to come alive. Mizu functions based on a water activated galvanic cell.
Consisting of a zinc rod, serving as the cathode, and copper wire as the anode, this battery cell produces up to 1.5 volts when activated by salt water through a spontaneous redox reaction. A full glass of water would run the lamp for up to 2 hours.
zinc, copper, HDPE
Sept 2016
client: M.A.C Cosmetics
liptensity is a display campaign introducing a limited edition lipstick collection embodying the vibrancy of tetra-chromatic colors.
Moving throughout the display are the different hues of color arranged into a faceted circle emphasizing the overpowering affects of tetra-chroma on lips
Through Duggal Visual Solutions, my role in this project was to directly collaborate with M.A.C cosmetics' brand and marketing teams to design and realize a large scale display rollout for all their North American stores, as well as various other stores in Asia and Europe.
My responsibilities started began at collaborated concept ideation with M.A.C Cosmetics to actual design engineering and project management for the large scale production. The displays were intelligently designed with assembly and budget conscience methods to achieve world wide distribution.
June 2016
Client: Uniqlo
Yarnfall was a display concept presented to Uniqlo for their fall wool collection emphasizing a kinetic sculpture that displayed the brand's identity of vibrant colors and material.
The concept involved the use of hundreds of wool strings dyed in various gradients of hues and saturations to create a blanket of color. The strings would then be arranged into a loom like structure and rotated by a motor creating an effect of a waterfall.
Most interestingly the concept created a visual intersection of ephemeral color and solid mannequins producing a surreal effect between foreground and background.
August 2015
Sit-uations is a collection of furniture that deconstructs familiar structures such as a chair or table in order to create interactions that are thought-provoking, flexible, playful and useful.
The different pieces explore furniture combinations that create and opportunity for new interactions particular to social engagement.
Our attempt to bring a new way of interacting with furniture was to encourage new way of interacting with space. Furniture, already an intimate engagement, could pave intimacy into the way of architecture. A piece of furniture that encourages as many user scenarios as possible could transform a space to be activity based.
Designed and fabricated in collaboration with Irisa Xiong
Maple, plywood, steel
August 2015
Client: Toshiko Mori Architects
Modernist Totems was an exhibit presented at the Vennice biennial, and reproduced for the Center for Maine Contemporary Art’s permanent collection in 2015.
In collaboration with Toshiko Mori Architects and Tietz-Baccon, each totem is a half scale section of various famous modernist architecture juxtaposed to the work of Toshiko Mori Architects.
Through Machinemade, my role in this project was to assist in manual fabrication and digitally engineer the structures to be developed throgh 3D modeling and cam software.
The sculptures were cut and milled through a 3 axis CNC router and assembled by hand to ensure accuracy and seamless fittings
MDF Structures, aluminum framework
December 2012
In Situ is a design that allows the user to intuitively use and misuse a chair. This focus on observed human behavior enables a chair that gives users freedom for different positions and tasks.
Through extensive research and observation on the behaviorial relationship between people and chairs a design resulted in a furniture piece that was ultimately non-restrictive on users.
Subtle curves on the sides of In Situ allowed users to face their left or right without the normal discomfort of a hard edged seat. The ergonomic back also enabled users to lean back against the chair to allow the soft curvature to nest underneath their shoulders. And because of its three legged frame a user can even straddle the chair backwards while still retaining freedom of their legs.
Within the backrest, a small surface exists as an armrest or a work surface.
The resulting design, with its behavior based solutions has a strong intuitive interaction that elevates the experience of a normally overlooked task.
Walnut hardwood, ash veneer
June 2010
Effectively designed for the middle of nowhere, SociaLite is a self-sustaining community lighting service, affordable at real cost, durable, easily maintained and repaired with locally sourced components and materials.
Through Cooper Union's School of Engineering, Wa Polytechnic (Ghana), the University of Rwanda and Professor Toby Cumberbatch, SociaLite was created to address specifically the lighting needs of the extreme poor in remote, rural, off-grid communities.
During my time with the Socialite team I was tasked with the creation and design of the assembly manual used in Africa to create the circuitry within the lanterns.
Working closely with the villagers and through constant communication
the manual and it's design resulted in a visually graphic step by step self assembly process. This gave way for a robust standalone product, created and maintained by those completely unfamiliar with modern technology.
currently in production
December 2012
Fold is an exploration of digital fabrication, challenging the potential of collapsible objects and space solutions.
Rather than requiring outside tools, hardware or intricate assembly, Fold sought an intuitive solution inspired by the flat planes of paper.
Through CNC milling, the geometric structure of Fold came from effiecent material usage and a tightly designed layout. A set of 4 units can be milled out from one 4'x8' sheet of material.
The result became a furniture piece that was not only collapsible and adaptable to shipment and storage methods but also modular, stackable and adaptable to the user.
Fold can range from stool, shelving unit, side table or even a modular space division.
15 "x 15" x 15" , plywood, felt
April 2017
client: Hulu, Pentagram
The Handmaid’s Tale installation in New York’s High Line Park is a striking public art piece aimed to draw audiences in and evoke female empowerment while promoting the new release of Margret Atwood’s dystopian novel as a television show.
In collaboration with Pentagram, Duggal Visual Solutions was asked to design, fabricate, and install this large scale temporary installation.
As the lead industrial designer at Duggal, my role in this project was to
collaborate with Pentagram to engineer and design their intended vision
into production. I was tasked to create engineer-able design solutions as well as guide fabricators through a manageable multi-scale process.
photos by Duggal Visual Solutions.
