Aesthetics in Design Course When I signed up for the Aesthetics in Design course, it was meant to be a respite from my engineering course. However, it became a class that taught me how to embrace the engineering method but also to incorporate aesthetic design to make products and art more enjoyable. I learned that…

Goal  A big aspect of my life is that I love animals, and so does my family. In total, we have three dogs, three cats, and two guinea pigs. While my guinea pigs, Mochi and Boba, are the smallest of the bunch, they are the most expensive to take care of.  My guinea pigs, Boba…

For my project I will be making a storybook castle playground for my two guinea pigs, Boba and Mochi. My motivation was to give them a safe play environment when I take them out into my yard. As I am going into the manufacturing phase, my top five priorities and top five constraints are as…

Intended Project Aesthetic:  My current plan to make a guinea pig playpen with a childhood nostalgic aesthetic, taking inspiration from the McDonald’s indoor playgrounds my dad often took my brother and I growing up. The main elements I plan to include are lots of different bright and neon colors, winding tunnels, and iconic McDonalds imagery. …

Currently my family has three dogs, three cats, and two guineas. If you are a pet owner, you would know how expensive it is to not only care for your pets, but to also provide them with mentally stimulating toys. My biggest obstacle thus far has been finding engaging, quality, and affordable play structures for…

My upcycling project is to create a tote bag from my brother’s old jeans using patchwork. Patchwork historically was a crafting method to reuse old materials. However, during its revival in the hippie movement of the 1960s, patchwork became known as an aesthetic to mark the youth’s rebellion and sense of individuality. Patchwork is a…

Overview The goal of my upcycling project is to turn my brother’s old jeans, that I don’t fit, into something I can wear and use. Using three pairs of denim jeans, I will be making a tote bag with a patchwork aesthetic.  Phase 1: Design Sketch and Plan  I first started off sketching four different…

Patchwork is a technique that involves sewing together small pieces of fabric to create a larger design. Its roots date back all the way back to ancient times when it was a technique for quilting together pieces of fabric for clothes, drapes, and even armor [1]. The pieces of fabric typically are cut into basic…

While the word “kawaii” in Japanese means “cute,” its meaning transformed from simply describing something that was lovable to a specific aesthetic that is prevalent in many forms in popular culture today. It was an aesthetic I was obsessed with growing up and it was reflected in a lot of my artwork, but I wanted…