Busy Busy Year

Well I thought I was getting back into the blogging of projects and interests but things quickly became busy and hectic. I started a placement at a furniture makers called Parker and Farr and seem to of joined the team at the right time with great projects and great opportunities within design. I am now currently in my final year of studies at Nottingham Trent also so my "free" time is limited in these things I enjoyed doing. To give an update on my projects I have just completed my minor project on my course. I will go into greater details in another blog post but here is a quick image showing the final outcome. ( it's a task lamp by the way)  My next project is looking into small spaces, modular furniture and the "workspace" that will hopefully have an interesting design outcome. I am also looking into sustainability for my dissertation looking at a blue sky project into the design of dishwashers specifically. If you would like to view more of this minor project before my next blog post please go to my website
Thank you.

Solidworks: How I create my animations

It's been a while since I last made a post and a video for my YouTube channel so here is a quick one showing how I create my animations in solidworks. Please feel free to suggest other videos you may want to see. 

Current projects

With no luck with placements and being keen to do some work I have started working on design competitions. The first one being the design for dwell competition that I am still waiting to hear from, but for now I have entered two more. These included designing a new case for the iphone 5 within a short amount of time from when it was released and a second of re designing a exercise horse to a modern style using laminated wood for the body but keeping the metal frame simple.

old design

competition entry

Paul Smith fragrance project

Live Paul Smith fragrance design project. Brief “to design a new mainline fragrance for Paul Smith” This project was in depth in thinking of a story to go behind the fragrance rather than just to go and design something personal for the client. Researching into Paul Smith I found the most interesting part to his personality is he is able to have a sense of humor while also a professional business. Looking into games such as chess due to it being a game but also a seriousness behind it. I felt these related to the personality of Paul Smith and began looking at shapes within chess pieces and noticed the relations between the king and queen pieces and the male and female bodies. I choose to use these shapes but in a modern and simple effect to stand out from the competition of other fragrance bottles.

Currently working on

Well most of my time since breaking up university this year has been time spent on placement hunting this has been the lack of updates to the blog. I have recently started getting back into project work and currently collecting some designs for a competition at dwell to design a piece of furniture that would fit into their shop. More updates to come!! but here is a quick concept of a chair I think would fit into their shop.

Visual Essay: Why design should be influenced by nature

Visual essay I wrote on why I believe design should be influenced by nature also known as biomimicry. View the video with images that I took to try and relate to the essay. Please feel free to leave any feeback or comments.

Photoshop: basic rendering

Using basic photoshop tools to render sketches. Only just started to learn photoshop so hopefully see some improvements soon in the renderings I produce mainly use it for photo editing. Any questions please feel free to ask and thank you for watching

Solidworks: Bike animation

Here is a walkthrough animation of the bike frame in solidworks. part 2 for the bike will be up within the next week

Identity

Now in my second year studying Furniture and Product design at Nottingham Trent the time had come to create an identity for Oliver Hammond Design. I wanted a simple logo that would be used on my business card onto my colour cv and for the website currently under construction at www.oliverhammonddesign.com

Front cover

information

skills and paul smith project

Stool Project pages

Pojects page

contact on back

Design CV and buisness cards

First 50 pack of cards

Introducing shaun the pom pom stool

Here is Shaun. Shaun is a 3 legged stool I designed for my client Polly. He is made from 214 pom poms and maple wood for the legs and base of the seat. The seat itself is made from soft foam that once sat on the back is then noticeable to support your lower back. Thank you for looking at Shaun I hope to be making more in the future.

Workshop: when will it end!

So I need more pom poms than I thought I might of needed today by at least 20. Wanted to finally have the stool finished today but now seems it is very possible that tomorrow will be the last day to have the stool finished and to then make my boards finally. I am also trying to create some animations in solid works something I hope will be useful and I will use during the presentation.

Workshop: So close!

One more day and a few more pom poms ill be finished I hope! Now have the back formed just needs upholstering. The legs and the split between the front two legs are now gluing with a tenon and wedge joint ready to be sanded Monday. Then just have to add the seat and the back. 

Pined foam to the shape of the back

Just the back to be coverd in pom poms

drill bits to form the circles

first hole

Now made into 20mm holes

good fit

making the cuts for the wedges

wedges fited and ready to glue

up close

Workshop: there shall be legs!!!

Holes drilled for the legs still got to drill the holes in the legs and get the splits between them lathed. Backs formed just needs covering in foam and then more pom poms :D busy busy week ahead :(

guess how many

testing the fit for the drill bit

seting up to drill the second hole

in the process of drilling

drill drill drill!

Add caption

plane stool

just the foam on the top

without the back

adding foam next then just to attatch

Workshop: slowly geting there

All three legs now lathed with half the pom poms now ready to be upholstered onto the foam all needs doing now is forming the back I’m thinking with cloth then upholstered over the top. The holes for the legs need screwing at a 9 degree angle then i can work the splits to fit between the legs just one week left busy busy busy!!  

all the parts together

legs and top of stool

ready for the holes

planing wood goes in

flat wood comes out

3 legs with the top

up close still needs sanding after all parts are ready though

normaly cut to close to the lines

little bit better

Little sanding

ready for the holes at the end of the day

all of it ready to start next time