design portfolio

KARA KANE Design Portfolio

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

I am a designer who is empathetic, who can synthesize ideas and who has a desire to teach and to learn. Through design I want to create positive social impacts by creating compelling brands, products, and experiences. I aspire to be a leader who inspires others to be thoughtful, kind, and curious. In my portfolio I have chosen projects that demonstrate my passions and influences—a desire to create positive social change, and develop meaningful brand experiences and products. Each project is explained through the following design process: Discover Define Design Deliver

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Kara KaNE Design Portfolio

TaBLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

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2

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ChEz NEsTBranding

My FUNTONew Product Development

ThE EXPERIENCEDesign Research

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CHEZ NESTBranding

Discover/ PROJECT BRIEF

Develop an innovative marketable idea or business model for a new brand that is addressing a market opportunity or challenge you see in today’s world.

The initial brainstorm for our concept revolved around a functional space. I wrote down what types of spaces I would want combined, and thought of some of my favorite functional spaces, like the concept store Merci in Paris.

/ May 2011 / Team Member: Rosalind Louvet/ Duration:15 weeks

CHEZ NEST Branding


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Define/ CONCEPT

There is a niche market that seeks a price point in between a hostel and hotel. This is available in many European cities – Paris, Berlin, and London, but not in NyC. We see a great opportunity for our business in this market.

We decided we wanted to create a mix between an upscale hostel and a budget hotel. It is about the experience as a whole. It is not just about the rooms, it is about everything else the space offers. It is a vibrant and warm, both safe and secret hideaway in the Lower East side with a local family vibe, but for the global persona. It has an open atmosphere, and is captivating. It centers around a functional space and personalized service.

CHEZ NEST Branding


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PRICE

EXPERIENCE

CHEZ NEST Branding

/ TARGET MARKET

We developed the target market and an archetype. The primary target market is travelling students and young professionals ages 21 through 25 that are on a budget and want a low key, familiar, and warm experience.

The secondary target market is locals ages 21 through 40 that care about experiences and multifunctional spaces.

/ ARChETyPE

Justin / 23 / From: LA / Occupation: Grad student MFA in film production at Chapman / Status: Playing the field /Income: student loans and works at a production company

While doing his undergrad at NyU he was a regular at the Blind Barber and the Jane. he listens to The Pixies and Black Keys. he meets his college friends in NyC on reunion weekends. he goes to our hotel because it is a cool space that close to his favorite bars, and is affordable.


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Photo credits: The Sartorialist, apartmenttherapy.com, Dean Kaufman for Dwell.com

CHEZ NEST Branding

/ BRAND DRIVERs

We brainstormed words that best described our concept and decided on home, vibrant, smart, social, and urban nomad. I then put together mood boards for each brand driver.

Home - It is a friendly and safe environment where youcan relax. It is warm and comfortable.

Smart - Going to our hotel is a smart choice. It is affordable and in a good location. It is about the experience, and it is sustainable.

Vibrant - It is dynamic, bright, energetic, and young.

Social - It is a meeting point for like-minded people who are diverse, global, inviting, and like to collaborate.

Urban Nomad - Our guest has a wanderlust personality, is spontaneous and is welcoming to different people and experiences.


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Photo credits: Flickr : Mandee Rae, knightcat.com, Lonngren Widell Photography, Abigail Borg, Amy Neunsinger, Alice M. Wingerden, Karim Sadli for i-D, Dazed Digital, Craig McDean for Interview, Magazine, Mert and Marcus, K.K. Arora for Reuters, Unknown source

Design/ NAMING

After developing our concept and target market, analysing our competition, and brainstorming our brand DNA, we worked on bringing the brand to life. We developed the customer journey and decided what kind of spaces our hotel would have. We decided on the name ChEz NEsT for our hotel as we felt it evoked a homey feeling and was catchy and different.

CHEZ NEST Branding

CHEZ NESTNEW YORK


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1. Learn about it

1. Learn about it

2. Book a room 3. Go there/Arrive

2. Go there/Arrive 3. Explore hotel

/ CUsTOMER JOURNEy FOR TRAVELLER

/ CUsTOMER JOURNEy FOR LOCAL

/ BRAND EXPERIENCE

We developed two customer journeys, one for travellers staying at the hotel and one for locals. We then expanded on each stage of the customer journey and explained how we would market the hotel, how customers would book a room online, the pricing of the rooms, and so on.

CHEZ NEST Branding

4. Check in 5. Go to room 6. Explore hotel 7. Check out/Leave

4. Leave


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/ TOUCh POINTs

For the ‘Book a Room’ stage of the customer journey, I designed wireframes for a website and an iPhone app, which would allow customers to book a room, check in, and connect with other guests staying at the hotel. The iPhone app would also act as a room key.

CHEZ NEST Branding

Photo credits: Tim Walker, Flickr - dvs


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/ FUNCTIONAL sPACEs

We decided the hotel would have a reception, lounge, brasserie, library, garden, and event space.

The lounge is a comfortable and energetic space for guests to meet, wait or rest.

The brasserie is a place to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and meet for drinks.

The library is a creative lounge with an additional bar and beverage service. It has secret doors, hundreds of books and comfortable seating.

The garden offers a more relaxed, nature based experience, allowing the guests to feel at home.

The event space is an area where people can meet, interact, and view new cultural events including music, art, and fashion.

CHEZ NEST Branding

Photo credits: Dave Lauridsen, Vincent Pacheco, 79 Ideas, The Selby, Flickr - giac1061, Oficina Latina, wordsoverpixels.com, Etsy:

sadieolive, Corvin Cristian


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DeliverWe concluded with the idea that ChEz NEsT would have multiple locations with hotels in Austin, Chicago, and san Francisco, as well as New york. We thought that each hotel would have its signature space that would distinguish it from the other locations. This would encourage ChEz NEsT guests to explore each location and make it a fun challenge to experience the full ChEz NEsT brand.

I designed the final deliverables - a presentation and a project book.

CHEZ NEST Branding


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MY FUNTOProduct Development

MY FUNTO Product Development

Discover

/ December 2008/ Team Member: Rosalind Louvet/ Duration: 15 weeks

/ PROJECT BRIEF

Develop a new product that is addressing a market opportunity or challenge you identify in a market different from where you are from.

We decided to develop a better lunchbox for the Japanese market. I brainstormed who uses lunch boxes and what features are the most important.


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Define


/ REsEARChING ThE MARKET

We decided to focus on creating a better lunch box for children. I researched Japanese bento boxes and found that there are different styles for summer and winter, the food is kept at room temperature, and there is a 4:3:2:1 ratio of starch, protein, vegetables, and dessert. Most children bring bento boxes to school for lunch. They are usually personified by a character, have different compartments and are stackable.


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Photo credits: Kim Waajang, justmanga.com, Flickr : Manganite, sanriobb.com/charaben


/ CONCEPT GENERATION

We were inspired by Brio stackable toys and the food pyramid and decided to create a lunch box that was fun to put together and take apart, that embodied a character, and provided the correct food portions for a child.


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Photo credits: brio.se, USDA food pyramid


/ CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Children’s lunchtime is not always positive. There is malnutrition, waste of food, and bullying. Lunchboxes are simple and not individual. We wanted to create a lunch box that puts health first and makes eating lunch not only easier, but a pleasant experience. A specialized lunchbox for all of a child’s individual needs that makes lunchtime healthy, fun, and educational.

Our lunch box is individual, inspirational, and educational. It reduces waste, and adapts to every child’s needs. I made an initial sketch for what our lunch box would look like based on our research findings and concept.

Design


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/ FINAL DEsIGN

I created the final designs in Illustrator. We decided that we wanted the lunch box to embody different characters, so we would have partnerships with companies like sanrio. This way we could produce and distribute a hello Kitty lunch box.



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/ sETTING FINAL sPECIFICATIONs

I created the final specifications, so that we could have a peer develop a 3D rendering of our lunch box design.


6 cm wide

4 cm

1 cm x 1cm

Screen on backof head:4 cm x 4cm

8 cm

14 cm

14 cm

12 cm

2 cm

1 cm

Thickness 0.5 cm

4 cm

3 cm


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/ PROJECT PLANNING

After identifying the customer needs, establishing the target market, developing the concept, and setting the final specifications, we developed the project planning.


COMPANy

NAME

Takashimaya

Mitsukoshi

Daimaru

seven-Eleven

Lawson

Aeon

Ito - yokado

Daiei

sALEs

989,471

787,774

596,986

2,498,754

1,361,700

3,813,635

1,470,523

1,175,500

NUMBER OF

OUTLETs

20

15

17

8,366

12,452

379

178

209

LOCATION

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

Nationwide

/ DIsTRIBUTION PATTERs IN JAPAN

Source: Company annual reports January 2006, Sales are in Million Yen


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Concept Generation

Concept selection

Design Beta Lunch Box

Produce Beta Lunch Box

Develop Testing Program

Test Beta Lunch Box

Design Prod. Lunch Box

Design Mold

Fabricate Mold

Debug Mold

Certify Lunch Box

Marketing / Advertising

Distribute Inventory

Initial Production Run

sEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

h

I

J

K

L

M

N

/ BAsIC PROJECT GANTT

/ MEDIA PARTNERs

/ FINANCIALs

I put together the financial analysis, which included the product costing, capital costs, operational costs, income statement, and breakeven analysis.


Injection mold

Packaging component

Product prototype

Packaging prototype

First production run

Utility deposits

Furnishing

Incorporation/fees

Attorney

Accountant

Website construction

Computer / registration

Office supplies

Copyright

Trademark

Patent

TOTAL

/ CAPITAL COsTs

3000

1500

1000

700

111049

1000

2000

450

1000

150

300

90

500

45

380

1500

$124664


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/ OPERATIONAL COsTs

Payroll

Payroll taxes

Rent

Utilities

Note

Insurance

Workmans Compensation

Accountant

Advertising

Web maintenance

Credit card cost

Tradeshow

Office supplies

Travel / Entertainment

Miscellaneous

TOTAL

140000

21000

600

6000

18000

3000

3000

1500

3000

1000

1000

10000

2000

2000

10000

$222100

/ INCOME sTATEMENT

Revenues

Cost of revenues

Gross Profit

Operating expenses

Breakeven

Gross profit per unit

Breakeven units

444200

222100

222100

222100

0

4.40

50477

/ BENChMARKING OF COMPETITIVE PRODUCTs

We researched our competitors and analysed their products, pricing, and quality. We established each competitor’s respective competitive advantage and looked for gaps in the market.



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IChIBA sANRIO sAN-X PRIME

NAKAMURA CO.

$25 $16 $24 $18

Functional and clean strong brand, well

known charaters, and

kitsch

strong brand, well

known characters, and

kitsch

Kitsch, childish

characters, and easy

to clean

/ COMPETITORs ANALysIs


Deliver/ MODELLING AND PROTOTyPING

The final deliverable was a presentation and a 3D rendering. If I was to continue developing this project, the next step would be to make a prototype to see what design elements need further refining.


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Renderings by Seda Cimok

THE EXPERIENCEDesign Research

Discover / PROJECT BRIEF

Observe the existing condition at the Academy of Urban Planning in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and investigate alternative options to propose a more sustainable cafeteria system.

We began the project with a class brainstorm on how to create a sustainable cafeteria. I contributed ‘enough time for kids to eat’.

/ December 2010/ Team Members: Paloma Canut, Ece Kamcili, Rosalind Louvet, and Jia Min / Duration:15 weeks

THE ExPEriENCE Design Research


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/ PRELIMINARy REsEARCh

We first focused on gathering quantitative and qualitative data. We listened to a lecture by steven O’Brien, Director of Food and support for schoolFood and Debby Lee Cohen, Founding Director of styrofoam Out of schools. We were overwhelmed by the information they shared with us. These facts gave us insight into what a sustainable cafeteria should be; however, it was ultimately our own individual experiences that shaped our vision and helped us navigate our way through the research.



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/ AND ThEN WE WENT TO ThE sChOOL

I co-wrote a narrative piece on our first school visit.

2:00pm // Friday the 8th of October, // Academy of Urban Planning // Bushwick, Brooklyn

Adam schwartz, our contact, is waiting for us at the end of the hallway. From where we stand we can hear screaming and banging, the noise is building as we walk towards the grey door that reads in red: Campus Cafeteria. As we walk towards the entrance we can’t help but be influenced by what the staff has told us: we are walking into a jungle. We walk in and look over the cafeteria from a higher level. Our first perspective is from this raised view and only if we walk down the stairs will we get to the students. The space is large and airy, natural light is almost non-existent and the scarce artificial lighting makes the atmosphere cold and uninviting. There is constant movement, but at closer inspection some of the children seem extremely bored. They are sitting down and staring into space while the majority of students are roughhousing, moving from place to place shouting and banging on the tables. Bam Bam Bam Boom Bam Bam.

Musical talent somehow makes it through the noise, but is always repressed by a voice through a megaphone, “Will the gentlemen sitting in the middle table stop banging. yes you, I’m talking to you, do you not hear me!!??” “Take off your hats. That’s it! you are banned from the cafeteria for two days.” “Keep going

it’s 3 days now” “Gentlemen, four days.” “ONE week”.

The voice seems to encourage the kids to get louder and louder, and the students don’t appear to care about the repercussions. On the other side of the cafeteria we see the girls create a dance circle and move and sing to the beats the boys are making.

The students, side-by-side, continue their everyday routine in the cafeteria as if it were the stage of a very important performance—a stage that perhaps glorifies their whole day. Expressing themselves allows them to reach a level of satisfaction that cannot be reached at any other point during the day. The students who can make the most noise without being punished win the internal battle.

As we walk down to find a table with Adam, students observe us as we observe them, without changing their behavioral patterns. The noise is still loud but we get used to it. It becomes part of the cafeteria, making it almost impossible to picture it in silence. We see trash and leftovers piling up everywhere except in the trashcans. Mountains of trash bags are thrown to a corner, and even the water fountains have become filled with rubbish.

Leaving the cafeteria, everything is blurry, almost unreal. Questions begin to form in our minds: did the area really need to be this restricted and were The Voice’s punishments followed through? Could the notion of the cafeteria become something other than an area for eating your lunch? How could we use all the energy in there and channel it back to the kids, instead of letting it run away?



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Define

If you create a cafeteria environment that is conducive to both eating and socializing, students will feel a sense of ownership and be more likely to eat real food and practice sustainable habits.

/ hyPOThEsIs

After our first visit to the school, we summarized our observations and shared them with our class. After summarizing and analyzing our research findings we were able to develop our hypothesis.


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If you create a cafeteria environment that is conducive to both eating and socializing, students will feel a sense of ownership and be more likely to eat real food and practice sustainable habits.

Design/ CO-DEsIGN WORKshOP

In order to broaden our knowledge about the school and its needs, we conducting two workshops in Adam schwartz’s 10th grade urban environment class. There were twenty students in the class from ages 15 – 16.

The first workshop was on a Thursday and the second workshop was the next day. In this co-design workshop, we developed a survey, which we then distributed to two classes from each grade of the three schools within Bushwick High School campus: Academy of Urban Planning, Academy of Environmental Leadership and school of social Justice.


/ WORKshOP I

On our fi rst day, I presented our project to the students, we distributed a blank map of their cafeteria and asked them to show us where they liked to sit by marking the map. Then we asked them to circle their favorite and least favorite areas of the cafeteria and write about why they chose these. Next, they further explained to us what they would change in the cafeteria and what an ideal cafeteria would include.

After the brainstorming session with the students, we collected the maps and analyzed the results. We concluded that we had to address four different survey items in the next class.


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/ WORKshOP II

The next day we divided the students in the class into four groups that would rotate through the different stations. In each station we had written down the survey items that we had come up with the night before: Kitchen, Environment, Recycling, and Socializing. The goal of this activity was for students to practice changing ideas into survey questions. I came up with a guideline of possible questions and topics to guide the students through the exercise and with certain key points that we believed had to be addressed.

When the class was finished, we took the four worksheets of questions and narrowed them down to the ones we thought were most appropriate. We created the survey that was then distributed around the three schools that form Bushwick high school.


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/ ANALyzING ThE REsULTs

We surveyed a random sample of 261 students ranging from grades 9-12. We recorded the results of the survey in an excel spread sheet. After organizing the data we made infographics from the survey answers.

I created the two infographics on the next page. The graphic on the left compares whether the students actually recycle in the cafeteria and whether they think it is important or not. The results show that the students think recycling is important, but they do not participate in recycling. The graphic on the right compares the three main activities that take place in the cafeteria and shows the level of importance for each according to grade. From the results we were concluded that socializing is the activity in which the students invest more time in the cafeteria.

/ ThE IMPORTANCE OF RECyCLINGTHE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

I don’t recycle I always recycle

not important very important

10

9

11

12


/ ThE IMPORTANCE OF EATING, sOCIALIzING, AND hAVING A BREAK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

not important very important

9

10

11

12

eatingsocializing

break

eatin

gso

cializ

ing

brea

k9

10

11

12

THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING, SOCIALIZING AND HAVING A BREAK

eatingsocializing

break

eatin

gso

cializ

ing

brea

k


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/ TEsTING

On our next visit to the school we focused on ethnographic research. We mapped the cafeteria, took photos, and tracked the patterns of movement in the cafeteria to distinguish which parts of the cafeteria are used the most and for what type of activities. We filmed patterns of movement and we also drew on maps that we had printed following students paths through the cafeteria. We found the upper part of the room is generally focused around eating, whereas in the lower part students gather to socialize.

/ PATTERNs OF MOVEMENT IN ThE CAFETERIA


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Film stills and illustrator map by Paloma Canut

/ TRACKING PATTERNs

ENTRANCEEXIT

SERVERY

/ MOVEMENT MAP

Deliver/ CONCLUsION

From our research we came up with four proposals that would support our hypothesis that if you create a cafeteria environment that is conducive to both eating and socializing, students will feel a sense of ownershipand be more likely to eat real food and practice sustainable habits. Through the steps of our research, we confirmed that the experience was the crucial point of departure. Our research suggests several steps that will enhance the student experience.

/ PROPOsALs

staff EngagementPortable FoodCo-design Multi-use space

The final deliverable was a project book and a presentation to steven O’Brien, Director of Food and support for schoolFood and Debby Lee Cohen, Founding Director of styrofoam Out of schools.



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[email protected]/karakane

+1 404 988 8179

design portfolio

Design

debby lee

rosalind louvet

practice sustainable

eat real food

chez nest

final specifications

lunch box

target market