SELUGA SEKA SEKANWAGIseh-loo-gah seh-ka seh-khan-wah-gee

THE NATURE OF DESIGN

ASK LEARN DO

My design process follows a similar path to David Newman’s Design Squiggle. The design process is organic, beginning with a question, and growing into series of directions and concepts to choose. Few are right, most are completely wrong, but all must be explored. Though trial and error, concepts become a final prototype, and the squiggle straightens itself out, providing a clear path to answering all the user’s needs.

Market ResearchShadowingUser InterviewsSurveys/QuestionnairesTry It Out

Task AnalysisUser PersonasIdeation SketchingRapid PrototypingDefine Parameters

Validation TestingRefinement SketchingCADBrandingFinal Presentation

I enjoy the process of design as much as the final result, if not more. My father told me, “It’s not about getting there. Your journey is the destination, and if you can’t enjoy the journey, then getting there doesn’t matter.”

I am blessed with the opportunity to do what I love, making the world a better place. I spend my days sketching, breaking and rebuilding things, and learning what makes us us. Culture plays a large role in design, to understand the people is to understand design.

A LOOK INSIDE

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ECHOSPEAKER X HEADPHONES

3 weeksCore77 Design for your Lifetime Submission

PROCESS | 3D MODELINGPROGRAM | SOLIDWORKS + KEYSHOT

ECHO Headphones redefine the music listening experience by making it an experience for everyone. They convert from personal headphones to loudspeakers by snapping the headband straight, powering on the flexible speaker within. The headphones are designed around modularity principles, allowing them to be easily replaced when damaged and swapped out with customizable colors and patterns,.

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GYROWHEEL: Its smooth gliding against the rail apparatus can be mimicked on the earcup. Create

a sliding mechanism which locks in place.FLEXIBILITY: Taking after the snap bracelet and the Multiflex speaker, there is an opportunity to create a distinct form for the speakers that is activated through flexing the headphones.

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THE COOLA MODERN JAZZ GUITAR

Fall 2013 | 12 weeks

Sponsored by:

Accolades

PROCESS | 3D MODELING + WOODWORKINGPROGRAM | SOLIDWORKS 2013

Display Selection at IDSA Southern District Conference, Savannah, Georgia USA 2014

Display Selection at IDSA National Conference, Austin, Texas USA 2014

The Cool takes the traditional jazz guitar and puts a modern twist on it. It is stylized with modern high fashion aesthetics and wired with top of the line hardware and components. The Cool’s key innovation includes an abstracted f-hole which reduces audio feedback caused by sound vibrations usually trapped in the guitar cavity. This produces a true crisp jazz sound the player and listeners can appreciate.

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There are three distinct types of jezz guitars: archtop, semi-hollow, and solid-body. Traditionally, jazz guitarists used archtops with large hollow bodies, providing full bassy sounds. Other distinct features include violin-style f-holes, a “floating” bridge, and a humbucker pickup. The development of guitar amplification made jazz possible which gave the music its distinct sound.

Our studio was divided into three groups based on three guitar genres: Blues, Jazz, and Rock & Roll. I was put in the JAZZ group and was given Wes Montgomery as a design muse.

WES is widely considered one of the most influential jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including George Benson, Royce Campbell, and Jimi Hendrix.

Instead of using a guitar pick, WES plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb. This technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone.

PLAYING STYLE

AMPLIFICATION/VOLUME WARM TONES THICK STRINGS

Fuller, Fatter Sound: Use electric amplification to increase the volume of conventional acoustic guitars.

Bassier “Jazz” Tone: low, dark sound. No whammy bars, its all in the hands, pickups, and amp.

0.012” Gauge: thick strings for reasons of tone, flatwound strings are preferred

WHAT MAKES A JAZZ GUITAR

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WES was known to be a hard strummer, attacking the strings with powerful downward strokes. His hard strums work great with traditional jazz archtops, constructed with a hollow cavity. This cavity creates dramatic reverberation when played with such power.

Vibrations within the cavity are only able to exit through the f-holes, giving the vibrations a lot of time to create full, resonating sound.

However, when hollow bodies are plugged into an amp, this reverberation causes intense audio feedback. This feedback creates an undesirable effect for jazz players.

WES played the massive Gibson L-5 CES. This icon’s rather dominant presence reduced WES to sitting in order to play. A reduction in size makes playing possible in both standing and sitting positions. This versatility is uncommon with hollow body guitars.

THE VIBES

FEEDBACK ISSUES

SIZE MATTERS

CURRENT ISSUES

AESTHETICS

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SKETCHES

PROCESS

sand

CNC

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inlay

paint

seal

wiring

truss rod

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Curly Maple, Stain Finish

MATERIALS

Mahogany, Dog Hair Treated and Satin Finish

Pearl Inlay

The Cool approaches the archtop jazz guitar as a semi-solid body, versus a traditional hollow body or semi-hollow. It features an abstracted f-hole that is wider and follows the contour of the guitar, allowing vibrations to exit the body freely. This significantly reduces audio feedback and produces a full, crisp jazz sound.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

HEADSTOCK 1. Pompadour inspired headstock 2. 3x3 tuning pegs by Schertler, matte black and ebony

FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS

NECK 3. 22-fret ebony fretboard, medium-medium frets 4. Asymmetric mother of pearl inlay for marking notes 5. Medium-gauge round wound electric guitar strings by GHS

BODY 6. Three-way toggle switch that switch between pickups 7. Nickel humbuckers with Alnico-5 magnets for warmer tones 8. Curly maple topwood with natural stain finish 9. Adjustable wrap around bridge with individually adjustable saddles 10. Two 500-ohm long shaft alpha control potentiometers for volume and tone 11. Mahogany bottom wood, stained and treated with doghair resin

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TACKSTUDENT STOOL ROCKER

3 weeksCore77 Design for your Lifetime Submission

PROCESS | LAY-UPMATERIAL | FIBERGLASS

The TACK stool is a response to the needs of design stu-dents during critiques, but can prove to highlight any living area. Its contoured seat brings comfort, and tapered profile reduces weight for easy pick up. When tilted on its side, TACK becomes a rocker, which we prove to keep students engaged versus sitting still. This newfound attentiveness keeps students engaged through long juries and brings a simple joy to all other users.

Accolades

Lawndale Art Center Design Fair Selection, April 2012

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My partner and I found opportunity in our design school. We focused on providing adequate seating for students during design critiques. Jury can last for hours on end, and students are often short on sleep and lack the energy to remain standing throughout. How can we provide comfort to these students while keeping them engaged enough to stay alert through jury and any other informal setting?

For us, by us.

The stools provided by the college are ordinary, uncomfortable, and lack

versatility

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STANDING POSITION, IDEAL FOR WORKSPACES

ROCKING POSITION, IDEAL FOR CASUAL SITTING

Seat curve follows the contour to relieve leg stress

Slim, tapered profile reduces weight and makes for easy pick-up

Tack goes from stool to rocker by simply tipping over

Squat barrel form prevents overrocking

Rocking encourages attentiveness

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DOMOWATER FILTRATION ROLLER

Thesis Project2014 | 28 weeks

Domo serves as an innovative solution for the water crisis in rural Uganda; a water roller that filters up to sixty liters of water while in motion. The roller relieves users of carrying water on their person, allowing them to move three times as much water versus traditional methods. Domo further reduces effort through its rolling filter, which removes viruses as small as 0.2 microns to ensure a healthier life for its users.

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A. Domo can be turned upward to accept water vertically B. The hose reaches out to six feet to dispense water

THE DISPENSE CAPDomo comes equipped with a dispense cap, which is best utilized for attaching the flexible hose, included with the system. The cap system is sealed by a valve, which is

the red cap, releasing the hose and closing the valve.

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LET’S TALK!

ssekanwagi

Snapshot

THANK YOU!