Welcome to

Ryan McCorkle’sDesign Portfolio

Industrial Design Mall Wayfinding

Dyson Branding

Brand Development

Simple Mechanism

Disaster Product

Graphic Design Idea-ology Logo

CMS App

CMS Logo

Industrial Design

I believe that good design does not trade off between form and function, but finds a harmony where each builds upon the other.

Mall Way FindingThe goal of this project was to redesign a mall directory in order to make it easier to notice and read. I incorporated wristband maps as well as sorted the shops in the mall alphabetically and by category, in order to accommodate different methods of search.

The form of the final design leans in order to give a sense of direction into the center of the mall. Additionally, it makes the directory a more dynamic shape which might stick out amidst the more static shapes of the mall.

What would you improve/like to see on a directory? 1. Bigger font, alphabetical by listing and then colored by type of store (kids, clothing, home, etc) 2. Store names instead of numbers on the map or an evident pattern with the numbers. 3. Larger print for the store names under each category. 4. Nothing. I think they are pretty helpful. 5. Different shape from regular advertisements (like for movies) so I won’t confuse the movie ad board for the directory board. 6. Easier to find at every entrance or every bathroom... something constant. 7. More categories and better coding. 8. I would like to be able to understand what floor different stores are on easier. Sometimes the layout of 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors are not clear. 9. Make it easier to distinguish directories from the advertisements. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve gone up to one and then all three sides have ads on them. 10. The maps are generally difficult to read and reference with the lists of stores - it might be better if they made the maps bigger and put the names of the stores where they are. 11. Have a sign above it saying that it is a directory so you can tell that it is there from the other side (the side that does have ads on it)Interviews Lenox Square Mall Services Us: Who determines the placement for mall directories? Lenox MS: That would be someone in Marketing or Management, I think. Us: You are located at a centralized desk station in the mall, right? Lenox MS: Yes we are. Right in the middle. Us: Do shoppers ever ask you for directions to various stores and the like? Lenox MS: Oh, all the time. All the time. Everyone comes looking for ‘how to find this store’ or ‘how to find that store’. Us: How many mall directories does Lenox have? Lenox MS: I think we have three or four. Us: Do you think they’re in good locations to help shoppers? Lenox MS: Well, I mean, I guess so. A lot of people come ask me questions, though. Us: All right, well thank you so much for your help! Lenox MS: Sure. You’re welcome.

Lenox Square Mall Security US: How often do people stop and ask you for directions to various stores? Lenox SG: People do that very much, but sometimes I can’t answer them so I send them on to Mall Services. US: How many mall directories does Lenox have? Lenox SG: About four. US: Do you think they’re in good locations to help shoppers? Lenox SG: Yeah, I’d say so. US: Do they ever confuse people, to your knowledge? Lenox SG: Maybe. They look a bit like the ads around and stuff, so I guess that makes it hard for people to tell what’s what. But I think they’re all right. US: Have you ever had trouble locating a store? Lenox SG: *laughing a bit* Well, I work here! US: Haha, well I think that covers it; thank you so much for your time! Lenox SG: Have a good day.

I began with a series of thumbnail drawings that explored a variety of options. I try to not limit my creativity during this phase, and I allow for the wild ideas to make it onto paper as sketches. I then sort through the wealth of ideas created and pick those that are feasible and most applicable.

I also conducted some surveys of mall customers and interviewed mall staff. Getting feedback from the people who will be using what you are designing is invaluable. You cannot assume that you will predict every variable in the design.

From the thumbnails and data collected I began a more refined conceptualization process. I drew three concepts that explored different ways to fill the core criteria I had developed for my project from my brainstorming and research: visibility, multiple forms of data representation, and a portable version of the larger display. I settled on one of the concepts and proceeded to move forward with hand and 3d renderings.

Dyson Product BrandingThis project explored identifying the elements of a company’s branding and applying it to products that are not one if their usual types. I was given Dyson as my company and was tasked with designing a stapler, hole punch, and pencil sharpener.

Part of this project was to select one of our designs and study it in further detail producing physical models and computer models. I chose my pencil sharpener to explore as I felt it was the most successful.

I interacted with and studied Dyson’s lines of products to gain an understanding of their visual language and prominent product features.

I used this knowledge to explore various concepts, eventually arriving at my final designs for each product.

I chose to explore the pencil sharpener further as it had the clearest connection with their vacuum cleaners. I had chosen a form that mimiced their cyclone chambers to house the electric sharpening component of the sharpener.

I proceeded to create a detailed 3D model of the sharpener. I also made a scale model, trying to mimic the visual details as accurately as possible.

füd

Brand DevelopmentThis was a group project with two other classmates in which we developed our own brand of kitchen appliances. The goal of the project was to develop a brand language that conveyed our brand message and to then apply it to our individual products so they would read as a family.

We titled our brand, Füd. Our brand theme was playful, small family, and breakfast. Our branding included warm morning colors and our logo used the umlaut u to create a smiley face. My product for our family was a coffee maker.

We did a large amount of sketching and thumbnail development as a group. We would often compare the directions we were exploring and tried to build off of each other’s design input. As we progressed we began moving towards a common design language which became the language for our brand. It focused on simple bevelled volumes, with a uniform curve over the top of each appliance.

When designing my coffee maker, I wanted to create a system where the water reservoir was held over the carafe. The most common method I found was for the water to be piped by heat over the grinds in order to drip the coffee. This leads to unevenly heated water and poorer quality steeping of the grinds. I also wanted to allow the user to detach the reservoir and directly fill it rather than using the carafe to ferry water and pour it into the coffee maker.

Once I had my final direction for my product I used orthographic drawings and storyboards to develop a detailed 3D model. In this model I created every part that would go into its assembly, except for wires. This included breaking apart the form in a way that would be consistent with injection molding. I also took into consideration draft, ribs, and reveals.

Using measured drawings pulled from our models we all created to scale white models. These had some basic function to allow reviewers to get a feel for using the product.

Simple MechanismIn this project we were tasked with making a product that used a simple mechanism such as a lever, inclined plane, or pulley. The simple mechanism I chose in this project was the lever. I wanted to develop an elegant solution for pressing garlic that achieved the same results found with knives, but without any risk to the user.

I strove to keep the design simple and easy to manufacture. My decision to brand the final design as OXO was not part of the project, but was a way for me to show where the product might fit into the market.

I found that when garlic is broken, crushed, or chopped its flavor is released. This happens when chemicals normally separated by its cellular structure are mixed through the breakdown in structure. The more complete the breakdown the faster the reaction and in the end the faster the flavor dissipates. So pushing garlic through a conventional press causes faster flavor loss where as crushing it under a knife or plate of metal preserves more of the structure. I also found that stainless steel helps to wipe away the sticky residue of garlic. This information lead me to develop a stainless steel plate garlic press.

Throughout my project I maintained a desire for elegant simplicity. My final product is two pieces of stamped and bent stainless steel with over molded rubber or plastic. We learned in materials that the two cheapest forms of mass production are the die stamping and injection molding that my product would use. I also strove to use simple curves, proportions, and the nesting of the two pieces of metal to create an elegance in its function.

Cheap manufacturing and elegant simplicity were not enough to satisfy me, however. I had to be sure the product would work. To this end I made several functional prototypes, all of which were very capable at crushing the garlic with their lever force.

Disaster ProductWe were given the task of designing a consumer product for survival or for use in a disaster scenario. I chose the disaster of an earthquake, tsunami, or tornado. I wanted to design a product similar to the jaws of life, but for the average consumer. I had to look into issues of cost, maintenance, and weight for the design, which proved to be limiting factors for some concepts.

Using data from research and interviews, I was able to focus down to a compact concept. I then built a working prototype and developed 3D form models and parts assemblies.

Jaws of Life Chainsaw Jack Hammer Hydraulic Ram Circular saw Sawzall Demolition Hammer

Weight

Power Supply

Dimensions

OperationalPower

Safety Issues

Maintenance

Ease of use

ProductSpecs

Several tons of spreading and cutting force.

Hydraulic pump built in or external.

Slipping, flying rock chunks.

25-35 lbs 10-15 lbs

Combustion engine.

Compressed air.

50 lbs

Approx:2.5’x1’x1’

Possible crushing of rescue target.Hose line repair.

Could be heavy for some to carry.

Approx:2.5’x2’x1’

Depends on motor size.

Slipping and cutting self or others.Oiling, fueling, chain repair.

Heavy, can pull away from user.

Approx:3’x2’x1’

Chisels approx 1500 times a min.

Hose repair, lubrication.

Heavy, requires weight to pressed down.

Cutting self, sparks, noise.

20-30 lbs

Hydraulic pump built in or external.

Rechargable battery pack.

10-15 lbs

20” to 70” when extended in length.Several tons of spreading force.Possible crushing.

Hose line repair.

Limited functionality.

Approx:1’x1’x6”

Depends on blade and motor.

Blade replacement, oiling.Moderate weight, can pull away.

Breaking rock chips.

~10 lbs

Rechargable battery pack .

Electric motor.

40 lbs

Approx:2’x6”x6”

Depends on motor.

Slipping and cutting self, flying debris.Blade replacement, oiling.Moderate weight, lots of vibration.

Approx:2.5’x6”x6”

1300 watts of power used.

Bit changing, oiling.

Hand held but heavy.

Jaws of Life Chainsaw Jack Hammer Hydraulic Ram Circular saw Sawzall Demolition Hammer

Moving/Breaking Rubble

Salvaging Wrecked parts

Precise Demolition

Handling HazardousMaterialsBreakingDown Housesto Components

DisassemblingElectronics

Digging

ComparativeProductAnalysis

I began this project by conducting research into competitive projects and analyzed their various strengths and weaknesses. During this phase I thumbnailed and concepted out ideas in quick sketches in order to keep track of the ideas that the research was developing in my head.

Once I had a stronger grasp of the market, I filtered through my sketches for the strongest ideas and used them to create more concrete concepts.

We presented our concepts for this point of the project in a pin-up review. I rendered each concept out, making sure to include human figures to show use and proportion.

WeightSafety

PortabilityPower

Sawzall

Jaws of Life

Demolition Hammer

Hydraulic Ram

Jackhammer

Circular Saw

Chain Saw

Ease of Use

Maintenance

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3

7

4

1

5

2

6

14

3

7

2

56

1

2

3

4

56

7

WeightSafety

PortabilityPower

Sawzall

Jaws of Life

Demolition Hammer

Hydraulic Ram

Jackhammer

Circular Saw

Chain Saw

Ease of Use

Maintenance

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3

7

4

1

5

2

6

14

3

7

2

56

1

2

3

4

56

7

I started moving towards a multi-role device that combined several aspects of the products I had researched. During this phase I realized I had strayed some from my goal, and was starting to redesign existing products as opposed to creating a new product. I looked back to my research and charts on the competitive products niches in the market to re-establish my direction. I then started in a new direction that used the familiar form factors of a drill to make the device familiar for the average consumer. I developed a proof of concept model of my mechanisms and finally a detailed 3D model.

Graphic Design

I believe that successful Graphic Design finds a balancebetween simplicity, character, and visual impact

Idea-ology LogoThis logo was developed for a small software start up who was developing mobile applications and software for small business.

They wanted to incorporate a light bulb motif in their logo to allude to creativity and the generation of new ideas. Here is some of the more finalized iterations of their design that I created.

CMS AppThese graphics were developed for a social networking app designed for the College Music Society. The organization is a national group of college music professors, and the app’s purpose was to keep members up to date on events, articles, member listings, and more.

I was given relative freedom in developing graphics for the app. I chose to utilize colors similar to those used on their website, research common imagery for the needed icons, and incorporate musical themes into the app logo and menu.

CMS LogoCMS liked the work I did for them on their app and subsequently asked me to submit a proposal for a new direction for their branding and logo.

One idea they wanted to explore was moving away from western music icons and work with more conceptual ideas of music such as waveforms. They also wanted to incorporate the idea of a world community.

Here is my current proposed direction which is being reviewed by their committee at this time.

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Thank You

For your time