So much to do! And it's great!

It's been a while since I wrote a real blog post, but I'm really busy now (you'll see in a sec) so I'm going to try to keep this short.

What's been going on at CSDS in the last few weeks is that our original recycling-for-starbucks project morphed into designing a recycling bin/system for corporate and school cafeterias. We're now at the phase where we're making sketch models for flat-pack bins, and looking at the possibility of it being something people can download the plans for and cut out their own retrofit bin system for elementary schools and the like who want to adapt our system.

Last friday there was a HUGE design jam (my first one!) with UNESCO and Deb Johnson's design incubator about designing an HIV toolkit for specialists in social communities (UN/UNESCO workers) to educate people about HIV and AIDS. It's sort of like the medical book we did last year, only this focuses on HIV specifically and is a toolkit rather than a book. We (the lucky CSDS interns who were picked to work on this project and do less of the starbucks thing) are going to be designing this toolkit with Smart Design, which is SUCH an amazing opportunity to work with a great design firm in the city... and might lead to future projects with Smart, if you catch my drift.... hopefully :)

In the middle of the design jam I had to step out for a few hours to head into the city, through all the CRAZY snow we got, to the Wedgewood showroom. We were introduced to their lines of dinnerware, their formal and casual divisions, and got a packet of information about the histories of each of the companies within the umbrella company, of which Wedgewood is only one of maybe 6 or 7. The competition is to design 4 pieces that we, as a young new york living demographic, would find necessary when having/serving dinner. There's a separate division between designing 3D forms and designing 2D graphics, and there are separate (and quite hefty) prizes in each category, plus the potential for Wedgewood to pick up and produce your design if they like it, even if you don't win. I'm going to be working with Jenny on this competition, since we have pretty much the exact same taste in these, as with most, things, and I'm really excited for that too! As she said, "I don't think we'll disagree on anything." And our designs will be the best and we'll win. (Hopefully!)

So despite only having class basically twice a week, I have plenty to do and spend my days off working hard, trying to finish my portfolio and website so I can get a job, and working on all the above projects as well. I'm so happy to be working on all this stuff, and it gets me excited (rather than frightened) to graduate so that I can do this type of stuff all the time, and not have homework on top of it. And get paid for it. It reaffirms that I'm in the right major and the right place, and I couldn't be happier about that.

Oh, and for my final design project I'm doing an exhibit design of Dr. Seuss and his life and works, so there's that too.

-A

DIS Chair!

Hi readers, I know it's been a while since I've updated, but school and work have been running full force, and the semester is well underway. Several projects are going on, but first let me start with the professionally-taken photographs of my chair that I made in Copenhagen!











I still haven't seen it back in NYC yet, they're here somewhere, but apparently going through customs takes longer than shipping from CPH to NYC by boat. Eventually there will be a DIS show here at Pratt for furniture & textiles from this summer, so keep a look out for that too.

I finished my first jewelry project since high school! Surprise surprise, it's tree-shaped, just like everything else I seem to be making these days. Sustainability is kind of taking over my brain. Anyway here it is, in all its hours-of-sewn-on-paper-leaves glory!





In other news, CSDS is taking on a project through a green organization in NYC to work with starbucks about a paper cup uptake container, which will connect with an effort here at pratt to use paper cups and make styrofoam a thing of the past. After all, paper is only truly better when it's being used and disposed of correctly.

I'm also in the middle of working out a connection between CSDS and Sift, the new Pratt Sustainability newsletter. I'm not sure at this point if I'll be writing full-fledged articles, CSDS blurb updates, or what, but I'm now the go-between gal for these two wonderful efforts.

Etsy.com people came to Pratt yesterday and did a presentation about what Etsy is for, how it works, etc. and it got me (and I'm sure others) pumped to put up work and sell some things on Etsy. It really plays into the whole local-as-sustainability thing, as well as supporting green efforts. I'll probably set up an Etsy account next semester when I have more time to make things, such as my recycled plastic bag laptop sleeves.

Finally, I'm working on a sustainable, tree-based (in many ways) coffee table in furniture this semester. I don't have any pictures of that to upload just yet, though, so let me leave it at that for now.

Web site/new job!

I finished a design project recently for my design studio class-- the pictures are uploading to my website as I type this. I'll have 3D work to update too, as soon as I get to taking pictures of everything. On a seamless background. Which is a little involved.... so it might be a while.

I also got a job! I now work for the CSDS, which stands for center for sustainable design studies, whose office is literally accross the hall from my studio. Micah, who's the sort of first-mate of the operation (under Deb Johnson, who also runs the Incubator, among other things) liked my illustrator and graphic stuff, and that's what I've been doing so far. I'm helping finish up a giant manual for doctors to use in the field in Africa to educate people about health and illnesses and such. This project is done by november 1st, and I have to have my stuff in by Wednesday. After that Micah already has a powerpoint for me to redo, so it looks like a steady stream of work so far, although it's not hard and it's on my own computer on my own time, so I log my own hours... it's nice. What the office mostly does is sustainable information and materials for pratt students and whatnot to come and find information, that type of thing, so I guess I'll be doing that too, but right now I don't have office hours or anything.

That's all for now!
I'll post again when my 3D stuff goes up.