Hello,
I just wrapped up my fall semester (4th year) and I thought I would share my minor studio project for the community to take a look at and comment on.
Main render
Sketching process
Basically, I really wanted a project that lent itself to more styling and form development. I also had never done the clay to 3D scan process before and wanted to try that for fun.
They are snowshoes and made from carbon fiber.
Regards,
Ben, you will get more feedback if you post the pics of the project into the forum rather than redirecting with a link.
Michael
Looks great but that render does not follow the aesthetic established by your sketching technique. Bright blue on blue neon cheapens the whole look for me.
The way you draw it makes me think of spaceships, and that big one on the right makes me think of the inside of a pit stop by the side of a racetrack. Very cool and sleek and very controlled.
Nice project overall Ben. Good documentation of the project as well.
While it is certainly way more styled with lots of form development vs the typical snow shoe, I think there are better subjects to focus on styling. When I think snow shoe I think of a product that has to have a lot of utility first, and style second. Maybe you wanted to counter that perception. If that is so I would develop a persona that would want a style first snow shoe and document that. If also show an image of current competitors and make sure that this one fits the persona you create more.
Lastly, it seems like as style is a goal, customizing the webbing element with bold graphics could be an opportunity.
Optics are impressive! Digital to physical to digital process is also well explained and detailed.
Would like more ‘story’ on how you addressed the ergonomics and fit of multiple shoe/boot designs that will interface with the binding.
What was learned and then applied from the proto research in the snow with the cam footage?
This to me seems more a project suited for a mid to late year 3rd year student. By the 3rd year, mastery of form, digital to physical process integrity and communication skills should be well matured. 4th year projects should begin to discover new problems and add new knowledge to the field. ( i.e what is going on in the Scandinavian countries, middle Europe and Russia). Explore/discover a unique niche market opportunity and push for more innovation and risk taking in design and materials.
Quite a few parts in this assembly. Could have done away with the PVC decking and expanded the carbon fibre to reduce parts. (clear styling driven approach is evident here)
It is indeed necessary to do an image search on google before committing to an approach, but you should be weary that your final solution might look too much inspired by this kind of research. I see this kind of design research from 2nd and 3rd year students frequently.
Ben,
Pros: The overall look of the project looks visually pleasing to the eye. The sketching, modeling, and renders look great for your experience. The carbon fiber bladder mold is a cool exploratory idea. Always nice to think outside the box and pull the concept to reality.
Cons: That first money shot looks cool but, its not in context and I don’t think snow shoe, I think water. As for the styling, I think special ops or military tactical. I kind of want more background/examples of a competitive snow-shoer willing to fork out top dollar for these. The idea looks EXTREMELY expensive (lots of parts). I am in the tennis racquet industry and the labor involved with the carbon fiber bladder mold is ridiculous! The price point I imagine for these would be approaching $400+.
Also another point to keep in mind is nobody is playing tennis in subzero conditions. Most of the tennis bags are thermal lined to keep the racquets from fluctuating in temperature. Not sure if carbon fiber would fail in the cold. Def worth looking into…Overall nice project. 
