quirky design staff « a quirky blog

Posts Tagged ‘quirky design staff’

Tue, May 17 2011

Collapsible Hanger Update
By gaz at 1:12 pm

Soon we’ll be launching the Colors/Material/Finish and Naming phases for Product 133, Howard Tseng’s Collapsible Hanger idea. Fast, right?

Howard’s original submission was so well worked out, we didn’t feel the need to go through our regular community design phases. His video said it all.

We reached out for Howard’s prototype, made some engineering/usability adjustments, styled it up and are nearly ready to launch.

Raymond Loewy (a famous industrial design guy) once famously said: “Never leave well enough alone.” But in this case, Howard had taken his concept so far along that there was very little left to do except polish it up and release it into the world. Help us put the finishing touches!
- Tags:
- p133,
- process,
- quirky design staff
Thu, Apr 7 2011

An Update On Product 100 (And Some Seriously Tough Clogs)
By kate at 5:57 pm

Kate here from the design team, with an update on Product 100, Dave Fulton’s “all-in-one plunger snake”.

Over the past several weeks, we have been collecting plungers, drain snakes, toilet augers, water guns, air pumps… you name it. We also checked out toilets, talked to professionals, read your comments, assessed the ideas, rigged up a test toilet, and made a TON of mock-ups… all in an effort to create a consumer-friendly plunger for the home, that’s able to handle some seriously tough clogs.

Through all of this we stumbled upon something pretty awesome. Via biomimicry, we created a plunger design that pulls its inspiration from nature. This particular design features two chambers. One chamber forms a seal, while the other handles the movement, much like the way an octopus sucker works. This reduces the chance that the seal is lost when pressing and pulling, and consequently cutting down on splashing.

This, along with a few other tweaks in diameter, shape, etc., has left us with an outstanding plunger. Our mock-up was clearing out every clog we threw at it. We’re pumped to evoke the innovation of Dave Fulton’s idea through the evolution of an effective plunger, that consumers can depend on to go beyond the limits of their current plungers (and in the process, ward off those plumbing bills). So just a heads up: you won’t find a snake in our design… but you’ll find something just as effective. To get involved in this product’s Color/Material/Finish project, click here.
- Tags:
- biomimicry,
- p100,
- quirky design staff
Wed, Dec 8 2010

Howdy From Jess F!
By jess at 7:12 pm

Hey you Quirks!

My name is Jess… not to be confused with Jess, so you can call me Jess F! I will be helping make your wildest dreams come true as part of the Quirky Design Staff.

I hail from the south but moved to Brooklyn, where I recently graduated from Pratt Institute. I hope to bring to the Quirky community an innovative and playful outlook on design. Colors, textures, materials, and manufacturing drives me nuts (in a good way!).

Over the years I’ve felt myself becoming quirkier; I collect objects that have no home, I have more hobbies than I have time, and at night I cuddle up with the least soft pet around, my hedgehog Pointcetto.

I look forward to learning more about you all as well as working with this brilliant design team!

Keep sending in your wildest dreams and stay golden,
Jess F
- Tags:
- jess f,
- quirky design staff,
- quirky team
Wed, Nov 24 2010

Quirky Community, Meet Our New Designers
By jess at 12:18 pm

Hey there all you quirky boys and girls!

After a few months of helping the Quirky design team push your brilliant ideas through our crazy process, I think it’s about time I introduce myself.

I’m Adam… nice to meet you!

I have been freelancing at Quirky for a few months, but I am happy to announce, I’m here to stay. I can’t begin to tell you how exhilarating it is working at Quirky. Not only is there more energy and passion running through this office than any other, but having an enormous community with an equal amount of passion working with us is truly inspiring.

Previous to Quirky, I had been working for product design consultancies around NYC, but none of them were quite quirky enough for me. I have a passion for creating meaningful products that solve real world problems…. I’m thrilled to be working at a place that, with your help, can make that happen!!

Want to know more? I can be bribed into revealing all of my quirks with candy… or beer… or most anything delicious.

Can’t wait to work with all of you!

– Adam

Hello Everyone,

It’s great to be on board as a junior industrial designer!!! I am extremely excited to be apart of the Quirky community and to witness, first hand, the amazing things to come in the future of social product design. I was born and raised in California and spent most of my childhood in LA and then moved to the San Francisco area. Ever since I could remember, I was altering or taking apart any object I could put my hands on, from power wheels to my sister’s bike. I was lucky enough to find Industrial Design to help me release my creative juices. My education and working experience in the Silicon Valley and Paris have provided me with a diverse set of challenges in design and have only solidified my passion for creation. I have learned that the more I expose myself to different culture, art, and people, the more inspiring my world will become. I have never met such a passionate team of designers and community members and feel honored to be apart of this great challenge.

– Faris
- Tags:
- adam,
- faris,
- quirky design staff,
- quirky team
Tue, Nov 23 2010

New Winner For Stack Pack Design
By kate at 8:42 pm

Being the attentive Quirks you are, you may have noticed that we have awarded another winner, Jim Young, for the Stack Pack Industrial Design project, resulting in a grand total of three winners. As we always say over at the QH, we are committed to giving influence to any submissions that lend inspiration throughout the design process. At the start of this ID phase, we saw ourselves headed in a direction largely influenced by a combination of Gine Benadum and Xiaomeng Ren’s submissions.We liked the idea of the shelves being contained as its own product like in Gina Benadum’s submission, and we also liked the versatility that Xiaomeng’s offered by allowing users to pack any number of sweaters between each shelf.

Several mock-ups later, we realized that it was still a little difficult to access the sweater desired, especially if it was on the bottom. We headed back to the ID phase for some inspiration, and we were drawn to Jim Young’s design. We loved the simplicity of his form, and the way it supports the sweaters just enough to allow users to lift up the shelves, and access sweaters on the bottom of the pile. Our final product is shaping up to be a design that celebrates aspects from all three design submissions. The Stack Pack offers versatility, adjustability, simplicity, and solidity, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of all three of our ID winners. Thanks guys!
- Tags:
- industrial design,
- p66,
- quirky design staff,
- stack pack
Sun, Nov 21 2010

Welcome, QDS Interns!
By jess at 11:08 am

Another season, another round of awesome, inspiring Quirky Design Staff interns. Check out the latest additions to the team.

Name: Sarah Kim

Hometown: Lancaster, PA

School: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

Inspiration: Solving problems and creating memorable experiences through design. Making something that makes people appreciate design!

Favorite product: Google Maps

What makes her quirky: I like trying everything at least once!

Name: Richard Ganas

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

School: Wayne State University

Inspiration: Leonardo da Vinci

Favorite product: ipod

What makes him quirky: perfection

Name: Alyssa Gruen

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

School: Syracuse University

Inspiration: I’m inspired by the goodness in people.

Favorite product: Cordies!

What makes her quirky: Nature Romantic and Ranch dressing addict.
- Tags:
- interns,
- quirky design staff,
- quirky team
Thu, Oct 28 2010

Industrial Design For P63: Inspire Us!
By gaz at 12:19 pm

So you may have noticed a little something different when Industrial Design for Product 63, the “perfect scoop” dip bowl, launched last night.

Unlike other rounds, we didn’t start off this project with a handful of sketches. We’re offering a completely blank slate. Rather than inspire, we want to BE inspired by all of you out there in the community. So come on — “wow” us!

Our design process is a constantly evolving and iterative experience. This is just one way we’re shaking it up.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
- Tags:
- industrial design,
- p63,
- process,
- quirky design staff
Tue, Sep 14 2010

Heya, Sara
By jess at 3:19 pm

Sara Isola is the latest intern to join the Quirky Design Staff. This eco-minded New Jersey native is poised to make an impression this fall; say hello and make her feel welcome!

Name: Sara Isola

Hometown: Rutherford, NJ

School: Montclair State University

Inspiration: Paper art, sculptures, collages, nature.

Favorite Product: My reusable aluminum water bottle from Earthlust! No more evil plastic bottles!

What makes you quirky: I collect Tic-Tac containers. One day I will create something amazing out of them! =)
- Tags:
- interns,
- quirky design staff
Wed, Aug 25 2010

Research Notes On Product 55
By jess at 7:08 pm

Industrial Design for Product 55 is in full swing! Jeremy, one of our veteran design interns, explains the research process for this product and gives a bit of insight on one way to look at voting for this round.

Now it’s time to put your thinking caps on, and help us find a great solution to this everyday problem. You’ve got one more day!
- Tags:
- p55,
- products,
- quirky design staff,
- research
Wed, Aug 18 2010

Welcome, Matt!
By danielle at 4:43 pm

Say hello to Matt, the freshest face in Quirky’s evolving design intern clan. Hailing from the Island of Long, he is one part speed (thanks to his love of racquetball), one part strategy (yep, a baseball player too), and two parts methodical creativity. There’s no doubt in our mind that he’ll fit in swimmingly here at Quirky HQ.

Name: Matt Dierkes

Hometown: Mt. Sinai, NY

School: Virginia Tech

Design Inspiration: Scott Robertson; various findings on Core77, Toxel, and Wired magazine.

Favorite Product: Wacom tablet, Casio calculator watch.

What makes him quirky: I draw with my left hand, but play sports and just about anything else righty. I also have a substantial obsession with watches and striped socks.
- Tags:
- interns,
- quirky design staff,
- quirky team