Life goes on.
Until it doesn’t
This project deals with the North American funeral ritual. Mr. Constantine examined the ways in which the dead are treated both in current North American society and in other cultures, the underlying concepts behind these ways of doing things, and whether these practices truly serve the best interests both of the dead and of the living. Through his work he has sought to create value and memory through the use of symbolic content drawn from a number of traditions, as well as to promote healing through the thoughtful use of ritual.
Bio
Charles was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He has worked in furniture design, apprenticed for sculptor Charles Parks, and spent time in a bronze foundry. His work has been shown at the 2008 Brooklyn Designs show, and won him an exhibition space at the 2008 London Design Festival.
Charles Constantine
Beth Atanacio
Design for Life: Sharing is Caring
This thesis presents design as a communication tool used to strengthen family relationships. It investigates constructive foundations for interaction by positively highlighting diversity and creating commonalities.
Bio
Beth graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a BFA in Communication Design. After several years of interactive and print design, she missed getting her hands dirty and entered Pratt’s ID program. She loves to explore fogotten places, indulge in desserts and go dog-watching; though not necessarily all at once.
Chang-Yen Tsai
Structural Patterns
Any visual phenomenon can be recognized as a two dimensional pattern, and anything physical can be seen as a structural system. In the fields of pattern design and structure systems design, designers start from different perspectives and work in very different processes. Interestingly enough, the results of both are similarly recognized as continual patterns. However, patterns are usually graphic designers' last resort for filling awkward empty spaces, and in some circumstances patterns are only attached on the surface but not related to any functional aspects. On the other hand, the process of structure design is always involved with function and efficiency, but often shows a lack of aesthetic thought. There are some architects now focusing on designing sculptural structure systems, but pattern design in these circumstances is still generally an afterthought and not closely related to the entire design process.Therefore, in this thesis, I examine both structural systems design and pattern design, and hope to find a universal principle to combine these two fields.
Bio
Chang-Yen Tsai studied fine arts as an undergraduate and then became a public artist in Taiwan. He tries to incorporate his full range of life experience into his work in the field of industrial design, and is always looking for the perfect combination of functions and aesthetics in order to improve quality of life.
Carolyn B. Schaeberle
Beyond the Tap: Effectively Implementing Drinking Water Solutions in the Developing World
Over 2.2 million people, mostly in developing countries, die each year from diseases associated with poor water quality. There are a vast number of organizations that have developed viable technologies to supply a safe drinking water source to those affected by the world water crisis. However, providing clean water alone cannot eradicate the problem. In fact little has been done to address the problems associated with what happens “beyond the tap” (after the water has been purified) and how people interact with it. To place these concerns in context I have traveled to to rural Honduras where I observed the issues associated with the transportation and maintenance of clean water. I designed solutions to directly improve their existing methods. It is my intention that these solutions can be implemented around the world.
Bio
Growing up in New Hampshire, Carolyn dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Twenty years later, she hung up her pointe shoes and picked up a power drill. After receiving her Engineering degree from Smith College she went on to work for DEKA, developer of the Segway. She realized that she was more fascinated with how people interacted with the technologies being developed rather than the technologies themselves.
Grace Souky
Objects & Separation:
Discovering the Power of Things
Objects connect us with the world. They are how we choose to communicate with others and a big part of how we are perceived. Could it be that we appreciate certain objects entirely based on their emotional value? Do objects have this built-in significance, or do we give them their meaning? Is there a relation between objects and separation, and could things bring emotional comfort in times of need?
Bio
Born and raised in Venezuela to Lebanese parents, Grace currently has a serious love for New York. Though formerly trained as an architect, she has come to the conclusion that empty spaces are an absolute bore, so she has taken it upon herself personally to fill them with the most precious things.
Jin Chung
Poetry Without Words: The Role of Intuition in Design
How does a word, a note or a simple line echo emotions in your heart? You often hear people speak of the poet's intuition, the musician's intuition, the artist's intuition, even the scientist's intuition. What about the designer? Do designers not utilize intuition in their creative processes? In design we often hear about process and very little about intuition and the origins of the designer's creativity. Is it because design is midway between art and the sciences, creating a sense of insecurity that drives us to ground ourselves in process and justification? Or is it because intuition is simply misunderstood?
Bio
“Born in LA, grew up in Europe (Rome and Paris mostly), went to Brown University, worked a couple of years in Asia ( and ), now my 7th semester at Pratt.”
George H. Estreich
Transformation: Mutable Design Conforms to a Variable Life
A product that fulfills a variety of needs is satisfying and less prone to obsolescence. Using transformable design, products can better accommodate various tasks and circumstances, often performing more specifically and therefore more reliably. This thesis examines shape-shifting design, its benefits, and its drawbacks.
Bio
George Estreich is a graduate of Binghamton University and former science teacher. Alongside his passion for design, he is an avid outdoorsman, musician, photographer and explorer.
Omid Sadri
Packaging That Cares: Food Packaging and Overeating
Today’s “super-size” culture has led to many concerns about our eating habits. Present packaging is challenged by the ever growing issue of overconsumption and its impact on health. Today’s on-the-go lifestyle demands food packages that simplify, inform, and enrich user experience. This thesis explores package interaction and its role in altering eating habits. Through exploration of new forms of packaging that communicate proper portions and heighten awareness of consumption, the definition of trust and honesty in food packaging is redefined.
Bio
Iranian-born Omid Sadri received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT and worked as an engineer before following his passion for graphic arts and design. While freelancing as an illustrator and graphic designer, Omid operated a confectionary retail business in New York City. In 2006, he decided to further pursue his passion for design and began his graduate degree in industrial design at Pratt Institute.
Beth Fuller
Fireproof: Redefining
The Smoke Alarm Experience
Thousands of people die every year in fires at home during which there was no operating smoke alarm. Most of the time, the alarms fail to operate not because they are broken, but because their owners have disconnected them or taken the batteries out. By studying how people interact with their smoke alarms, I have explored reasons why people knowingly disable their alarms, even though doing so puts their lives in danger. Ultimately, my thesis redefines and reprioritizes various aspects of the smoke alarm experience to create solutions that make people feel happier, calmer, and safer.
Bio
Beth was born and raised in Boston by amazing parents. Her lifelong partners in crime are her triplet brother and sister. After earning a degree in urban planning at Cornell, she loved the idea of positively influencing people through citywide planning initiatives. Beth’s education in industrial design is yet a further exploration of ways to impact people to make their lives better.
Rui Lu
Bond, Emotional Bond
(In a Modular Style)
A long-lasting relationship developed by consumers with their products is not only a tremendously rewarding accomplishment for designers, but more importantly, a move against the environmental damage caused by short product life spans as well. To achieve this, the key is to create an emotional bond between consumers and products. While there are many ways to stimulate emotional bonding, modular design provides a unique opportunity. Being flexible on configuration, modular design allows numerous possibilities in promoting self-expression, social pleasure, a personal sense of accomplishment and a lasting appreciation, which all contribute to a stronger emotional bond. This thesis develops a design strategy to create an emotional bond through modular design, and test it by designing everyday objects that people will refuse to discard.
Bio
After a bachelor’s degree in industrial design and two years as a cell phone designer in China, Rui wanted to take a step further. After two and a half years his foot is finally about to land, and now he’s ready to take the next step.
Lan Lin
What Do You See?
Color is everywhere in our daily lives but does everyone see it? I didn't for quite a long time until the year of 2002. In 2002, I started to take art and acting courses and I suddenly woke up to the sense of color. There are many New Yorkers who say that New York City lacks subtlety in color and is mostly dark: buildings, streets, subways and signs, etc., are dull, grey and depressing. How can we designers improve this situation? How can we designers change people's impressions of NYC? My concept is to "break the rules" and hopefully to use this idea as a tool for other designers and artists to use in their works. Challenging thought patterns makes designers and artists open their eyes, and allows all people to see the world differently. We are in the new era of color!
Bio
Born in Beijing, China, Lan has now lived in NYC for the past twelve years. With a background in Chinese Literature and Computer Science, she has worked across a number of different fields, including Advertising, PC Game Design, Touch Screen Kiosk Development, Programming, etc. Lan is currently a part-time radio DJ in NY and teaches both language and art on the weekends. In studying Industrial Design, she is finally pursuing her dream of self-realization as a thinker and a designer, constant in her passion for life. Lan loves what her thesis advisor, Frederick, once said: “as a designer, you have to be a child, who has a sense of responsability.”
Jerod Hugghin
The Soul of the Foot: Innovations in
Footwear Inspired by Human Biomechanics
The human foot is an amazing piece of anatomical design. The subtle movements and arched structure of the foot make it possible for humans to stand upright and propel themselves while supporting and balancing the weight of the body. However, footwear has been developed throughout history as rigid soles strapped to the feet. This basic construction continues to this day, with ergonomic innovations limited to inserts or additions to the flat, rigid soles that actually harm the feet. In this thesis, I have extrapolated the basic skeletal structure into a new form of a shoe sole. One which moves with the foot, an innovation that could change the way shoes work.
Bio
Jerod was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He received a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from A&M University and for a time, worked as in the oil and gas industry in Houston. He moved to New York to pursue an Industrial Design career, a field which he hoped would allow him the creativity and expression he always wished for.