My design work varies from the poetic to the pragmatic. With self-initiated projects, I tend to design for the domestic sphere, at the scale of the individual, and often without a lot of technology. My academic projects involve greater ethnographic research and participatory methods and tend toward systems-, service-, and strategic-design. The images below represents the "making" aspect of my design practice, often in collaboration with Stephanie M. Tharp and our studio, materious.
Cut/Once™ re-enchants the humble, wooden ruler. Instead of a merely utilitarian product that lives in a drawer, it now is an aesthetic object that lives atop the desk. Concomitantly, it literally turns the conventional ruler upside-down by hiding the markings which are typically top-side. Cut/Once not only functions as a ruler, but also as a pen tray or a paperweight. It is more functional, more beautiful, more ergonomic, and more meaningful.
CUT/ONCE™
Heirloom ruler and desk tray
Maple wood, laser engraving, eco-stain
2013
Inspired by the carpenter’s adage—“Measure twice. Cut once,” it appears as a waste piece or cut-off of wooden molding to remind us of the mindfulness necessary for good craftsmanship. The graphics too are slightly truncated, reflecting again the hazard of haste and carelessness.
This project was created to explore design entrepreneurship and crowdfunding best practices, and was run as a synchronous, semester-long class demo. Rather than a designer beginning with an idea and then looking for funding, Cut/Once was designed with specific concern for ease of manufacturing, product understanding and expectations (low return/refund rate), shipping cost efficiency, optimum retail price point, durability (no shipping damages), and crowdfunding campaign profitability where the designer would make sufficient profit during the campaign rather than using funding to purchase tooling or develop a more expansive venture.
Engraving of Marx's quote on tray bottom
Scores of prototypes. Hundreds of hours. Thousands of development dollars.
ORIGINAL KICKSTARTER VIDEO
This is my special stapler, handed down to me from his grandfather. It helped inspire our rulers: built to last, intended to be handed down, & offering sage advice about the hazards of haste and importance of mindful action–Measure twice. Cut Once.
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