amanda klassen

Updating my portfolio outside. Workaholic?

369 graduating students (bachelors and master students) including me!

Majors: animation, ceramics, communication design, drawing, digital and interactive arts, film/video/integrated media, illustration, industrial design, interactive design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

Opening Reception | May 5, 5-10pm

May 6 - 20, 2012, 10am-6pm daily
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
1399/1400 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Digging through my archives I stumbled upon some notes I took from a speech by  Karim Rashid in Vancouver for 2010. One of the quotes that stuck with me ever since: “Design is not style,” as style focuses on reiterating the past and design does not in order to solve additional problems. He also discussed a valid argument about archetypes and when we should consider loosing them as technology advances (i.e., electric cars, digital cameras, bank cards). 

Interesting facts from the speech: The valve from the upside-down Method dish soap container took 6 months to engineer. Bobble took 2 years to develop.

Cruiser bike in the making! Detail, texture and shading to be added.

Itty bitty mini chair, made with a laser.

The work permit has arrived! Design intern for Telekom in Berlin, T-minus 2 months!

This round I featured Chiara Salini inform us about Sustainable Minds, a software which analyzes product life cycle data for sustainable design: on the ECIDA blog.

These are some snapshots from an event I took part in to DJ/VJ. My training in Design has given me the impression that there is always more potential with the music industry so I’ve been staying involved somehow while I finish my Bachelor of Design. I aspire to create more interactive experiences involving music in the future through product design and interaction design.

My visuals are simply a testament of my interest to provoke curiosity and smiles within the club experience. It is important to me that the video and stills are all done from scratch, promising a new experience for everyone. The work takes form of illustrative narratives, inspired by real stories of people in my life.

I’m now starting to plan my exhibit for my current product. I’ll be creating an interactive display to help explain my concept.

I’ve just configured my iPhone to act as a MIDI controller for wireless controlling. I used TouchOSC editor on my Mac to make my own interface then used the TouchOSC App on the iPhone and configured it with my Modul8 visual software which I will be using at a couple upcoming music events, including my University graduation event in spring!

This whole process might sound a bit intimidating, but it’s probably easier than you think!

My Apple interview for a position as a Junior Industrial Designer was yesterday!

Do you remember when fancy displays only included gradients, shiny buttons and big curves? Bill Flora explained at a guest lecture at University of Washington, how to transform an interface into a more emotional experience.

Above is the current design for the Windows mobile which Bill Flora worked on. I owned an HTC HD phone with this interface. You could choose your color scheme, background, foreground, etc. When connecting to your Facebook account through the mobile, your phone turns into You. It was beautiful. All your contact details such as friend name, phone number, e-mail and workplace is automatically imported- even with their profile photo! While using the phone, your folders will update autonomously as used: the people who you last messaged will show up on the corresponding folder cover and the last photo you took with the camera will appear on the front of the photo album cover also.

Tipping, shaking, ‘liking’ with simple heart icons, and additional reactive qualities with an interface can truly engage the user. Again, the Windows phone had a playful feature which stretched the interface when you tried to go beyond the end of the page. Bill was also able to show us projects which had greater depth, new scrolling techniques and more responsive capabilities which proved to be a bit too dynamic for the current market.

Bill Flora previously worked at Microsoft as a designer and creative director for 19 years. Currently he works at his self-managed firm called Tectonic, still working on Windows projects. Recent projects include those between Media Center, Zune, XBox and Metro.

A is for Artefact And Anything At All

Words to live by. Picked this up after a visiting the Seattle Teague design studio.

Follow me on instagram @amanda_rude

Some bits of advice for design students from Vancouver’s industry experts:

Linus + Denise (Edison + Sprinkles)
Create a platform to practice something you believe in for creative freedom, this can be a way to discover, network, collaborate

Haig (Lift Studios)
Good collaboration skills will get you farther/Have a clear understanding of billable vs. non billable hours/The first 6-8 months of your first job, you’re not profitable. Be prepared to ask questions and time manage to speed up the process/Know how to keep yourself inspired when having to return to the same studio each day

Steven (Cause + Affect)
Value your work, if you don’t, no one else will/Talk about how your ideas can help the company/Awards are dumb. Life is a competition however/Let all professionals know you are looking for work. Referrals speak wonders

Nicolas (Nico Spacecraft)
It’s difficult to design when you’re distant from the materials/Try not to loose too much momentum while in the process/Pay attention to details like temperature and material relationships/Master your materials

Zoe (Fleet Objects)
Know what you want so you know how to get there/Find out who is doing what you’re interested in, talk to them/Even if you’re planning on being an entrepreneur, interning with a company can answer a load of questions, fast/Problems such as a burned down studio can be taken two directions: walk away or excel (Zoe chose to excel!)

Tak + Don (Free Agency Creative)
Spend extra time on ‘selling’ your work as a recent graduate/Understand business language/Face to face interaction is essential for sales/Learn how to adapt to create valuable partnerships from company to company/Follow a defined business model/Never loose the ideals of creativity once you leave university

iPhone + Photo Collage App + my t-shirt = having fun with type.

Alumni contact cards! ECIDA, a student organization I belong to dedicated to the Industrial Design program at Emily Carr University, wanted to promote networking, connections and collaborations - so I made superhero contact cards. New designer every week on our blog.

Last summer I visited Alicante, Spain after a study semester in Germany. A friend and I climbed Santa Barbara castle which became the setting for these long exposure shots. The shots were inspired by some of the people who made an impact during my journey through university.

 Check the whole set here