29 Ways to Stay Creative
July 7th, 2011 - by Michael
An awesome video with some excellent motion graphics…
Which have you done today?
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.
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The Laut Design Library
June 29th, 2011 - by Michael
Resources for every project
A Piece of the LD Design Library
About two years ago, we started keeping a collection of images from the web, scanned documents, photographs, and sketches to help us do better research, faster. The plan was to keep the sources for a single project, archive them, and move on.
Since then, the LD Design Library has turned into almost a terabyte of data on everything from bicycle design to photos of cactus textures. The big idea was reducing the time it takes to find a good styling reference, material source, or mechanism to solve a design problem. It also provides a place to store those great solutions that haven’t quite met a problem yet.
If you’re a subscriber to our “Daily Dose of Cool”, you’ve been given a pretty good peek into some of the types of things we archive.
Every LDer contributes to the library, whether it’s in the midst of a complex project, or just simply dragging and dropping interesting images during the morning cup of coffee. It’s been one of those internal innovations that’s exploded far beyond what we’d initially envisioned, and become something we use every day.
While we don’t offer access to anyone but LD staff, there’s a good possibility that you’ll receive a good taste of the content during any project we do here.
Come by for a tour and we might just break our own rule…
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Marine Fluid Dynamics Prototyping
June 17th, 2011 - by Michael
When accuracy really counts.
Prototyping a sailboat keel
When one of our customers, working with a large sailboat manufacturer, came to us and asked for a scale prototype of their new keel design, we gladly obliged. We started with the 3D CAD data of the part, calculated precise toolpaths for our CNC mill, and delivered a perfect scale replica of the new keel.
The machining setup and completed part can be seen here before removal from the waste material.
Working with surfaces that need to replicate real-world scale results can be a tricky business. To verify the accuracy of the surfaces, we usually run a second “cross-path” over the part which, although it appears to be doing nothing, is removing a microscopic layer of variation from the cutter we used.
It also produces a lot of extra dust and gives the shop a nice coating. We’re still waiting for Dyson to make a shop vacuum.
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The Daily Dose of Cool
May 10th, 2011 - by Michael
Start Every Day Inspired.
We like to start the day inspired and thought you might like to also. A while back, we started sending out what we like to call the “Daily Dose of Cool”. It’s a small daily e-mail made up of images gleaned from the design research we’re always doing here.
It’s meant to get the mental gears turning and creativity at the forefront of every day. It usually contains imagery like:
- Art
- Product Design
- Automotive
- Fashion
- Photography
- Places
- People
- Scenery
- Anything else awesome
Images are either found by our staff, or sent in from other Daily Dose recipients. We’d love to see what inspires you every day.
If you’d like to be added to our list, please send us an email or give us a call.
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Microscopic LEDs
April 26th, 2011 - by Michael
Microscopic LEDs from a recent customer meeting
Don’t gasp, you might inhale one.
In this photo, taken with a cell phone through a microscope lens, are nano LEDs we were introduced to during a recent meeting. Their weight is so minimal, it’s not enough to counteract the static forces that hold them in their plastic container.
The debris you see in the viewport is not visible to the human eye at all, and the LEDs appear as grains of sand in their container. A misdirected sneeze would literally send them flying. We decided to hold off on this project until after pollen season.
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Prototyping with Lasers
April 19th, 2011 - by Michael
Technology inspires Design.
Prototyping with a laser
We’ve been working on a product for an ex-soldier who found a problem years ago with the equipment and protocol surrounding weapon-mounted lighting systems. These laser-cut prototypes are the first wave of products released for testing across several police units, special forces teams, and shooting enthusiasts.
Use of a laser for prototyping meant we could try out a whole list of materials, shapes, and sizes before making final decisions.
Designed to keep a small tactical light secured to the hand, while allowing all ten fingers to move freely, this product has been through literally hundreds of iterations to arrive at the final design. It had to be functionally strong, but not cut off circulation to the fingers. It is designed to work with or without gloves, in heat or cold, wet or dry, and take a ridiculous amount of abuse on a daily basis.
Note – cutting this material with a laser produces one of the worst smells our shop has ever been subject to. Worse than Taco Tuesday.
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Designing for Shooters
April 6th, 2011 - by Michael
Testing a rifle setup on the closest flat surface we could find
Test, re-test, then test again.
When it comes to designing products for military, or even civilian shooter use, durability and function is key. It’s extremely important to test, retest, modify, and verify a design before it’s put in the hands of a professional.
The way we do this is almost exclusively a physical model. There’s just no simple way to tell what collides, pinches, abrades, stretches, etc without actually feeling what it’s like to use the product yourself.
Shown here is an example of a collaborative project with Montie Design where the shooter’s posture, aim, and balance are paramount.
What you see here is actually a fairly common sight around our office, not just because we like to scare away solicitors, but also because this type of scene means a higher level of learning and tactile feedback that sketching, 3d modeling, and even augmented reality can’t replicate.
Stop by anytime to see what we’re up to. I would just recommend that you knock first.
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Updated UI
April 1st, 2011 - by Michael
Welcome to Version 2.0 of LautDesign.com!
Because what we do is very visual in nature, we thought it might be a refreshing experience to make our new website a simple frame for the work itself. Our client projects, skills explanations, and staff information have all been converted to simple, easy-to-navigate imagery that we hope will make using our website not only helpful and more informative, but a little fun at the same time.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new layout, the content, or your theory on life in general. Please feel free to send us an email, or give us a call at 910.489.6475.
If you’ve got any questions about any of our projects, or what we might be able to help you or your company with, please give us a ring today. You might just get to hear Shane or Karen’s sultry voice!
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All work is copyright ©2011 Laut Design, Inc.