Gilberto GOMEZ

Life-Style/Footwear Design - Vital Questions: 1. What type of shoe do I want to design? 2. Who will wear it and why? Significant Events: World Cup 2002: USA made Quarter Finals - Landon Donavan (usa) soccer star. David Beckham (uk): Metro-sexual, sports god and super model. Prediction: Soccer will become a more popular sport within the USA. TRENDS: Footwear and Automotive partnerships: Puma & Sparco Adidas & Goodyear Fila & Ferrari Prada & Car Shoe The Market: Fashion - Footwear Sports - Entertainment Celebrity - Lifestyle Utilizing Design to balance and predict up coming trends for new market creation. Competition: Le Coq Sportif, Nike, PUMA, Adidas, Diadora and Fila. Brands that both influence and are influenced by the soccer sport. Age Range / Sex: 17 - 25 / male and female. IDEA: Combine casual and performance in a life-style shoe. Examples; Puma Platinum and Adidas Predator. Inspiration images: Darth Maul’s aggressiveness, face patterns, expressions. Super Novas & Flames for their unpredictability, color, movement. Haley’s Comet influenced the logo. A soccer ball hurling through the heavens. Prototype: vac-form styrene, fabrics, leather, PU foam.

Toy Design - Criteria: Design a product that charges a practical energy device using a dc magnetic motor(s) and natural energy source such as wind, water, solar or kinetic energy. Client Info: Young married couple with two toddlers living in suburbs with a big yard. Design Elements: 1. Natural energy source: wind 2. Harnesses & transmits: turbine 3. Practical energy device: rechargeable battery Considerations: With both the client information and design elements I decided to design a toy that recharges batteries. Why have your child wait for batteries to be recharged when the device can be both recharging and enhancing your child’s playtime without interruption. The “Continuous Play” theme reinforces my concept’s marketability. Product Goals: a) Educational b) Entertaining c) Practicality How it works: Wind or (hands) spins the turbine or “wind pedals” attached to a rod or “stem” causing the dc motor to spin and transmit electrons to the rechargeable batteries. How its made: Two thermoformed ABS pieces; one top one bottom that are powerfully secured by over lapping joinery. Bottom portion is weighed down by either sand or large solid heavy resin balls. Prototype: abs globes, wooden dowels, MDF, styrene.

Auto-Design Competition - Criteria: Choose a Peugeot model prior to the date of 1974 and redesign it within the theme of "Retro-Futurism". I focused on the 1939 Peugeot Eclipse 402 and chose to combine French Gothic Architecture and Minimalism as my primary source of inspiration for the final design, at the same time borrowing design cues from earlier models that defined Peugeot as a distinctive automotive brand. Retro-Futurism: "The melding of the iconic past with a vision of the future." - J. Mays (Ford Design Chief) Peugeot Design Cues: Triangular grille Chrome divide between wield shield Circular wheel storage compartment Blunt front Sloping back Long hood Slender cabin Gothic Architecture: Light (visibility) Flying Buttresses (support) Ribbed Vaulting (strength) Minimalism: A twentieth century art movement and style stressing the idea of reducing a work of art to the minimum number of colors, values, shapes, lines and textures. Result: Combined and balanced French Gothic Architecture, Minimalism and Peugeot Design cues to best represent a Retro-Futuristic style to the given Peugeot model. The Gothic Architecture and Minimalism translates into this concept by how the open wheel wells complement the flying buttresses and how the triangular grille morphs seamlessly towards the circular wheel storage compartment thus creating a minimalist form.

Enviro-friendly Rickshaw Project - Criteria: Design a “rickshaw” for inner-city usage able to transport 2 passengers, 2 pieces of luggage and also be wheelchair accessible for handicap. Seven key elements to be considered: Enviro-friendly fuel source, inner-city usage, inexpensive materials, light weight / durability, easy & rapid assembly, ergonomics, safety. Concept exploration: 1. Shape, form and how it relates to its function. 2. Inner workings, refinement, location of fuel cell stack, dc motors, seating, access. 3. Special features; rotary steering, global positioning system (GPS), spring loaded hinges, rear hatch ramp, body leaning seating. Manufacturing: Fiberglass, orange colored reflective paint, aluminum tubing, aluminum “I” beam, aluminum plate and aluminum components. Assembly: Upper Chassis, inner fame, exterior sub-chassis, ball bearings suspension system and drive-train consists of existing platform technology preferably from the Smart Car (www.smart.com).

Portable Hygienic System - Criteria: Design a system to be used within a home environment. In my case the bathroom was my assigned location. The Bathroom: Is one of the more intimate places of the home, so I used that to my advantage and went in search for problems existing within the bathroom environment. Client: Young female residing in an inner-city apartment complex who is required to share a community bathroom with others in her floor. She has access to a small sink within her space, but no area in which to spruce up herself with confidence. What to design: I wanted to design a system in which the user can centralize and control their own mess. I wanted to protect the intimacy one has with their body when grooming oneself. How will it be used: The system will serve for multiple uses such as hand & face washing, pore cleansing and shaving. Main elements: 1. Bowl w/ heating base 2. Hand-held climate control 3. Towel sack 4. Vase Inspiration for system arouse from: - Nature setting; bee, roses, waterfall. - Cultural setting; Degas bathers. Prototype: acrylic half-sphere, towel cloth, nylon fabric, cables, plaster.