Above the Fold: Nathan Guice, Senior Design Engineer - Playgrounds, Special Projects
Enter a caption (optional)In Above the Fold, we spotlight individual members of Coroflot's vibrant creative community. The idea is to take you behind the scenes and inside the minds of talented Coroflot members who we think are doing exceptional work. Coroflot was created by designers, for designers, and Above the Fold is the place where we can talk to creatives about work that we not only love, but think you'll love too!
Remember when you were a kid and you used to imagine your dream job? At some point, perhaps while climbing the jungle gym or careening down the slide, you may have thought to yourself, 'how cool would it be to create something as awesome as a playground?' Ok, maybe designing playgrounds isn't as obvious of a dream job as an astronaut or rock star, but it definitely isn't your everyday job. For Nathan Guice, the idea to design playgrounds did, in fact, come while hanging from the monkey bars, except it came later in life. Currently, Nathan works as a Senior Design Engineer for Superior Recreational Products, where he gets to tackle custom and themed design proposals, work on product development, and create interactive exhibits for children's museums. Nathan's work is always detailed, well researched, and completely unique as far as playgrounds go. Most importantly, there is always a clear intent to create a fun environment in each design and it's hard not to yearn to be a kid again when you look at his work. So how does one end up designing playgrounds for a living? We figured it would be best to ask Nathan.
The obvious question here is, how does one become a playground designer? It seems like you have every kid's dream job. Was this something you aspired to early on or something you sort of fell into?
I wish I could offer great insight or inspiration about how I worked towards this role, but I'm not sure I can. I was originally drawn to design by an interest in car design, growing up (like many) doodling cars in my notebooks. That didn't end up being my focus but still led me to a graduate program in Industrial Design at Auburn. While there, I took a studio involving exhibit design, and later did an independent study where I designed and fabricated trade show booth elements for a real-world company. I found that I enjoyed the environmental aspect of exhibit design and began looking for other environmental design-oriented fields.
Hanging out in the park with some friends one day (literally hanging, upside down from some monkey bars), it sort of hit me that playgrounds could be fun. I started sending out resumes to every company I could find, whether they had any openings or not. Eventually, that led to an interview for an unadvertised job as a catalog designer with a manufacturer, and I meandered my way from there. Of course, almost immediately after I graduated, one of our competitors started a playground design studio class at Auburn and has done it every year since...go figure.
Your playground designs often reflect their environment, which is not something you see too much. How much research about a place do you do before creating a concept?
It really depends on the project request. Many are general theme requests (nature, castle, western, etc) where the design is mostly budget and space driven. These don't require a ton of specific research, but maybe some Google images, Pinterest, or some other photographic source for ideas. Sometimes the theme is more visual based, and others are more activity based.
Some of my projects are for public request for proposals (RFPs). Unfortunately for these projects, I don't always get to discuss ideas with the client. So I have to work on what info is given in their request documents and do a ton of research to see what could be included with local significance. This might be stuff like specific architectural styles or landmarks in the area, historical events, local businesses, etc. Anything that can catch their attention and stand out from the competition. It can take a while to find enough to work with to really rough out a design, but it's usually just surface level. If there's something with a cultural aspect I'm less familiar with, like a recent themed structure for a Mandarin Chinese school, I have to make sure I don't inadvertently offend someone by including the wrong details.
Then there are the museum projects, which can take months of research, development and client interaction. This could be historical, involve physics, biology, technology, or any number of subjects. In that situation, you really have to have a solid understanding of a subject to accurately hit the educational goals.
Enter a caption (optional)Does the age range of who the playground is being designed for influence how you approach design?
Definitely. Playground designs are divided into 6 to 23-month old, 2 to 5-year old, 5 to 12-year and 2 to 12-year. These are based on ASTM standards and CPSC guidelines that dictate deck heights, safety barrier requirements, and max heights for climbers. Certain pieces are allowed in one age group, but not in another; a fireman's pole is not allowed for anyone under 5, so if someone requests a firehouse theme for toddlers, unfortunately, they won't get a pole.
Even within an age group, you have to keep in mind the range of sizes, a 5-year old could be twice the size of a 2-year old, and a 12-year old twice that of the 5-year old, yet they may be grouped together. Cognitively, the older age groups may get more textual graphics or more complex activities, while the younger groups are more gross motor skill-focused. This is not always the case, but I tend to design more playful, cartoonish designs for the younger groups and more realistic for older.
Another factor worth noting is accessibility. Again, there are ADA guidelines that determine design. Not every playground is ADA compliant, but most projects require it. This determines step dimensions, ramps, number of activities and so forth.
Enter a caption (optional)It seems like your designs are far more developed than the classic jungle gym, slide, swing set and playground style. How do you balance the classic playground fixtures with new, innovative ideas?
The basic functions of a playground rarely change. Climbing, sliding, crawling, etc. It's all a means to get kids to move, think, and interact. With perhaps a few exceptions, most innovations are derived from the same concepts, but with some new means of doing the same thing. Different materials will come along and become popular, and sometimes technology will change too.
Was there a specific moment in life where you realized you wanted to pursue a creative path?
At least as early as 1st grade. I'm not going to say I'm proud of it, but when I'd get bored of classwork, I'd tell the teacher I was done so I could go sit in the corner and play with the clay. Ever since then I always gravitated towards making stuff and skill-oriented learning. I took art class throughout middle and high school, welding and autobody in high school, and was a studio arts major for several years.
Who are your design heroes?
I'm a big fan of architecture, especially early 20th century to mid-century. Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen and Joseph Eichler, anything from craftsman to art deco to googie; futurists like Daniel Simon and Syd Mead; designers like Franco Sbarro, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Raymond Loewy, Eames, Le Corbusier, Andy Chick, Alex Tremulis. And my brother, Steve Guice. I grew up watching him draw, build models, and make all sorts of stuff and followed along. My grandfather, Bill Murray (the funnier Bill Murray) was big into R/C Airplanes and was probably the first adult I ever knew that built models and was always willing to share the hobby with me and my brother.
Do you have any projects coming up that you are particularly excited about?
We have three museum projects in the works that should be fun to work on.
What is your favorite project that you've completed (professional or personal) and why?
My favorite so far is a 70' climbing tower I worked on for a children's museum in Las Vegas. Not only my largest project to date, but my most involved, where I had my hand in almost every phase from concept to fabrication and install.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)What tools (physical or digital) do you find yourself using repeatedly?
My go-to tools are Sketchup/Vray (and a bunch of plugins), Photoshop and InDesign. Occasionally Solidworks.
Is there any work out there that you've come across recently that you've really loved?
Do you mean from my projects or works from others? Since we're not in the same market, I suppose I can compliment them. I came across this recently and just love it:
Image via Proludic Do you have a ritual for getting in work/design mode (music you listen to, certain exercise, food you eat) aka a productivity tip?
My best work is always late at night, 10pm to 3 or 4am, some OK Go, and way too much caffeine. Depending on the project, I often find myself visiting toy stores (especially independent stores with large dramatic play, science, and educational sections) and/or industrial/farm stores like Tractor Supply. If there's something I need to figure out mechanically, it's almost always already been done in toy or implement form.
Outside of your professional life, do you have any other creative outlets or hobbies?
I've got 3 kids, so most of my spare time is spent with the family, hiking, traveling, and so forth. We homeschool, so we get to be flexible. We love State and National Parks, historic places, you name it. Pinterest is great, but the best inspiration is analog. I'm a big car nut, always wrenching on one or drawing one or dreaming about what I could do to one. And I'm an 80's action figure/cartoon nerd, so I'll model old toys in SketchUp or design new versions myself, some I've even started 3D printing.
Enter a caption (optional)If you're stuck on a desert island and can only bring three (design) tools, what are they?
I'm assuming there's no power source for a CNC or 3D Printer…
I've got a 30" stainless T-square I figure would come in handy as a pick ax or for hunting and/or defense, a cheese grater file, and a massive block of blue foam.
Do you have any tips for getting the most out of your Coroflot portfolio?
Stay active. I've been a member for almost 10 years, but only recently got active about updating my projects and now suddenly I've gotten a ton of attention I never had before.
To see more of Nathan's work, check out his Coroflot portfolio!
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