PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
DETROIT TREADS
There is an abundance of tires in Detroit's waste stream, Detroit Treads uses these tires as the soles of our sandals, providing a stylish and functional way to get tires out of the landfills and back to good use.
MY ROLE: After the completion of the Integrated Product Design course in 2011 the Treads team let go of their project and it was then taken over by myself and one other original member from The Hope Garden, Neil Zemba. Our task was to move forward with full-scale prototypes including 3D modeling, weight distribution tests, and foot sampling. To complete the project I applied for a fifteen hundred dollar grant from The Center for Entrepreneurship and was granted the funds to complete the project.
THE HOPE GARDEN
Our design challenge was to find a way to both pull waste from the overgrowing waste streams of Detroit as well as create a manufacturing process that could provide jobs to undereducated workers. Through our process of using recycled glass and pallet wood, we created a beautiful 100% recycled Hope Garden that utilizes waste stream materials and provides manufacturing jobs to the residents of Detroit.
MY ROLE: I was one of two art students on the team responsible for sketching, prototype, and product design. The team's website, logo, and final design of the product were created by myself and the other art student.
