From Buckets to Rain Barrels - fundraising

An invitation design I helped create for a fundraising gala for "From Buckets to Rain Barrels" in Partnership with NGO TEMBO.

Would you like to attend?
The Gala in on April the 9th, and tickets cost $100. All proceeds go to funding the continuation of the "From Buckets to Rain Barrels" project and "Project TEMBO."

Register here: http://forms.carleton.ca/sprott/from-rain-buckets-to-rain-barrels-fundraiser/

What is From Buckets to Rain Barrels ?

   The challenging climate of the Longido District in Tanzania contributes to a chronic water shortage. Longido District lies just north of Arusha and west of the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, in the heart of the Maasai culture. This region has a dry savanna climate. The district experiences extended periods of severe drought alternating with heavy seasonal rains that cause excessive flooding. Villagers have almost no means to capture and divert rainwater for community use, resulting in a chronic water shortage. Because of this water shortage, there is very little production of food crops in the immediate region, resulting in high levels of food insecurity. 

   The region is in critical need of sustainable water harvesting solutions. Carleton students will work with community residents to design and deploy innovative solutions that will allow villagers to capture and conserve rainfall runoff, as well as access it in an efficient manner. Business students will contribute their expertise by designing a financially sustainable structure whereby community residents would be employed in ongoing production and distribution, while industrial design students will contribute their expertise in designing a creative infrastructure and user solution using locally available materials and technologies.

What is Project TEMBO?

Project TEMBO in Canada is the fundraising arm of TEMBO. It is also accountable to donors and the the Canadian Revenue Agency for the proper use of the funds. The charity focuses on creating micro-enterprises and educational opportunities for girls and women in Longido, Tanzania. 

While the Tanzanian government funds primary school education, secondary school tuition and all school expenses and fees must be paid for by families. For many people, providing an education for their children is a ‘luxury’ they simply cannot afford. The situation is similar for post-secondary studies. The Tanzanian government is able to provide very few scholarships or grants.

Cheers,

I'd love to see you there! 

Bandage Dispenser - Quick Mini Project

This was a very quick design exercise, including product creation skills and packaging / graphic design skills. I built the dispenser in Solidworks and rendered it using Keyshot and Photoshop.

Description
The kitchen is the heart of the home, but is also one of the most dangerous rooms. Accidents happen and minor emergencies can leave us sprinting to find a bandage. By placing a bandage dispenser in a common cupboard or shelf, the panic to find a bandage will be decreased. The dispenser automatically unwraps the bandage allowing the user to use only one hand to apply the bandage. Simple info-graphics provide a quick reminder of the first-aid steps for dealing with minor cuts and abrasions. 

Logo design for Carleton University's " From Buckets to Rain Barrels" Project

Side Project: Kitchen Garden

As one of my industrial design projects this year, I've begun to design a small scale garden suitable for urban kitchens, such as those in apartments with little to no natural light. The following images describe my research process. Part of my process includes generating "critical project drivers" or CPDs. CPDs state all the features that a product must have, as well as feature that are nice to have or should be integrated if possible. These drivers focus on risks, costs, quality and timing associated with my project. 

More details after the break.   

Reflecting on my internship

The portfolio page of DV [UX] - I had a chance to contribute to some of the projects shown here.

DV [UX] is a design firm located on Elgin Street in the Downtown area of Ottawa, Ontario. The firm provides design services such as architecture, branding and UX(user experience) design. For the last 16 months I've been an intern / junior designer, working on UX and Graphic design projects. I've had so much fun and great experiences. It's been a blast, and I've learned so much about UX design. I feel like I have access to a whole new world of design opportunities.

Research & User Testing

I feel that I've learned valuable tools for usability testing in UX design. We study various user testing methods in school, but it was fascinating to see these tools put to use in the real world. Part of my responsibilities included interpreting information from focus groups, and gaining understanding of the user needs & wants. I used this information to create rich and compelling designs that were aligned with user feedback.

In another project, I worked with the UX Interaction researcher, and helped to create the initial prototypes to be used in user testing. I provided high-fidelity mockups with some functionality for use in beta-testing. I was then able to participate in and observe beta-testing of my designs to understand how the user really perceived the interface. During this process I collected notes from the tests and user interviews, that I later used in the final project designs.

New Programs & Tools

I feel that I gained valuable skills with new programs.

I made this nifty mock-up using fireworks.

• Fireworks - While it is not my favorite program to work with, it very useful in its own ways. My favorite aspect of this program was how easily and seamlessly I could work with both vectors and rasters in the same project. The addition of animation was great, allowing me to produce some compelling animated mockups when trying to give a client an understanding of the concept. However, the bugs in this program were occasionally very frustrating. Adobe has now discontinued the application and I don't believe it will be a major design tool for me in the future. That being said, I'm still happy to have the knowledge.
  

• Flash- I'll admit I'm not a pro with flash yet. I didn't work with it as much as I'd like to, but I did have a few opportunities. I made several simple "working" hi-fidelity prototypes of widgets and menus. I learned some simple code for Actionscript 3.0 and I now have the ability to create motion animations and simple movies. With a bit more practice, I'd like to create more complex animations.

• Balsamiq - A simple program that I really enjoy working with. It's easy to produce many clear and concise workflows very quickly. The limited visuals forced me to focus on the interactions rather than get caught up on appearance too early on in the design, and similarly allows the clients to focus on the concept as well.

• Wordpress - I had fantastic fun creating websites with this program. During the past few months I got to work on a few small sites, including the company website, and a site for a racing team.

• Moodle - Near the end of my work term I began working with Moodle. I didn't get to work in depth with it, as I was only present for the beginning of the project. However, learning about the LMS(Learning Management System) that is used by many institutions, including Carleton University, was pretty cool.

Design specs, Visual design and Asset production.

This knowledge is very valuable. I learned how to create pixel perfect assets and design specfications. I worked closely with developers to understand their needs and developed my ability to respond quickly to design requests. I also learned to how to create font-based assets for applications and websites using illustrator. On some projects, I worked with different visual designers and learned from their knowledge and skills. On other projects, I also the opportunity to provide visual design.




I really did enjoy my time at DV [UX].  With this experience I feel more confident. While I now feel more open to digital design (graphic, web and UX) I still really enjoy product design. I'm looking forward to seeing where my passions take me.

I'll be going into my fourth year of Industrial Design. Big projects and exciting designs await!


Cheers,
T. 

Music, Pirahna, Montreal

3md , Joey Langlois , Matt Holubowski , and Stefanie Parnell 

June 28, 2013 at the Pirahna Bar in Montreal

 It will be a great show!

Stay Fabulous,
T.

Website Update!

I've posted new art and updated the look of my online art portfolio.

Enjoy!
T.

Winter Musical Events!

Dec 22, 2012: Post Apocalyptic Rock Show
Poster by Tricia Flohr

Dec 26, 2012 : Boxing Day Festivities
Poster by Tricia Flohr

Hello All!

I hope you are enjoying the snow! If it is snowing where you are; here in Ottawa it is snowing non-stop. While I'm not a fan of the cold, I have to admit it's a nice change from the rain and ice. 
However, apparently the weather forecast is calling for a massive storm on Friday. Which is not so fun, especially since Friday is supposed to be the apocalypse or something like that. However if you do happen to survive the end of the world, I have some fantastic events for you to go to!

First off is the post-apocalypse rock show at BassLine Rocks: Pub and Eatery. I've recently been informed that "3MD" will also be joined by "The Missing Link". Then, on Boxing Day, 3MD and "The Arcanes" will be playing at the cozy blues bar: "The Rainbow Bistro." For more details check out the links under the posters.

It's going to be a lot of fun; if you are in the Ottawa area this December you should most definitely come and check it out!

What are your plans for the winter? Let me know in the comments!

Have a safe and happy Winter Solstice!
Stay Fabulous,
Tricia

Cat Lady

Some quick digital illustrations I did using a doodle from my notes.
Original doodle after the break.

Easy as ABC

This week in studio, our assignment was a short creative project: We had one day (6 hours) to go out into the world to find objects in sturctures and in nature that resmbled letters. We then had to create an alphabet of letters and spell out words with them. See more examples after the break!

Poster Update

 

Update! The poster now has a better title and a cover fee listed.

Posters Galore and Upcoming Events in Ottawa!

Events

3MD and Joey Langlois live at the Rainbow Bistro

3MD and Tales from the Backseat live at Bassline Pub

Recently I've been working on posters and artwork for local Ottawa bands. These are a few posters I've done for some upcoming shows for 3MD (3 Musicians and a Drummer). If you're in the Ottawa area during November, you should come check them out. They always put on a great show!

Stay fabulous!
Tricia