Jonathan Russell

2012-01-24T03:06:00.002-05:00

2012-01-18T00:35:00.003-05:00

2012-01-17T23:08:00.002-05:00

2012-01-10T00:00:00.003-05:00

Not really serious with this... Just wanted to have fun and to be unconventional.

2012-01-09T20:11:00.001-05:00

Yamaha R6 Redux

2012-01-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

Porsche and Harley-Davidson Update.

2012-01-06T16:45:00.001-05:00

New business card. Half the height of a traditional card. Nice proportion.

2012-01-06T01:24:00.002-05:00

Updating old projects. Full portfolio coming soon.

2012-01-02T21:30:00.002-05:00

Good to be home.

2011-12-30T21:47:00.002-05:00

2010 Michelin quick redo. Originally had a crazy wheel but boring truck. Now I have a completely crazy vehicle. It's the future...

2011-12-27T18:36:00.001-05:00

New Nikon D7000 with new 50mm 1.4G :) Just in time for the Detroit Auto Show... Pics coming soon.

2011-12-05T05:48:00.001-05:00

This project is HUGE in scope so in my opinion it should have been a two semester project and it should also have been designed to go into a book instead of on five, seven foot long boards. It was a group project so that alone made it complex but trying to fit all of your ideas and sketches onto one board + a group board is practically impossible. ANYWAYS, here is my portion of the project + the combined group board which I was in charge of. The graphic layout of it at least, which admittedly was rushed. Both are kind of unorganized but I think it should make sense.

The portfolio pages will be much better organized. Time to get on that!

BTW, Blogger seems to shrink images a lot. So here's a link to a larger resolution image:

High Resolution

2011-12-02T16:29:00.001-05:00

2011-11-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

Overly complicated craziness is due this weekend... AHHHH! It'll happen but I will be ready to crash once it does.

2011-11-19T12:22:00.001-05:00

2011-11-13T18:12:00.007-05:00

Semi-final side view. Strange proportions I know, but it looks cooler in 3D. Form follows function in this case. Final function sketches to come soon.

There is shared mobility and then there is social mobility. My vehicle and its internalized system were derived from two different paths of thinking.

Its shared mobility is set in the idea that the vehicle can be rented in a network. A customer purchases the right to use the vehicle as the inexpensive option to outright purchasing the vehicle itself. If you were to purchase the vehicle, you would have full rights to the vehicle and you would be the only person able to control it. If you buy into the rental program, you get an app for your phone that allows you to ‘call’ a vehicle. One of the vehicles in the system will find you and take you to where you need to go. Once you are at your destination, the vehicle is up for grabs to anyone else in the network.

There is also the social mobility path of thinking. Max Weber and Karl Marx believed that the modern urban society creates a sense of alienation among its populace. They both noticed a shift in behavior of people in urban environments in which people began to distance themselves from strangers and other things. Marx saw this as a transitional stage to a more glorious future. Max Weber didn’t have the same thoughts however. He believed our modern world creates an “iron cage” rather than the Garden of Eden. Creating a system, in which the inhabitants of a city interact and communicate with each other more effectively, essentially unites the population. Ideas are spread this way, creativity flourishes and people live happier. This gives us the garden rather than the cage. My project aims to break down the invisible barrier that stops us from interacting with each other.

Vehicles seek out each other like schools of fish, using the combined shape for an aerodynamic benefit. The vehicles also each have a combination of laser and camera sensors that analyze the environment, inspecting it for obstructions. This information is then shared to all vehicles around it and implemented into the GPS database for real time adjustments. The occupants can also fully interact with other vehicles in the ‘school.’ They can talk to each other or bring up a friend at a computer or with a phone to act as a virtual passenger.

The vehicle’s most obvious functional trait is its ability to stand. The front two wheels separate for a wider footprint and the rear wheel tracks forward, lifting the back end of the vehicle up. The body side door opens up (almost like a gull wing door) creating an awning and the seat positions itself upright, putting the occupant in a standing position for easy ingress and egress.

The wheel slightly varies between the two front tires/wheels and the rear tire/wheel. The front two are extremely narrow wheels. They are approximately three inches wide and 15 inches tall. The rear wheel is larger at 6 inches (curved like a motorcycle) and 19 inches tall. All three wheels operate through a unique mechanism based on magnetic propulsion and suspension. Each wheel is solid with metal inserts and is surrounded by a series of three magnetic rings. On either side are propulsion and braking rings and in the center of the wheel is a ‘C’ shaped suspension ring. The wheel is suspended inside this magnetic ring so that the wheel doesn’t physically touch any part of the vehicle. This also means that inside the wheel, there is only one moving part, the wheel itself. This whole system allows the vehicle to lean into turns and to operate its lifting mechanism.

2011-11-07T16:17:00.002-05:00

2011-11-05T16:35:00.001-04:00

2011-11-04T16:16:00.003-04:00

Studio project surface teaser.

2011-11-03T04:38:00.002-04:00

2011-10-28T00:59:00.003-04:00

2011-10-26T17:20:00.000-04:00

2011-10-26T01:50:00.002-04:00

2011-10-24T05:08:00.002-04:00

2011-10-23T23:23:00.002-04:00

Battery concept for studio. Description soon.

2011-10-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

2011-10-15T16:17:00.001-04:00

2011-10-14T01:43:00.002-04:00

2011-10-13T18:18:00.001-04:00

2011-10-11T18:57:00.002-04:00

BMW Internship: America 2076, Vehicle System

2011-10-07T18:51:00.000-04:00

KTM 1190

2011-10-05T12:17:00.002-04:00

2011-09-27T23:56:00.001-04:00

1/2

2011-05-19T15:52:00.000-04:00

Welp... The first half of the internship is over. My personal project is coming along nicely I think. It's totally different from anything I've ever done. So that's kind of exciting. I've created a whole new sketching/rendering style (for me) for this project. I feel that it flows a lot better with my rough sketch style. I've always had a rough initial sketch and progressed it to a pretty tight/soft rendering. This new style still describes form but does so in a looser way and adapts to my sketches better.

Not that anyone really cares about the details of my sketching style lol. Just know that I'm excited to see improvement in myself and this project I'm working on is much different than what I've done in the past.

On to the real news. I've tried every beer at my local grocery store. I'm going to have to find new sources for random German/European beers.

The crazy thing is that I fully enjoyed each of them. You would think that there would be one of the group that didn't really suit me but nope. I think I just really like German beer. Or maybe I'm just easy to please.

Michelin Booth

2011-01-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

Sketching at the autoshow

2011-01-17T17:13:00.002-05:00

DETROIT

2011-01-17T00:19:00.000-05:00

cool

2011-01-16T01:20:00.000-05:00

Owners Suite

2011-01-13T15:26:00.001-05:00

Working on all of the details for it right now.
  This is the rear of the ship and the floors are independent of the rest of the ship. So where the majority of the ship has 4 floors, the owners suite takes up 3 floors on its own.
  You can enter via an elevator that takes you to the bedroom, or through two hallways that take you to the lower lounge area of the owners suite.
  The bedroom and the lounge area are connected by two stairways in a very open configuration.
  Behind the bedroom is the central skylight that divides the room allowing space for the bathroom and a closet.
  On three sides of the bedroom are balconies offering a full panorama of whatever view is available. The lower lounge are has a balcony as well.
  The elevator is cable free and raises into the bedroom with a circular sheet of glass for safety reasons. When the elevator leaves the room, the glass raises and a substitute floor takes its place and the glass lowers leaving unobstructed floor space.
  Both levels of the owners suite are covered by windquils that can move out of the way exposing the suite

I've got a lot to do still on this but I can see the end in sight. I'm working on a concept bed, dresser system, stairway, and all of the major details I've left out so far.

Sad

2011-01-12T17:25:00.002-05:00

OMG

2011-01-10T12:47:00.000-05:00

I know I am a fanboy of Porsche but damn this is sexy.

So Nice

2011-01-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

Moto Guzzi V7

Small Portfolio

2011-01-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

I had to reduce my 50 page portfolio to 13 pages, a cover page and a resume page.

Odd

2011-01-02T19:07:00.000-05:00

This bike is just odd but I kinda love it. A liquid cooled bike from the 1920s...

Lusting

2010-12-30T18:40:00.000-05:00

do want... http://www.bikeexif.com/triumph-bonneville-custom-5

2010-12-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

bored with cars and yachts... quick alias vase.

Lunar Eclipse/Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T15:49:00.001-05:00

First time in 500 years they have overlapped.

coming home for the holidays.

2010-12-20T17:09:00.002-05:00

Awesome Product

2010-12-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/core77_exclusive_ideos_i_miss_my_pencil_c60_redux_brings_touch_back_to_music_18104.asp

c60 Redux from IDEO on Vimeo.

Snow

2010-12-13T08:34:00.001-05:00

First real snow of the year... It's 9 degrees

Go-Cart

2010-12-12T04:49:00.000-05:00

Just now loading pictures from my phone onto my computer... Haven't done so in a while.

Yacht Sneak Preview.

2010-12-11T03:00:00.002-05:00

The Windquil surface covers the entire roof of our yacht. Sun hits it it, Wind blows over it, and it blocks light to cool down interior temperatures. When the wind blows over it, visual waves form from the light and shadows created by the moving surfaces. ~ 6000 individual surfaces cover the roof. This is just a sample section.

Sanding and prepping for glaze.

2010-12-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

2010-12-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

www.cardesignnews.com

Finalists

2010-12-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Joel, Boris, Brent, Jose, Vaughan, Tim, Kelly and I are the 8 finalists for the 2010 Michelin Competition. Winners are announced tonight.

Everyones Board

2010-12-08T09:25:00.002-05:00

2010-12-06T06:44:00.003-05:00

Michelin Board

2010-12-05T05:16:00.000-05:00

Print size 7 feet tall... Thank god Michelin is paying for them!

cutaway 2

2010-12-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

1 of the 20 sections of the wheel.

Contrast

2010-12-04T07:31:00.000-05:00

The excess or lack of contrast I find interesting...

Cutaway Model

2010-12-02T03:54:00.002-05:00

Truck Concept

2010-12-01T06:58:00.002-05:00

Not too proud of the aesthetic of the thing... It's that time in the semester when I cannot continue designing, I just have to produce so I'll have to live with it. I do like the concept behind it, however. I may end up revisiting the concept some day.

Also, I've gotten a lot of criticism on my lack of color in my work. So this is the start of what hopefully ends up becoming a nice technique. I like my surfacing but I still struggle with glass. I'll figure out something sometime.

I can't believe it's December...

2010-12-01T00:10:00.003-05:00

Wheel Color Testing

2010-11-30T02:14:00.001-05:00

What do you think?

Morning

2010-11-29T08:20:00.003-05:00

I miss waking up to this view.

Michelin Update

2010-11-29T04:05:00.000-05:00

Getting close to rendering this thing...

color?

2010-11-29T00:02:00.002-05:00

I need a break from Alias...

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T18:25:00.000-05:00

Why is it that everyone huddles around our tiny TV and plays Call of Duty?

art school...

2010-11-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

...is visually interesting. A CCS student's hallway display used this net repeated throughout the entire hallway which created a cool effect.

I need a super computer.

2010-11-16T21:41:00.005-05:00

The yacht is so incredibly complex.

Random photos...

Tread

2010-11-15T02:45:00.003-05:00

Fog

2010-11-12T07:33:00.003-05:00

Vaughan pointed out the window and said "check it."so I did and decided to go for a drive. The fog made everything look so cool.

Detroit + 5am omega man experience + fog = a good

Sleep Weather

2010-11-12T02:03:00.001-05:00

It's been foggy and cold and perfect sleeping weather. Too bad my daily schedule is so messed up right now. I feel like I haven't gotten a good nights sleep in a week.

The pics are of my apartment and my daily walk to school.

Michelin Wheel Concept

2010-11-11T01:12:00.000-05:00

Unfinished model*

No Sleep...

2010-11-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Makes me see the world differently... Probably helps that the weather has been weird.

INCREDIBLE

2010-11-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Go HERE to see this image in full size and look at all the galaxies. Gotta love the super thin one closest.

Looking Back: Freshman Year

2010-11-09T20:22:00.004-05:00

Large Hadron Collider and My Michelin Wheel

2010-11-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

There isn't any tread on the tire yet but this is generally what it will look like. I'm considering making the spokes cooler haha. I think they need to do something like the surface in the first picture of this post. I love the LHC. So intense.

Yacht

2010-11-08T00:49:00.001-05:00

The guys would kill me if I posted a clear shot of our model but it's coming together well and the hull will be on the mill this friday. It's really exciting right now and I'm really happy with how it's looking. It will be pretty bad ass.

Here are some of the things going on:

6 ft. foam hull (we received the foam for free)

~ 5 ft. of 3D printed surfaces for the rear of the ship (this is the expensive part but totally worth it I think)

Fully designed interior and built in Alias

Fully detailed structure and components physically built

Fully detailed deck and bridge area physically built

Designed and Alias built helicopter

Designed and Alias built tender ships

Designed and Alias built island (also physically built)

I'm probably missing something but our goal for this thing is to be the most extensive and thought out project CCS has ever produced. I'm excited.

Nearing Final Design

2010-11-06T02:15:00.001-04:00

I've got to work the front, rear, how the suspension works and a few other things but I'm pretty sure this is how it's going to look for the most part.

classy

2010-11-04T22:27:00.002-04:00

No Facebook

2010-11-03T18:08:00.000-04:00

So Rob and I switched passwords on Facebook. Allowing neither of us to sign in until we give up. We both agree the site alters your mind and takes over your life so we are giving up for a good long while. Lets see how life improves hopefully.

Truck Changes

2010-11-02T03:39:00.000-04:00

So... My attempts to create a slab sided form aesthetically pleasing failed and so this is the start of my updated truck. It can now have two full tandem seats and is more organic looking. The drivers side view of the truck will have glass all the way to the ground and the typically passenger side of the vehicle will have a air vent for the turbo diesel engine in the center of the vehicle.

Also I'm coming up with a way that the flat bed can lower to create a more traditional bed for soft objects like dirt that can't be tied down. It's going to be cooler than the surface just dropping though... It's probably going to create an interesting form when it happens.

Upgrades to Crafts

2010-11-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

Halloween Weekend

2010-10-31T20:15:00.001-04:00

Michelin Update

2010-10-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

More comin

2010-10-25T18:47:00.004-04:00

Saturday

2010-10-23T17:34:00.000-04:00

Woke up and Von, Dan, Raf and I built this table for our futon. It is now our dining table/coffee table.

It's ART!

2010-10-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

Dan spilled spaghetti, Rob claimed its artfulness, and we snapped this picture.

Portfolio

2010-10-19T15:11:00.001-04:00

So I just finished my portfolio and I am still going to have to redo it this winter break to make it really nice but for most purposes this will do. Here is my portfolio

Truck Direction

2010-10-19T09:52:00.004-04:00

So this is my initial concept and it's pretty rough. It will change and I don't have the front designed yet but it'll come soon. Aimed at the year 2021, the truck will be about a Ford Ranger in length and a F150 in width, will be lowered to be more urban oriented and aerodynamic, has a massive flat bed to strap down large objects and allows for lots of internal storage space, it's mid engined, and there will be single and tandem seating versions that locate the driver and passenger on the left side of the vehicle to incorporate a bed that stretches the full length of the truck.

I know it's pretty different and weird but this configuration allows for drywall and full wooden beams to fit on the bed which current trucks this size can't do. I'm working on a tie down system and extending bed bumpers (to allow objects that can't be tied down like dirt or gravel to not move around on the bed). The whole thing will be a mixture of a monocoque and unibody chassis focusing on aluminum and carbon fiber to lighten the overall vehicle weight.

The wheel concept is pretty much nailed down I just haven't finalized the aesthetic of it yet.

Update

2010-10-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

So I know I haven't been showing any work lately but that should change soon. I finally have a direction for my Michelin project and it's kinda far out. Historically the crazier designs have won the competition and I want to win pretty badly cause the top 3 or so get a bit of recognition and get to be at the Michelin booth at the Detroit Autoshow to sketch on a 20 foot screen in front of everyone (plus prize money and a trophy). Would be pretty cool.

The yacht project is still being kept secret but it is pretty awesome. Rafael, Jordan and I have been coming up with some really awesome ideas in my opinion. Our final design will probably come this week and if not then it will early next week. We will start the exterior alias model immediately after and while we are doing that, we will start designing the interior spaces which we just recently blocked out and packaged. Once the exterior alias is done, we will have the foam milled out into the rough shape of our yacht. We also just received all of our foam for the six foot model for free so that saved us like 300 dollars or something. We will still have to get quite a bit rapid prototyped because we have some pretty crazy details that will be nearly impossible to do by hand given the time we have.

Oh yeah and we also plan to design and build all of the tenders, sea doos and helicopter. Oh and we are creating a book with the entire process, story, and finished renderings of the project.

Sooo I'm pretty excited about what's going on right now... If only I had more time!

Toledo

2010-10-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

Goin to Toledo

2010-10-14T12:40:00.000-04:00

To explore the interior and engine room of this ship.

Mediocrity

2010-10-05T20:07:00.001-04:00

New Tools

2010-10-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

I'm learning a lot of new stuff in Alias this semester. Both my hatred and love for this program is growing.

AWESOME SKETCHES

2010-10-04T22:57:00.002-04:00

Dossin Boat Museum

2010-10-02T18:51:00.000-04:00

Got some good model inspiration from this.

Michelin Tall & Narrow

2010-09-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

This is the future according to Michelin. A short/fat tire about 20 inches in diameter and tall/narrow tire that accommodates a rim about 21 inches in diameter. We have to base our design around this basic principal. Reduce rolling resistance and improve fuel economy for a 2021 light duty truck.

My truck is going to be constructed to be ultra low weight with decent strength characteristics by using carbon fiber and plastics for the chassis and body. It will also have all-wheel-drive via four electric motors. My tire is going to be tall and narrow as a base but will slightly change shape to increase surface area and diameter when it needs to go off road, or increase its load bearing capability. On the highway it will narrow back up and smoothen it's surface for high speeds and fuel efficiency.

Sketches coming soon.

1968 Schwinn

2010-09-25T20:52:00.001-04:00

So... My old bike was stolen. Picked this up for 100 (down from 125) bucks which is a pretty good deal I think considering it's in pretty good shape and everything works well. I'm keeping this one inside from now on haha.

On a different note, I will start posting sketches from both my Michelin project and a select few from the 300 foot mega yacht (we are trying to keep it hush hush because this has some pretty radical ideas and we are trying to win the world super yacht competition) in a couple days. I know it looks like I haven't been doing much work seeing as I haven't posted any but briefs have been changing constantly and I've had to rework some stuff.