Hey, I'm Brendan!
I’m a passionate industrial designer graduating from RIT. I approach design problems as a meaningful exploration, seeking the most methodical solution.
The action sports industry has always inspired me, both in design and as a lifestyle. I aspire to focus on this passion by designing for active sports, specifically motocross. My life motto is: “Build the lifestyle you wish to live by.”
Breaking out the foamboard
Prototypes
THE STRATEGY
I began to mock up several design options
through a series of physical prototypes.
01
PVC PIPE AND WOOD
This prototype was intended to see if the
concept would function properly.
Will it hold a heavy bag
and jacket?
Will it break up the
space too much?
Although this was not the intended form, the
functionality was validated with this quick mock-up.
A good start.
02
WHITE FOAM CORE
Ultra simplicity
With manufacturing in mind, I created a uniform
upright clamp. This specific model was designed
with a center divider in the bottom clamp in order
to fit between the split of two desktops. This
allowed the clamp to withstand the downward
weight of all the objects even as only foam core.
03
PVC PIPE AND WOOD
More hooks?
In my research, I found that employees also have
items like headphones, hats, and keys that they
bring to work everyday. This model explored the
need for additional hooks. It also eliminated the
lower centered divider from the clamp because it
limited the workspace placement possibilities.
Step 4
FEEDBACK
While Poppin liked my initial design,
they did raise a few questions.
01
FIRST CONCERN
Is the height of the hook too tall?
Does it become a distraction to the
office space?
02
SECOND CONCERN
Could this product be
commercialized more universally
than just Poppin’s desk system?
04
WOOD AND WHITE FOAM CORE
Hey, what about a lever?
Exploring ways to make the clamp adjustable to
multiple table thicknesses. I made a 1:1 scale
mock-up of Poppin’s Clever Lever and began to
build an enclosure for the lever and hooks to
sit flush within.
Too bulky
05
WOOD AND WHITE FOAM CORE
Lever Round 2!
This model took the first lever concept and made
it less bulky by decreasing the overall thickness of
the design by 1/3. However, this design was still too
visually burdensome and lacked elegance captured
by Poppin’s products.
06
WOOD AND WHITE FOAM CORE
Third time's the charm?
This was my third attempt at making the lever
less bulky and the clamp more universal. To add
functionality, I created the vertical piece from
aluminum and added laser cut tabs. This would
allow the hooks to be used in either direction,
giving the employee more versatility of use.
Ultimately, the form was just too complex.
No. Keep it
simple, stupid!
NEXT STEP
Prototype to pixels
Not quite ready to give up on the lever idea, I headed to the computer to quickly
generate some animated digital prototypes to see if I could still make it work.
