As I move forward with prototyping my camp table, it’s important to identify the key specifications and constraints guiding the design. These factors ensure that the final product isn’t just a creative exercise, but a practical, usable tool that aligns with my goals. Below are th … | Continue reading
For my main project in this course, I’ve been working on a simulated river environment inspired by naturalism. The idea was to create something that captures the essence of the outdoors a flowing, plant filled slice of nature that feels like it was taken straight from a forest an … | Continue reading
Timeline Because I had expected my project to take a long time, I had to settle on a design and buy the supplies as soon as possible. I anticipated that I would need to spend extra time understanding how to sew and figuring out how to use the sewing machine. Hence, I rushed to ge … | Continue reading
Project 1: Genshin Impact Floral Artifact Earrings Link for the Blog Inspired by the fantasy aesthetic of Genshin Impact, I designed and crafted a floral artifact earring that transforms in-game visuals into a tangible, wearable art piece. Using polymer clay, acrylic paint, and U … | Continue reading
Introduction This post is the complete fabrication and process behind the project. In my last post, I walked through the journey of creating a custom space-themed keyboard for my Aesthetics of Design final project. I explored the inspiration behind the aesthetic—drawing from cosm … | Continue reading
Throughout this semester I’ve had the opportunity to hone my ability to design beautiful systems. Too often as engineers we think only of function, in this course I was challenged to consider form, and to create working systems complying with a variety of artistic movements. I be … | Continue reading
Over the course of the semester, I have pushed myself to both learn new skills and revisit old ones. This class has been the first engineering course I’ve taken where grades are based on the appearance of my project, rather than its functionality, which has been a refreshing chan … | Continue reading
Stock Materials The first step in creating the wooden elephant baby rattle was selecting the stock material. I chose oak wood for this project due to its availability as a durable hardwood, which could be conveniently purchased from Home Depot. For the elephant’s body, I acquired … | Continue reading
Product Introduction My final project is a helmet based on the accessory of the protagonist in the anime Code Geass. This item will stand on a magnetic levitation display that will slowly rotate the object while levitating it using a permanent magnet. This object is intended as a … | Continue reading
When exploring the CU course search engine looking for technical electives I could take this semester, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon MCEN 4279 (Aesthetics in Design). Thinking it would be like any other projects class, I was excited to get my hands dirty working on some … | Continue reading
Hello all, My name is Chrisanna Bertuccio and I am a masters student in Biomedical Engineering also pursuing the Mechanical Design and Product Development graduate certificate from the Mechanical Engineering Department. During this course, I had the pleasure of creating two proje … | Continue reading
My project vision was to create a fantasy-inspired hidden compartment, something subtle enough to blend into a home setting. Influenced by my lifelong love of stories like The Lord of the Rings, Dune, and The Last of Us, I wanted the artifact to reflect the theme of something mag … | Continue reading
Hi there! During the Spring 2025 semester of my senior year at CU Boulder I ran a blog as a part of my Aesthetics of Design course. Throughout the semester I talked about a few different things related to design and in particular the choices and intentions behind them, however, m … | Continue reading
Inspiration At the start of this project, I knew I wanted to create something visual and expressive—different from my last piece, which was a functional fruit bowl. This time, I didn’t want to make a product or something practical. I wanted to make art that people could look at, … | Continue reading
Below is the timeline I created for the design preview post, and while I largely followed this closely, I was a little too ambitious with what I could get done in that time frame with all the work I had on my plate from Senior Design and other classes. While I did follow this tim … | Continue reading
I had a great experience taking aesthetics of design, as I felt it made me work a different part of my brain than previous classes had. For this class, we completed two separate projects, with the focus being on the aesthetic of said projects. Over the course of this class I lear … | Continue reading
Inspiration For my final project I want to create something that fits my personal aesthetic but is also a useful item, therefore I settled on making a clothing rack to store clothes. I’m very passionate about clothes and currently don’t have a proper way to store all of them. I m … | Continue reading
Aluminum Can Junk Art Upcycling 3 months ago Cole Sites Post 5 – 2025 : Upcycle Design 2 Comments Upcycling Aluminum Cans: From Junk to Junk Art and Abstract Floral Design The world of upcycling offers a fascinating opportunity to breathe new life into discarded materials, turnin … | Continue reading
Introduction For my main project, I decided to construct a planter and fountain combo in the industrial aesthetic. I used PVC and plaster to convey this aesthetic in the fountain and planter parts respectively. The overall assembly sits at about two feet by one foot in footprint, … | Continue reading
My semester in Aesthetics in design gave me the opportunity to work with my hands, and give real thought to the aesthetics of my designs. I was able to identify my personal aesthetic, work on projects with two very different aesthetics, and learn about multiple other schools of d … | Continue reading
Over the course of this class, I had the opportunity to engage with design from both a conceptual and hands-on perspective. I learned how to communicate through aesthetics, adapt creatively under constraints, and translate technical goals into expressive outcomes. My two major pr … | Continue reading
Description of Project Between my initial design preview and the final version of my project, a significant shift in direction has occurred. Initially, I planned to create a miniature bank safe at 1/12th scale, complete with a functional gear mechanism. This concept was inspired … | Continue reading
For the final project for this class I decided to create a staircase shaped display stand out of wood that I could use to show off different assorted knick knacks I’ve collected throughout the years. With this project, I really wanted the final product to be something that I like … | Continue reading
For my final project, I decided to make a Scandinavian modern TV stand. The initial design I settled on was heavily influenced by the “opposite” aesthetic that I chose- Brutalism, as it incorporates a concrete overlay to create the appearance of a thick, overhanging concrete slab … | Continue reading
This week marked a significant turning point for my naturalism-inspired river simulation project. I’ve finally transitioned from conceptual planning into hands-on building, making everything feel suddenly very real and exciting. There’s something deeply satisfying about moving fr … | Continue reading
For my project, I’m building a self-contained mini river environment that captures a slice of nature, but indoors. I’ve always been drawn to flowing water and riverbank ecosystems, so this is my attempt to bring that experience into my personal space. I want this piece to look li … | Continue reading
This class has been one of the more creative ones I’ve taken during my time in mechanical engineering. It gave me the space to explore aesthetics in a way I’ve never really thought about before. I got to make things that actually had meaning to me and that I would be proud to sho … | Continue reading
For my main project, I’m creating a self-contained river environment that functions as both a sculptural piece and living terrarium. This project aims to capture the essence of a natural stream while serving as a functional art object for interior spaces. Water continuously circu … | Continue reading
I used this class to deepen my understanding of design and build on the work I began in my previous graduate degree, where I explored the relationship between design and emotion. I earned my master’s in 2022, focusing on space station design and human habitation in space. Space s … | Continue reading
For my project I decided to make a planter with a fountain combined in it. My initial inspiration came from the fountains seen in some yards here in Boulder. I always enjoyed the dynamic element that these pieces can bring to a yard, which inspired me to create my own. My goal wa … | Continue reading
Welcome to My Aesthetics of Design Portfolio This post serves as the landing page for all the work I completed during Spring 2025 in the Aesthetics of Design course at CU Boulder. More than just a class, this experience was a journey in learning how to design with meaning—how to … | Continue reading
Project 1: Chocolate Packaging – Finca Don JorgeView Full Project Post My main project centered around designing chocolate packaging for Finca Don Jorge, a vertically integrated cacao plantation in Chiapas, Mexico. Inspired by my internship at the finca, where I witnessed the ful … | Continue reading
Designing the Cozy Cabin Perk-a-Cola Display The Cozy Cabin Perk-a-Cola Bottle Display started out as a nostalgic idea—a fun way to bring together something I’ve loved since middle school (Call of Duty: Zombies) with all the hands-on skills I’ve picked up during college. What beg … | Continue reading
This semester in Aesthetics in Design has been a fascinating exploration of combining functionality, artistic intent, and aesthetic theory. Through my two major projects, the Upcycle Project and the Main Project, I developed both my design thinking and technical skills while chal … | Continue reading
For my project I decided to make a planter box with a built in fountain. Initially, I planned on doing this project in a natural aesthetic, but I soon changed my mind to do an industrial aesthetic. I decided upon this change as I felt it left more room for a more interesting desi … | Continue reading
This week, I completed a preliminary version (V1) of the wooden elephant baby rattle I am designing for both my Aesthetics in Design course and as a gift for my soon-to-be-born niece or nephew; although unfortunately, it was damaged during one of the final fabrication steps. The … | Continue reading
Aesthetics of Design has helped me learn a great deal about my own aesthetic and aesthetics in general. Throughout this course, I’ve been able to explore fabrication concepts that I use every day, and do a sort of self-critique on my environmental impact as I use them. Additional … | Continue reading
Timeline Graphic The following graphic documents my actual design process over the course of the semester. The process has been split into the following stages: Figure 2: Timeline Fabrication Process Phase 1: Exploration & Concept Refinement The semester began with momentum from … | Continue reading
Throughout this class, I learned a lot about the intricacies that make designs enjoyable and categorize their aesthetics. I took the initiative in this class because it gave me creativity and freedom while choosing what to work on and what projects to pursue. Figure 1: Base of La … | Continue reading
Process documentation: The Space Cowboy Lamp is the result of a semester of work, including CAD designing, 3D printing, woodworking, and electronics. The overall timeline for this project can be seen below: The design process, as described by the timeline above, relied heavily on … | Continue reading
Through this course I created two projects with varying aesthetics but similar creation processes, where I was able to use resources I had, develop my skills, and come up with two final products which I now have for forever. I came into this class wanting an outlet to flex some o … | Continue reading
The creation of art is often a protracted dance between vision and execution, a meticulous process of translating abstract concepts into tangible realities. The brutalist fountain that took shape over several days was no exception, its construction a testament to both the initial … | Continue reading
For my project, I decided to create my own version of the board game Catan with a rustic and naturalistic aesthetic. Catan is a strategic and interactive board game (with tons of individual pieces) where players act as settlers that build settlements, cities, and roads while gath … | Continue reading
The construction of this project began with reaching out to Erik Gustafson, a Chicago based artist that specialized in wood working. I asked about his advice on incorporating a moving element into a lighting element crafted from wood. Being an engineer, we are constantly told tha … | Continue reading
Figure 1: Chocolate Packaging Render Introduction The story of chocolate is often reduced to indulgence, sweetness, or luxury. But true chocolate, dark chocolate made from carefully harvested and fermented cacao, holds much more than flavor. It holds culture, land, people, and pr … | Continue reading
I am currently in the prototyping phase of the design. I have made a few iterations adding a couple of the design specifications at a time. In the first prototype shown below, I have made the basic shape of the design with routing of the electronics and the initial circuitry. I w … | Continue reading
Project Progress The Cozy Cabin Perk-a-Cola Bottle Display has been a fun mix of nostalgia, design, and engineering—and it’s finally starting to come to life. Inspired by the Call of Duty: Zombies Perk-a-Cola machines, this project is more than just a shelf for display bottles. I … | Continue reading
The first requirement is that the lamp must be undistinguishably a mushroom. This project and aesthetic stems from the mushroom lap I saw at the café at the beginning of the semester. I really liked the look of the wood mushroom and the simplicity of the design. In the image belo … | Continue reading