Metro Clock

Intention

Write about the big ideas behind your project? What are the goals? Why did you make it? What are your motivations?

In my hometown Los Angeles, the transit system is very expansive and time-oriented. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of the time to travel efficiently. I want to create a clock that includes multiple layers of acrylic (each layer depicting a different route) so that its users can alternate the transit routes and keep track of the time. My motivation and goal is to create an all-in-one product to help people keep track of transit travel time.

Sketch

[Include sketch with as much details as possible, like: approximate dimensions, materials, layers, textures, colors, and aesthetic influences.]

Research & Context

[How does your outcome relate to other work in the field? What makes it similar or different to other objects of the same genre? How have other objects failed to solve the problem you have identified?]

I analysed the most popular routes and looked up their maps on Metro’s website. 

I found that the red, green, gold and expo were most frequently used, so I decided those were the ones I wanted to feature.

Transit assistance usually comes in the form of apps and websites. However, it is a multistep process to check the time, log into an app, find your specific transit, etc. My object is simplified and provides clear outlines of main transit routes while displaying the time. It solves the problem of overcomplexity. 

Aesthetic & Inspiration

[What influenced your design? Is there a specific style, art movement, or natural phenomena? Include at least one example. Can be a still image, video, or music.]

My aesthetic inspiration came from seeing this multi-layer acrylic clock. However, mine is different because it is not digitally displaying time, and instead is solving an issue within public transit efficiency. 

Process & Procedure

[Outline your approach to the project. What steps did you take to design, model, sketch, and prototype this projects? What ideas did you generate and how did you refine or reject them? How did you use cutting, etching, scoring? What challenges were encountered and how did you resolve them? Include photos of prototypes, redesigned sketches, design worksheets, and failed trails.]

First, I will need to design the different layers of acrylic. I will do this in Adobe Illustrator. The lines will be simple and etched. To prototype this, I will first test the etching and line weight on one piece of acrylic. I may want to use different colors per layer, so I may need to run multiple tests to see how well the etching shows up with different colors. I also need to make a base to hold all the layers. I think I will make this out of acrylic as well, but am open to testing wood. I will need to test the base to get a feel for whether or not the layers of transit routes can fit in smoothly. Different materials and cut sizes may help.

Because Hunt was closed, I used the Design Lab laser cutter. This was different because it accepts only Illustrator files. Luckily, due to the intricate graphics (maps) on each clock piece, I had done renders in Ai. The laser cutting process included selecting all the lines that needed to be cut, and then selecting all the graphics that needed to be etched. To save time, I did a thin “cut” at a low power to create the effect of etching. The only graphic that was actually etched was the front piece (with the numbers). 

Two Renderings

[Two renderings on complete project styled with finished background, lighting, positioning, reflection]

Five semi-pro photos

[Five semi-professional photos with care given to context, lighting, staging, scene]

*Please excuse the poor quality of these photos. I could not have much light on because it reflected too brightly on the surface of the clear acrylic and made it difficult to see the map etching. The darkness made it difficult to capture high-quality pics, but I think these represent the clock well nonetheless!

Reflection

[Reflect on the process of making this project. What did you learn? What would you do differently?]

This project was extremely rewarding. Due to the intricate graphics I had done to represent each route’s map, I ran into so many obstacles with the rabbit laser. For some reason, it would not show up on the program. Classmates had suggested that perhaps the rabbit laser program was too outdated for such an intricate design. At office hours, Professor Larson and I discovered that it might’ve been the overall size (being either too large or too small) that prevented it from showing up. I had created a simplified clock just to complete the assignment, but really wanted to pursue my original concept because I thought it was interesting and wanted to display it on my website. Therefore, when I was finally able to see it come to life, I felt like the whole process was worth it.

N/A due to the graphic-heavy nature of this design.