Industrial Design
Bag designer
Product Line
Chalk bags
Bouldering Buckets
Crash Pad Bags
Messenger Bags
Tech
Sewing machine
About
In 2009, I started climbing and one essential piece of gear was a chalk bag. My mom taught me how to sew when I was younger and whenever I needed something,
I always tried to make it first. Once I made one chalk bag, it soon turned into making hundreds of bags.
Process
For each bag design, I had to consider the material, size, and cost. The primary material was duck canvas which was available in a variety of colors and allowed for making each bag unique and durable. The rim of the bag contained a 5MM Buna-N rubber strip which allowed the bag to stay open. The chalk bags were closed with an elastic cord and cord stopper. Bouldering buckets were closed with velcro and could be rolled up and tightened with 1" nylon and a 1" plastic buckle.
Product Line
Green Guru Gear
Bike Bags
About
The Andromeda is a bike pannier and tote bag in one, made from upcycled banners.
Research
The idea was to take the bike pannier and make it versatile on and off the bike. Most panniers were either meant to stay on the bike or transformed into a backpack. I also found that many bags were large and bulky.
To design a bag that was stylish and easy to use on and off a bicycle.
Goal
Process
We first evaluated what features the bag should have. We wanted the bag to be useful on and off bikes, yet not bulky. We decided on a tote bag because it's an essential on-the-go accessory that allows space for large items or plenty of small items. The bag also needed to have reflective properties for increased visibility and was easily converted from a pannier to a tote bag.
Another challenge was the material. We were using upcycled banners so wherever we utilized the material it had to be functional and stylish. Upcycled banners are very durable, however, we had to consider where the material could crease and cause cracks. We also had to consider that our banners were donated so we were limited on the colors and designs that were printed on the material. We decided on the front panel because it allowed us to use a large piece of upcycled material.
For the pannier-to-tote conversion, we attached pannier hooks to a plastic sheet that was 0.125" thick. To cover the hooks while using the tote bag, we added a flap with a velcro closure. When the bag is on the bike, the flap can be easily lifted to place the hooks on the rack.
Conclusion
This was a fun project since I love the design process. Once the bag was designed, we created patterns for the manufacturer and started marketing the Andromeda. Since I also had the position as the marketing manager, I developed the marketing strategy for print and digital campaigns.