Lucas Barnes

Industrial Designer

About Me

ProfileDesign EthosDesign Process

Highlight Work

Cactus-Skin Wallets'UniPrep' Portable Meal System'Candlepot' Aromatic In-Home FixtureModular Kitchen StorageCrafting & Materials ExplorationVisual Storytelling Practice

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Design Process Priorities

1 — Thorough Research in Concept Framing

I start with lots of research to develop a deep understanding of the reasoning behind previously successful design decisions within the chosen product space, often including but not limited to form, function, scale, price, material, manufacturing/assembly, end-of-life, etc. If possible, conversation(s) with the target audience and any accessible stakeholders is preferrable to gain valuable insight into product spaces I'm less familiar with.

Research from 'UniPrep' Portable Meal System

2 — Active Brainstorming in Concept Ideation

To come up with concepts, I prefer active brainstorming techniques like whiteboarding, and I usually have a pen and pad in my pocket or backpack. Rather than traditional sketchbooks, I prefer loose-page sketching, organized into folders for a more low-stakes, low-profile feel. I'll often take a 'looser' drawing medium such as charcoal to a large sheet of newsprint, giving myself the freedom to be expressive.

In my CMU studio, doing some "sketching warm-ups"

3 — An Amenable Attitude in Concept Design

To develop concepts, I'll bounce between sketching, prototyping, more research, concept tweaking, and product engineering drafts, consistently probing my peers—and the target audience if possible—for feedback, until a final iteration is ready for presentation.

In my CMU studio, swapping feedback on our prototypes (see Crafting & Materials Exploration)

Software Proficiency

2D CAD Software

Graphic design, photo editing, document design, and digital collaborative brainstorming.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Miro

Webflow

Figma

3D CAD Software

3D modeling (parametric), mesh repair, 3D print slicing, product engineering, and 3D rendering.

SOLID-WORKS

IdeaMaker (Slicer)

Autodesk Meshmixer

KeyShot

Clerical Software

Professional communication, documentation, and file sharing.

Google Workspace

Microsoft 365 Suite

Adobe Acrobat

Queued to Learn

3D modeling (direct and procedural), 2D drawings, photogrammetry, and more advanced 3D rendering.

Blender

Rhino3D

Autodesk Fusion

Autodesk AutoCAD

Agisoft Metashape

ZBrush