Hrant Arsenian

Portfolio of selected design works

Hrant Arsenian graduated from the Industrial Design department of Delft University of Technology in 2012. With a Master of Science degree he is specialized in Design for Interaction.

You can navigate through the projects by pressing the icons and images.

Ongedwongen 1.0

Project 2013

Design of a shelf-desk-closet system for personal use.

This furniture, made entirely out of wood, is based on Hrant's vision on design in general and it can be described by one Dutch word: "ongedwongen". Which can be translated as unstrained, unforced, naive, casual and free. This concerns the design process as well as the final product. Trying to work in harmony with the natural and man made world. With this vision the desk-shelf and closet are created. All different parts are free yet connected and nothing is fixed permanently, there are no screws/nails/glue and even the columns of the shelf desk rotate. The important factor here is accuracy, all holes must have the exact size and alignment. The centre of gravity is calculated so that the furniture wont flip over even if you lean heavily on the desk. The construction stays stable thanks to the weight of the shelves and the stuff it carries (books, boxes, computer etc.). The closet is an open type, you can see all your clothes hanging like in a shop, you can store socks and underwear in boxes if you want to, but the challenge is to keep your clothes nicely folded and sorted so it wont look messy.

You may have noticed that none of the shelves have the same height but are scaled proportionally, this gives a more natural "ongedwongen" look. The desk and the shelves are not separate but one. The further away you get the smaller the space becomes - just like - the thinner the air high in the sky or smaller the branches on treetops.

When placing the furniture on an uneven or soft floor, loosely fixing two back columns on both sides to the wall will solve any safety issues.

Fitto

Project 2012

Concept development of interactive fitting room lights for the company Lightwell in Amsterdam.

The design consists of two LED light bars, a square LED light panel and a control panel. The aluminium light bars are positioned on both sides of the mirror and are tilted to a specific angle to maximize the light output and minimize the unwanted shadows on the face and body. The square light panel is fixed to the ceiling and its 60 x 60 cm size makes sure the light is distributed evenly removing dark corners inside the fitting room. Both lights have a milky white anti glare cover. The control panel has a infrared sensor that detects movement, while the room is empty the lights are slightly dimmed, indicating an empty fitting room, on entering the lights become bright as sort of a welcoming sign. The aluminium control panel further has three soft-touch buttons with the labels “daylight”, “studio” and “candle”, these buttons control the colour temperature of the LED lights simulating different atmospheres.

Advantages of using LEDs in this case is that it's cost efficient, the colour temperature can be manipulated, it doesn't radiate infrared meaning the room is cooler and more fresh and it doesn't radiate ultraviolet meaning the lights wont attract flies or other bugs. These LEDs have a very high color rendering index, this ensures that the colors of the garments will look exactly as they are intended.

Storobo

Project 2011

Master final thesis: Research and development of a storytelling tool for the DOK Library concept center in Delft.

Storobo is an interactive storytelling tool concept, with the purpose of socially connecting the visitors. It consists of a 40 inch touch-screen positioned ergonomically on a painted MDF holding table optimal for both viewing and operating. On the screen there is a application that invites visitors to vote on a proposition, add their story browse previous propositions and stories in an intuitive manner. The proposition is one sentence which is provided by the library and serves as a stimulus which should change weekly. For testing purpose a few examples were made up, for example: “Dutch food culture is the best in the world” or “There is no such thing as unconditional love”. Visitors can vote “agree” or “disagree”, the application keeps count. This is the initial state, they are afterwards invited to add a comment which appears like a post-it on the screen. The post-its overlap each other randomly and users can drag them around, click to enlarge and add reply messages. All the interaction happens using the multi touch technology.

For improvement there should be added a regulating application, from where workers of the library can monitor potential harmful messages. Also an option where the visitors themselves can submit propositions and vote on them. Each Storobo in different libraries can be unique by adjusting the propositions to the actuality and things happening in the city. The intention is to get people out of their secluded homes and put them in a social environment where they still can connect digitally and discuss matters concerning their community.

The name Storobo is a combination of the words “story” and “robot”.

Reuse: LED lamp

Project 2010

Philanthropy design by reuse for design project 1 at the design department of KAIST in South-Korea.

The concept is based on the question: “How can we design reusing PET bottles to make the consumers more aware of the waste and also make people aware of the possibilities of reuse?“ The answer is the modular MDF light tile containing 9 PET bottles illuminated by LEDs. The tile can be hanged on the wall or placed on a horizontal surface. The bottle-caps are fixed on the tile with a specific mechanism partly made from waste products such as aluminium cans and other bottle-caps, it contains a spring, a screw with a bolt, an LED and wiring. As soon as you screw a bottle inside the cap an electrical circuit is closed and the LED lights up. To make the tile more attractive it can have multiple type of skins which can be printed on regular paper and attached using Velcro.

For home application users can save bottles which they like and attach it on the tile. The amount of lumen you get depends on the amount of bottles that are attached on the square, you simply dim the lights by unscrewing one or a few bottles.

It is also possible to use multiple tiles in chain to cover a wall for example in a public space like a pedestrian tunnel, where the public can attach their empty bottles to the wall. They get an instant feedback which can be mentally satisfying and the trash doesn't end up on the streets or in nature.

The next step would be to set-up a production line where most of the workers have work disabilities and to spend most of the profit on educating homeless children. There could also be an online shop where users can submit and order skins for the tile. For promotional impact some of the skins can be created by famous artist.

Donaid

Project 2009

Innovative interactive hospitality design concept for Philips as part of the interactive technology design course at the Industrial Design department of TU Delft.

This interactive concept is made for blood donors to be used in the donation process, it guides the donor through the different stages and makes him or her feel more at ease. It consist of a squeezing ball, an interactive “plant” and an application on screen. The semi translucent silicon squeezing ball has LEDs and electronics inside and is handed to the donor after registration at the front desk, at that time it contains identification information such as name, age, blood-type. In a crowded waiting room the ball will light up when it is the users turn to donate, the nurse will scan the ball and will know the donors data which will be also be printed out on sticker to be attached to the blood-bag. During the donation the ball serves two purposes; one as to improve the flow of blood, this is crucial because blood needs to be donated within a specific time frame and two as a gaming device, by squeezing at regular intervals a game can be played with feedback on screen. The screen also contains data such as amount of blood donated, time remaining, heartbeat, etc. After donation the donor puts the ball inside a pot with the interactive plant. At this point the personal data is erased from the ball and the plant starts to gradually light up giving a sense of accomplishment and gratitude.

Cubico

Project 2008

Bachelor final project: Concept design for Prémaxx a company specialized in production of baby/sleeping bags and floor clothing for babies and toddlers. The company was depending too much on the baby bag for income. They wanted a new product that highlighted the aspects; travel/mobility and cotton. It needed to be an unique solution.

The final design is a toy bag, a cuddly robot, baby playground and a pouch, all in one. The design is made so it is not only functional but educational as well. Its dimensions are 40 x 40 x 40 cm. And it is made of high resilience foam and cotton fabric providing softness and durability. It can have the multiple functions by clever and specific transformations, inspired by folding of origami and kimono. The transformed shapes are held together by Velcro. The robot represents the silent guardian for the child during the state of emotional development at an early age. The transformation is done by the parent and when the child has developed grip they can actually do the transformation together. This teaches the aspect of working together and creates a closer bond between child and parent. There are many ways to play and transform and some parts also come off and can be used to play a game by throwing or stacking, this stimulates creativity. In bag form it can store some toys or diapers, although the space is limited and has extra weight because of the foam. In pouch form it can hold a person up to 60kg with ease.

There are some balance issues, but these can be easily fixed by redesigning or using different type of foam for the body and limbs.

Tomodo

Project 2007

A tracking system to be used during events and showcases in different countries for design project 3 at the Industrial Design department of TU Delft.

The design has a high emphasis on shape, tactility and ergonomics, due to the nature of the course. This was one of the first design projects. The tracking device is designed specially for gamers. With this device gamers can download site maps, get data about ongoing events, find game stands, locate friends or make new friends by profile. It has a small LCD screen, a mini-USB port, speakers, Wi-Fi, confirm and cancel buttons on top and an eight directional navigation button which serves also as an on off switch. Its shape should represent friendliness and “buddies” and also fit in the gamers already existing arsenal of devices. The model doesn't actually function, it is made for physical representation.

Possible improvement could be the addition of a strap hole, the device could be then hanged around the neck. More interactivity could be added in this scenario.

Note: In the time period the design was made, mobile touch-screens, smartphones and apps where not very common nor widely used, thus a specific tracking device would make sense back then.