Calvin Henderson - Industrial Designer

Small Projects

Here's some quick side projects and explorations.

Manneken Pis

Irreverent souvenir.

Submission for Souvenir Shop show hosted by Orchestra Studio. Participating designers were tasked with developing an elevated souvenir during the lockdowns of 2020.

Behind waffles, chocolate, and beer, Manneken Pis is one of the many iconic symbols of Belgium. The 15th century statue of a urinating boy was once used as a drinking fountain, but now serves as a monument to the unique spirit of the Belgian people. The statue is regularly dressed in various costumes during events in the city, and on occasion the fountain is hooked up to a keg of beer.

To create my souvenir, I took inspiration from some of the amazing and often irreverent PCB artwork that has started to adorn small batch electronics projects. The souvenir utilizes four layers of the circuit board (fiberglass substrate, gold-plated copper, black solder mask, and white silkscreen) to add artwork. The board is powered by a replaceable coin cell battery, and a switch on the bottom of the souvenir turns on LEDs which illuminate the eyes. A small hole at the top can serve as an attachment point for a key chain or ornament hook.

Client
Souvenir Shop

Role
2D Design, PCB Layout

Phases
Concept Development, Manufacture, Assembly

Status
2021 Design, 2021 Release.

Media Remote

Render Weekly 44, Buttons & Knobs.

Streaming media remote with backlit buttons and a capacitive touch pad. Uses a speckled CMF for added grip and visual interest. The remote takes inspiration from MIDI pad controllers, where the color of a button indicates status (e.g. a red microphone means the voice assistant is muted).

Client
Personal exercise

Role
Industrial Design

Phases
Concept Development, Visualization

Status
2019 Design, Concept

Nike Blazer Utility

Classic silhouette, modern materials.

Due in large part to collaborations with labels such as Off-White™ and sacai, the classic 1972 Blazer basketball sneaker has seen a resurgence. This concept analyzes other silhouettes that have been re-imagined under Nike’s “Utility Collection” with a focus on weather resistant materials and other visual indicators of performance.

Client
Personal exercise

Role
Industrial Design

Phases
Concept Development

Status
2019 Design, Concept

Spatula

Render Weekly 33, Spatula.

Spatula with flexible silicone overmold around a rigid core. In addition to providing colorway options, the removable head is designed to screw off in the event that it becomes damaged or frayed. Inspired by my own utensil that was slowly deteriorating due to exposure to high heat.

Client
Personal exercise

Role
Industrial Design

Phases
Concept Development, Visualization

Status
2018 Design, Concept