A2 Design project - Designers Desk

[LERsince1991]

Edit: Thought I would add the website to the into post
Link (http://novanta.design-is.co.uk)

Well for my last year in college I am designing a desk thats aimed at other designers but also is suitable for other parts of the market.

I wanted a clean looking solution that has crisp, sharp edges with an overall minimal, sleek design.

I have tried to integrate a lot of a designers equipment but at the same time maintain flexibility and allow different users preferences (different users like different equipment so it was important to allow for this).

I have made the desk quite large to fit a laptop, monitor and large sheets of paper on at the same time.
There is an area on the desk where a monitor will stand on top of, and a keyboard and mouse will fit underneath.
There are 2 high end speakers integrated into the worktop.
There are 3 drawers in the worktop, The left or right will be for drawing equipment and will be organized and customizable a lot like utensil drawers in some new kitchens. Places to put different pens, pencils etc...
The middle drawer is for electronic equipment as it has a 'tunnel' at the back for cables to go through. This is big enough for small form pc's, mac minis etc.. as well as graphics pads, docks, multi-plug power adapters, hard drives etc..
The other (left or right) is big enough to store a lot of A3 paper in and a laptop.

The worktop is MDF which will be sealed, painted and coated in some sort of durable gloss finish, speaker grille and underneath equipment area is square perforated metal, The legs are metal and solid plastic.
I haven't decided exactly on the types of metal or plastics.

Also I am yet to come up with a name so if something comes to your minds please post it.

I am about to make this design in school although I have had to work in certain constraints as we get marks for making it, not sending parts to a manufacturer.

I have tried to show the idea from the pictures but if you have any questions or comments please ask.
I wont bore your with all the details of how it will be made, components I will use or how parts work unless someone asks.

I have looked into a lot of complicated ideas but in the end I believe this simple (compared to others) worked the best as a product, not a piece of bespoke furniture tailored to one person.

Cheers,
Luke.

[kid rock]

Nice designs I like it, as it's meant to have a pc, why not some USB, FireWire, headphone and microphone sockets on the front/side/top of the desk?



Simon

[LERsince1991]

Thanks for your comment Simon.
I will be fitting some ports somewhere on the monitor stand, USB, headphone, Mic, and firewire.

The main issue I am looking into at the moment to do with the ports/buttons is a power button fitted in the same place as the ports. I am not having any luck with this idea though, i cannot find any USB power buttons which would be ideal (not sure if it is even possible). I could make a button which when pressed ran a program such as shut down or standby but a user can do this with their mouse. I don't think it is possible to turn the PC on from a fully powered down mode via a USB connection, only a low powered alternative. I could do a sleep button but a lot of keyboards have a sleep button on already.

Luke.

[UMHurricanes34]

Very, very cool. What your timeframe for the build?

[LERsince1991]

As I will be building it as I study for my other subjects I would probably be working a minimum of 5 hours a week, the final deadline is 12 weeks time and I'm hoping to finish sometime before the deadline as I am a fast workers once the build gets going.

So in hours about 60 to 100 hours and a date around mid April.

I'm about to start a detailed time plan so once that's done there's small chance I might upload a simplified version of it.

* edit - Actually for the build I won't be starting right now so the hours would probably be about 50-90 Hours or so.

[MattZani]

Why not add some cool features such as an iPod Dock built into the desk? (Dock Connector coming out the desk at say 80 Degs, would look like the iPod is just balancing) Definitely a USB Hub. Maybe some Grey Felt (Or Similar Soft Tight Weave Material) To the front, where the Keyboard and mouse go? I Know i much prefer the soft resistance of a mouse mat, and the never cold feeling that you dont get with wood.

[spunklemonkey]

Id maybe mention that some people like to slouch in their desks which means banging their knees on yours, on the tray thing.

How about just putting the tray at one end rather than all the way along. Ive got a pc but its only got 3 wires...

Id get rid of the lighter grey marble and just have it black.

Not sure what the yellow bits are with the grill but it looks a bit like it belongs in my garage not in my house. It doesnt look slick enough for a modern desk, so Id get rid of those, unless there small drawers? Thats a good idea if so, have two small drawers on each end, but Id have them plain wood and you press them to open them (no handles).

Id also measure desks to see what the top height is on average, because some come with keyboard things like the annoying desk im using now, but another one I have is better with no keyboard shelf.

The monitor stand should not be attached to the desk or if its going to be, which is fine, it needs to be wider. Not all monitors (pc) will fit on that shelf as its too narrow. My phillips 19" one has a round base for instance, so add a couple of inches on to that shelf because otherwise it loses some functionality for the variety of pc monitors on sale.

Finally, the top should be white, not that strange cream colour. It just wont go in anyones house.

You probably didnt want all this info and will ignore it, but never mind.

[alphaod]

Good amazingly. You deserve top grades for this.

[LERsince1991]

Thanks for the input everyone. I will try to reply to all the comments made.

Dimensions for the desk have been researched and it stands at pretty average sizes.

770 High, 800 Deep and 1500 Wide. (mm)

The Monitor stand is 60 High, 200 Deep and 600 Wide which I believe is big enough for most equipment?

spunklemonkey
I do not believe that the platform at the back of the desk will be a problem, even for people slouching. The distance between the front of the desk and the front of the platform is 550mm. Although the comment about having the platform either side might work, I'll look into it.

The 'lighter grey areas' are actually metal corners to match the grill and platform.
The yellow bit just behind the speaker grille is a high performance speaker which are integrated each side of the worktop. The square perforated metal grille will actually have a black cloth lining on the back of it so the yellow wont be visible but the grille will be detachable so the speaker can be accessed and some people prefer the speakers showing. The speaker drivers are yellow because they are made of Kevlar.
The monitor stand should be large enough, correct me if I'm wrong. It will be attached to the desk but not permanently, it will likely have small dowels on the bottom of it so it is help firmly in place but be removable.

I colour is trivial at the moment. I am colour blind but I will receive good guidance for the final spry colour. I found out that actually cream fits in with most houses rather than white. Different shades of cream match with each other. Different whites don't. But white might be a purer colour to use anyway.

MattZani
I will definitely want an iPod dock in it :D At this moment it seems like the dock will be either integrated in the worktop itself (like you said) or in the monitor stand (could get in the way of the monitor).

I think I will expand one side (or both sides) of the monitor stand to fit connectors in (Picture likely to be shown soon).

All of these modifications are relatively small and can be altered anywhere down the line.

Thanks for your critique and interest everyone.

[Eddyisgreat]

I'd buy it if it were glass.

[ThunderRobot]

I'm not sure about a USB power button but you can certainly get a USB sleep button (http://www.firebox.com/product/2208/Eco-Button) which will drop the power draw to 1.8w. You'd have to pop it open and do a little work on the styling of it though.

If you're presenting it to designers who expect to be able to draw on it, I'd suggest having an option to incline the drawing surface a little towards the user. It wouldn't need much. In addition you could look at the inclusion of a light-box in the surface.

There would be a little depth which would take a little out of your drawers but it would make it a more versatile design for your target user group.

You may also want to consider overall lighting. It looks to me if I was to place an angle-poise on the desk there would be nowhere to either clamp it (if baseless) or manage the cables.

I'd also be slightly wary of connecting the feet with base bars. If you've got a perfectly level floor it's fine, but if there's any bumps, rolls or even uneven carpeting it could potentially cause rocking or unstableness. Something you really want to avoid if there's drawing going on.

Perhaps putting screw-adjustable feet on the bottom of the bars would eliminate any potential problems as you could level it to the environment.

If you did remove the base bars, you'd definitely need some kind of ties for the legs to stop them splaying though - you may even need them on the current design for rigidity.

But these are minor points - and not meant in any way to disappoint or uninspire you. Good luck with the project.

[LERsince1991]

ThunderRobot - Theres some good points there thanks.

I thought Id show a couple more quick pictures to show how the size of the desk corrisponds to the average designers equipment sizes.

These pictures show:
- 24" monitor on the stand
- Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
- Added connections on the display stand, recessed in 1cm.
- Added Support Bar down the center of the desk
- High performance speakers on show (metal grilles hidden)
- Depth of monitor stand has been increased by 5cm (25cm) to allow for larger stands

[Demosthenes X]

I'm not sure about a USB power button but you can certainly get a USB sleep button (http://www.firebox.com/product/2208/Eco-Button) which will drop the power draw to 1.8w. You'd have to pop it open and do a little work on the styling of it though.

If you're presenting it to designers who expect to be able to draw on it, I'd suggest having an option to incline the drawing surface a little towards the user. It wouldn't need much. In addition you could look at the inclusion of a light-box in the surface.

There would be a little depth which would take a little out of your drawers but it would make it a more versatile design for your target user group.

You may also want to consider overall lighting. It looks to me if I was to place an angle-poise on the desk there would be nowhere to either clamp it (if baseless) or manage the cables.

I'd also be slightly wary of connecting the feet with base bars. If you've got a perfectly level floor it's fine, but if there's any bumps, rolls or even uneven carpeting it could potentially cause rocking or unstableness. Something you really want to avoid if there's drawing going on.

Perhaps putting screw-adjustable feet on the bottom of the bars would eliminate any potential problems as you could level it to the environment.

If you did remove the base bars, you'd definitely need some kind of ties for the legs to stop them splaying though - you may even need them on the current design for rigidity.

But these are minor points - and not meant in any way to disappoint or uninspire you. Good luck with the project.

Some good points here.

What if you made the desk modular? Say, use that big drawer in the middle and offer several options: e.g., a light box installed in that spot, or it could be rigged with power and a Firewire hub and used to keep external harddrives in, etc.

I agree on the legs - what about X-shaped bars for rigidity instead?

Have you seen this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=468690)? It comes close to the perfect computer desk, imo.

[LERsince1991]

Some good points here.

What if you made the desk modular? Say, use that big drawer in the middle and offer several options: e.g., a light box installed in that spot, or it could be rigged with power and a Firewire hub and used to keep external harddrives in, etc.

I agree on the legs - what about X-shaped bars for rigidity instead?

Have you seen this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=468690)? It comes close to the perfect computer desk, imo.

Damn, I wrote a long detailed reply and firefox just crashed...
I'll try to sum it up a bit. I don't want to write it all again.

err where was I... I have actually spent about 6 months researching different possibilities and ways of creating the desk. My original brief was a fully integrated solution which integrated everything, light box, lighting, computer, hard drives, speakers, keyboard, monitor etc... but, in summary, I ran into a lot of problems, price, flexibility etc.. to keep the product appealing to a wide market it was important to make the desk able to take everyones equipment and let them place the things in the right places, not to tell them where they should and shouldn't place things and what equipment to have.

The middle drawer is designed to take electronics as it has a sort of tunnel at the back of it leading to the equipment area under the desk. this is big enough to fit hard drives, docks, hubs, power supplies etc.. etc... in.
To fit a light box in could be possible at a time and cost. The more options there are the more the price and availability time would be. As it is, users can place the equipment they want into which area they want it (including power sockets with extension cables).

Heres some pictures trying to show the cable channeling.

I am aware of that thread by fivepoint and have followed it from start to finish. Although it's very impressive its more of a bespoke piece of furniture and not a product.
I don't really want to alter the legs as this is the design I have stuck with at the end of 6 months worth and changing it to an x design would ruin the look in my eye.

Also thanks for all the input and interest, I do really appreciate it!
Cheers, Luke

[Eddyisgreat]

The middle drawer is designed to take electronics as it has a sort of tunnel at the back of it leading to the equipment area under the desk. this is big enough to fit hard drives, docks, hubs, power supplies etc.. etc... in.
To fit a light box in could be possible at a time and cost. The more options there are the more the price and availability time would be. As it is, users can place the equipment they want into which area they want it (including power sockets with extension cables).


What about heat?

While I like the idea i'd be afraid to leave HDDs in there, although one or two would be fine.

The ideal solution (for me) would have to have sort of a two or three tier tray on the on the side , or actually, directly under your wiring area in the back (unless that's already what it is there for).

I do like the little thing that looks like a USB hub and audio jacks, but it would be a winner if you were to offer an expandable solution as well as additional add ons. Perhaps an outlet which will go from the desktop area to the users surge protector, a usb hub (as indicated), a firewire hub, maybe even an ethernet hub.

[LERsince1991]

What about heat?

While I like the idea i'd be afraid to leave HDDs in there, although one or two would be fine.

The ideal solution (for me) would have to have sort of a two or three tier tray on the on the side , or actually, directly under your wiring area in the back (unless that's already what it is there for).

I do like the little thing that looks like a USB hub and audio jacks, but it would be a winner if you were to offer an expandable solution as well as additional add ons. Perhaps an outlet which will go from the desktop area to the users surge protector, a usb hub (as indicated), a firewire hub, maybe even an ethernet hub.

Yes the square perforated metal area under the worktop at the back is also for computer equipment. It will have different sections and levels but I have not got round to designing this part yet but it wont take long. I have put levels in my sketches but not on the CAD model.

Heating would be an issue but I would advise that the middle drawer would be for equipment that wont have much heat produced. Likes, phones, personal music players, docks, some hard drives, etc.. whatever the user wants to. Maybe even a small sound mixer for audio engineering :)
Oh I might add that the inside of the middle drawer might be leather lined to protect such things like iPods and phones from getting scratched but that's just a possibility. I would like it but to many people it could be unnecessary added cost.

Yes the small hub under the monitor stand could be expandable and interchangeable. It's a possibility depending on if I will have time, these could be sold separately and simple to add on.

Cheers mate :cool:

[vga4life]

Those speakers aren't pointing at the person seated in the desk but someone sitting 2 meters behind. I understand the choice on aesthetic grounds but not functional. Speakers firing vertically from the same corner, or the back corners would probably sound better.

[spunklemonkey]

Looks much better white in pictures. Suppose it was just the other renders.

Looks really good, perhaps an external hard drive holder or even mobile phone holder, pen holder might be cool (things I always need!).

A more bizarre idea would be a cup holder that goes down a bit like a tube, so it cant fall over?

[LERsince1991]

Just a quick update:

I have an appointment to go into a couple of factories on thursday 22nd to discuss how the legs will be produced and also to order some materials like the square perforated metal and also see a spray factory.

I have started making the worktop now and nearly all the wood has been cut out to size to the exact mm. The school technician is being very patient with my perfectionism. By the end of next week all the wood should be cut out with all the required cut-outs and profiles complete ready for a dry assembly.

I have been looking into ways to incoperate a light box in the top panel of the worktop. I have 9mm height to fit the light into. I've came across a type of paper called EL (ElectroLuminesce) paper. It costs about £50 for A4 or £80 for A3 size and glows well. It has a lifespan of nearly 3x the life of an LED so its good.

The next stages will be making the 3x drawers and 1x drawing tools organiser along with the monitor stand. Source and buy some soft closing drawer runners that extend out 500mm, source some other parts and finalise some small details in the design.

Heres a couple renders of the newest version displaying how it could be used. I'm not sure why the worktop is gray because it should be pure white, I think its the lighting.

I will be posting some photos when there is something to look at :) The first photos will probably be the dry assembly of the worktop.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/Render-Iso.png
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/Render-Iso-InUse.png
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/Render-Iso-InUse-Withmac.png

[Consultant]

Personally, if the desk is tall enough, then under-desk keyboard holder would give user more usable space. I had a desk that had a >90CM wide keyboard drawer. Really useful, but that prevents drawers in the keyboard area.

Otherwise keep in mind that pc keyboards sometimes are much wider and taller than Apple keyboards. 60CM is only wide enough for some keyboard with no mouse.

iPod dock (for charging) would be nice.

Does monitor stand have enough space for a 30" LCD? Note your picture the LCD stand is ON TOP of your cable pass through hole.


Id maybe mention that some people like to slouch in their desks which means banging their knees on yours, on the tray thing.

Only happens if the desk is not tall enough.

I'd buy it if it were glass.

Glass is very heavy and very expensive (for non-green glass) for something that size, not to mention fragile.

[lucidmedia]

Some great thinking here...

I also have to reiterate, however, the comment about speaker placement.

if you are interested in creating a "professional" desk where someone can edit audio (I am an interaction designer and do so frequently), the speakers should be at ear level and carefully isolated from the desk structure itself.

I would also want the speakers to be quite a bit larger.

[LERsince1991]

Heres some pictures with different sized screens:
17" Then 24" Then 30"
The 30" would fit and be supported but I might extend the stand slightly. This will make it fit with the size of a 30" display better and add a bit of extra space for larger keyboards. I did think that 55cm (60-5 for hub) would be enough for the majority of keyboards but I'll investigate that a bit more before I build it.

The renders a bit a cleaner and softer than the previous ones because I had more time so Instead of 15 to 20 passes I used 50 which blended all the light better, I changed the brightness so its a bit closer to white.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/FinalRender-17Display.png
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/FinalRender-24Display.png
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x276/lersince1991/FinalRender-30Display.png
The 17" display seems to be dwarfed by the scale of the desk but who would have a 17" monitor if they were serious about design and computing.

The 24" seems to fits perfectly. I did try to make it suit a 24" display as this is the norm for a designer's screen.

The 30" display fits but it looks out of proportion, it may look better in real life but I will have to see about that. I will be trying to get some apple equipment for a photoshoot once it has all been done.

My current (and crappy) desk has a keyboard tray which I do find useful but then the wires are hanging under the desk and from a front view all the 'stuff' that is on the tray is in view. I also found that they feel cheap. A sheet of wood that slides out with cheap runners that are prone to breaking. (personal experience)

I will try to make the speakers with high end components but I agree the positioning of the speakers arn't in ideal positions. I felt that this would have to be a comprimise that was nessicery to keep the simple-ness of the worktop intact. I have tried my curent speakers in this position and it did lack some high notes but it wasn't really noticiable. It felt/sounded quite wierd as the sound seemed to be inside my head, not infront and not behind... strange but cool feeling

- Also added note that it's my birthday on the 22nd March and I'm hoping to have it done by then which means stepping it up a gear. I may be getting a new 2.4Ghz aluminium Macbook for my 18th too which will help me through uni.

I’ve made a scale cut-out on the top right of the worktop so I can try to accommodate an iPod Dock.

When a large display is on the stand it does seem to block some of the cable hole but I've measured it and it should be enough for the needed cables so no worries there.

The wood for the worktop has been delayed so I'm going to be making the drawers tomorrow instead of the worktop but I think I will still have time.

Last small update about mods to the workstation is that I've made it some cm’s higher to make the side view perfectly square.

Also I don't think I will be getting the EL lighting paper in the worktop due to costs and not knowing much about how to use el paper despite being in contact with a supplier that is awaiting a reply for the order.

Sorry for such long posts lol, there’s so much sections to speak about it ends up looking like an essay.

[MattZani]

If this was a desk i was designing, i would have added a few pieces of 'Flair'

Some Nice Exposed Drives pointing upwards on the desk, who doesnt love watching a speaker move as you listen to music?

Build in a Graphics Tablet

Remove the monitor Stand (Alot of Monitors are already suited to a good height, adding a few CM more.... :S)

Be able to have sections of the work surface raise out for Drawing.

Drink Chiller / Warmer (Those like mats)

thats all i can think of while staying in current technology.

[LeviG]

I'm just going to put it as I see it and these are just quick observations :)

If the table is designed for a designer that uses paper -
There should be the option to tilt the top, most pen based designers still use drawing boards of some sort, plus from an ergonomic standpoint a slanted work surface is generally better.
Theres no where to attach a wide rule/straight edge or anyway of making the paper straight.
Theres no option for a lightbox, something that if its aimed at the 'pen' artist is a useful addition - the modular option would be a good idea here. I'm pretty certain the el paper you mentioned doesn't stand up to pressure too well.
No easy access to pens, paper etc, the drawers are directly in front of where you are sitting which isn't easy access in my opinion - maybe have a lift up flap/well area for storing pens while working. Pulling out a tray seems a little bit poor considering you're aiming this at the design market - using a tray isn't really any different to a generic table is it.
Nowhere to store large size paper - people work on larger than a3 :)If the table is designed for a designer that uses a pc -
not suitable for a dual monitor setup
the height of the keyboard storage wouldn't cater for an ergonomic keyboard like the ms natual range.
no where to put an a3 or larger printer
don't think a scanner would fit in anywhere either
idea of sticking graphics tablet in drawer using cable tunnel isn't the best idea when you want it outside the drawer - cable gets stuck in drawer.
If its aimed at the imac, why have the speakers, to be of any use they would need to be powered plus as said not ideal placement.
I'd have concerns over the thickness of the desk, consider your natural ergonomics when using a keyboard at a desk - there isn't a great deal of distance between the top of your legs and your hands/arms.
if you're aiming at the mac pro then you haven't got any cable runners anywhere near where the pro would likely be placed (down by one of the legs most likely)
Nowhere for a ups, your metal grid thing underneath wouldn't hold the weight safely.From a personal perspective I'm not keen on the look of it. It doesn't really look like something I would want in my office. Its also as it stands now impractical for my requirements and I would require more space than I already do.

Another thing to consider when trying to design for 2 or more completely different requirements (pen and pc designers for example) it can make a design worse than whats already out there.

Oh and by the way a bespoke table mentioned earlier is just as much a product as a mass produced one, it goes through the same development process but has a more individual set of criteria to adhere to which are often stricter than those of a mass produced product. You could also argue at this moment in time that your table is a bespoke product as its not being put into mass production.

[jdl8422]

Im not sure if anyone else agrees with me, but Im wondering if the monitor stand is too far back? Im guessing the stand is fixed to the desk? If I had the desk I would like to use the stand, but I would hate it if it was too far back. I could be wrong. I would also loose the grey parts on the leg.

[ntrigue]

I feel like there could be more appeal to drafting tools or a tilting tabletop for architects.

You may also consider something revolutionary for the keyboard/mouse tray. http://i.gizmodo.com/5136332/phantom-lapboard-review

[mikekelley]

You need to make the monitor stand wider to accommodate two monitors. So, so many designers use that setup now (myself included) especially when doing audio editing, graphic design and video editing.

[design-is]

I think it looks excellent and will follow this thread avidly.

Any plans to build and sell after completion?

When I have time to read through the thread fully I'll post some more in-depth comments.

What CAD program are you using to model it?

[kid rock]

glad to see the desk is coming along luke, looking forward to seeing the final version as your renders so far are very impressive, depending on costs you should look to market this desk once you have the first one all done and dusted,

Simon

[kid rock]

You need to make the monitor stand wider to accommodate two monitors. So, so many designers use that setup now (myself included) especially when doing audio editing, graphic design and video editing.

or maybe include some kind of rail/pole/arm assembly to take single and dual monitors (as options)

[LERsince1991]

Right after a bit of annoyance from staff the wood has been ordered in and due for delivery on Tuesday so by the end of the week there will be some photos up with the dry assembly as a possibility.

Thanks for all the responses I will try to answer most of them.

The CAD software I am using is Google Sketchup with a rendering plug-in called iRender.

I would absolutely love to see my design go into production and produced for retail.
I am seriously considering and looking into building some more once the first prototype is completed, which I will be using to test it out and because I want it :p
It depends on costs and time. How much would people be prepared to pay is the main problem as mass produced desks are cheap because their mass produced.

I have done a cost evaluation for the desk which would most certainly have to be reduced if it was to be put into production (and would be due to bulk and repetitive buying/manufacturing). At this stage I won't be posting the costs though, but I will say it’s the most expensive A level project my school has ever seen (not sure about other schools).

A dual-monitor setup is very common these days as I already use my laptop monitor with an external display which is very handy and needed for certain programs. If the stand was to be expanded to hold more than one monitor, it would look out of proportion. A dual-monitor (or tri-monitor) setup can very easily be added and cables would still be reasonably hidden. The monitors would be on different levels but not by much. Many monitors have adjustable stand which could be used to make them level. I don't believe the monitors are too far back but some people may prefer being 30cm away from a 24" monitor (not me). Current desks in IT classrooms are about the same distance away from the monitor and its pretty much standard worktop depth.
To support dual monitors a stand could well be manufactured but the costs for the option might be quite high due to low number of items in production, it could be a good idea but as I have said it may not be necessary.

I did look into a table top that raised up in quite a number of designs but decided against it. I feel it would reduce the smooth look and feel of the worktop as well as other reasons. Many designers will prefer their own equipment, including a drawing board which would also have rulers and guides etc... On which mine couldn't have.

When on the top of the worktop the speakers would be venerable and prone to spillages, items being dropped or just on them which isn't good also the dust would settle and not be good either.

Adding additional equipment means added cost, also the more integration there is the less flexibility there is. Graphics pads tech would move on leaving the desk needing an upgrade. It’s easier to have separate equipment like that. No one would buy a desk for £2500 because although it had everything in, not everyone would want it all and it would waste their money. If they were optional it means more lines of production, more parts and more money even if no options were added.

No desk is ever going to be able to accommodate everyone’s custom needs or even equipment. There’s no point in narrowing down the targeted market either by adding things in. I feel that the way I have it now, the balance is right as the items integrated in are all needs. I.e. monitor stand allowing for keyboard and mouse to be pushed away into another level or space, speakers, drawing tools organiser, dock, hub etc... etc...

Thanks again everyone, oh and the next update will be Friday/Saturday next week and will hopefully show dry assembly

[SchneiderMan]

Looks great with a nice hint of apple design to it.

[design-is]

I'm looking forward to seeing the images of the first stage assembly :)

[LERsince1991]

I'm looking forward to seeing the images of the first stage assembly :)

:) Slight delays as it is taking a bit longer and I might be altering the design but it's not likely. Ive sort of 'pushed' the back box up into the worktop to make it hardly visable but it makes the whole design so, so much more complicated for the cuts and parts in the worktop.

It won't be much longer at all though till I can fit it together as I will be going in at lunch times to get it done. Theres a lot on at school at the moment though which is one reason why its slowed build time a bit.

I recon pushing the back into the worktop makes the design fit together much better and looks a lot more stylish but I may not have the time to make the change. Time is tight as it is.

[iWoz]

:) Slight delays as it is taking a bit longer and I might be altering the design but it's not likely. Ive sort of 'pushed' the back box up into the worktop to make it hardly visable but it makes the whole design so, so much more complicated for the cuts and parts in the worktop.

It won't be much longer at all though till I can fit it together as I will be going in at lunch times to get it done. Theres a lot on at school at the moment though which is one reason why its slowed build time a bit.

I recon pushing the back into the worktop makes the design fit together much better and looks a lot more stylish but I may not have the time to make the change. Time is tight as it is.

Wow looks great. Im in the UK wouldn't mind purchasing that :D

[Abstract]

People who posted in the latter half of this thread have said some of things I was thinking, but here are some of them again. ;) (Note: I'm not a designer.)


1. I don't like the monitor stand. There isn't much point to having one if the space underneath the stand wasn't usable for your work. It's not like an iCurve or something (nor should it be). The gap is just large enough for you to slide your keyboard underneath, right?

The stand also prevents you from cleanly having a dual-monitor setup.


2. The base bars aren't a very good idea, like ThunderRobot said. If the floor isn't perfectly level, the user would run into problems. Designers who are considering this desk for their work, which would likely cost a lot more than a typical desk, won't make choices like most silly consumers. ;) A table with 4 legs, and without the board running along the ground is probably more appreciated. Your design is prettier though.

3. Forget iPod docks and speakers facing vertically. Like you said, there are issues. I mean, if liquid spilled onto the desk, there's a possibility that your electronics would be ruined.

4. I don't know where you've put it (can't find it...sorry), but where did you put the USB dock? I'd put the powerboard and USB dock along the left and right sides of the desk (not the table-top).

5. I don't think the middle drawer should be there. That way, you could put a keyboard drawer there instead. You can also fit one underneath the middle drawer somehow (?), but it would be quite far down from the table-top.

6. Instead of drawers like the ones you have, perhaps have transparent lids on the top of your desk. As mentioned by someone else, if you're a designer who sits at his desk all day, do you really want to move out of the way just so that you can get something from a drawer? It's not as practical as it could be. If the lids were on the top of your desk, and transparent, you could look into the drawer and see whether the pen, pencil, etc, is inside without having to open it. Also, you wouldn't need to move out of the way to open the drawer.

7. If you have the middle drawer present, and you're worried about heat, have you thought about having perforated drawers, or drawer bottoms/sides? They could be metal while the other sides of the drawer are made of wood. I don't know how feasible this is.

8. The table should be inclineable, at least a little bit. Having said that, there should be a short lip sticking out from the edge of the desk nearest the user so that pencils don't just roll off when the table is inclined.



Heating would be an issue but I would advise that the middle drawer would be for equipment that wont have much heat produced. Likes, phones, personal music players, docks, some hard drives, etc.. whatever the user wants to. Maybe even a small sound mixer for audio engineering :)


You can recommend how the table can be used, but if a user chooses to put something in his drawer that creates a bit too much heat for its own good, your desk should be able to accomodate that heat without screwing up his equipment.

Your desk should NOT get in the way of their work. They should be able to put whatever they want, in whatever drawer they want, as long as it physically fits inside. It's a desk drawer, and the desk is a place to do work. You shouldn't have to work around it.





Adding additional equipment means added cost, also the more integration there is the less flexibility there is. Graphics pads tech would move on leaving the desk needing an upgrade. It’s easier to have separate equipment like that. No one would buy a desk for £2500 because although it had everything in, not everyone would want it all and it would waste their money. If they were optional it means more lines of production, more parts and more money even if no options were added.

You're absolutely right. Don't include it. ;)

[LERsince1991]

People who posted in the latter half of this thread have said some of things I was thinking, but here are some of them again. ;) (Note: I'm not a designer.)

..................

You're absolutely right. Don't include it. ;)

Thanks for taking the time to add some feedback to my thread.

I will try to reply your comments and explain my choices.

1. I found that adding another level adds well needed room to neatly store the input devices (KB & Mouse) in when not in use. The desk is massive (1500 x 800) so the worktop is definitely big enough for a large amount of items and work.

2. In design there is always a compromise between style and function. I have chose this style as the function of the rest of the desk is good and on a personal level I love the way it looks with the base bars. It would be suitable for a large amount of users but there is always going to be compromises.

3. Yup, thanks for confirming my thoughts... although... The ability to fit a dock inside the worktop is a good sales point and adds to the 'integration' part of the design.

4. Yup there is a hub. It’s located under the monitor stand on the left. It also has audio ports (in and out/mic and headphone). Thanks for the mention about the power strip, in my original designing stage just after the brief I wrote notes about a power strip but completely forgot about it. I've added one on the side of the desk; I may fit two, 2 plug strips on the worktop, one on each side

5. I went against the keyboard tray as they seems 'cheap' to me and aren’t neat, everything can be seen. A drawer for electronic equipment, gadgets and devices is much more suited in my eyes. It’s not a drawer that would be opened regularly whilst the workstation is in use, but a neat hideaway for items, probably used when the user first gets to the desk then when he leaves, taking his phone/portable hard drive etc... with him.

6. I decided on drawers because they wouldn't get in the way of the users work that’s on the worktop. With lids and anything similar the worktop is broken up and unusable sections aren’t practical because the items and work would need to be moved when anything is needed from the compartments. In the drawing utensils drawer the 2 half sections are removable as displayed in the render with drawing equipment on. Taking out the tools needed in one organised tray.

7. It is a possibility and it wouldn't be too hard to make happen.

8. I looked into having the top tilt on probably a click-clack system but decided against it as anything on the worktop would fall off, drinks, lamps, laptop, papers and display? Even with a lip at the bottom it wouldn’t be comfortable and wouldn't stop much from falling/rolling.

Thanks again for the input! :cool:

Short Update:
The next set back... snow... school is closed; I’m probably one of the only people who wanted to go in (to make my desk). So I’ve lost a day of building. I spent last night making engineering drawings for the altered worktop (pushed up platform). I also decided to present the product in a PDF document using Photoshop and illustrator. (I'm only a rookie on them). Link at the bottom.

Also I've decided on a name which is shown in the PDF document.
'Novanta'. I thought that every single edge is perpendicular to every other edge. Perpendicular means at right angles to which is 90 degrees. In furniture design my workstation has an Italian style and quality to it so I translated ninety from English to Italian and it came up with Novanta. :cool:

Novanta Leaflet.pdf - 1.61MB (http://www.zshare.net/download/54997151a613ba6b/)

Edit: Added new leaflet, explains the product more with additional views of the workstation
Novanta.pdf - 2.80MB (http://www.zshare.net/download/550710313c2c3cc9/)

[Abstract]

Novanta (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/novanta).


And if you're going to put an iPod dock, at least have the decency to include an Aux port beside it. Otherwise, I'd be unable to use the table's audio capabilities at all, and if I pay a high cost for a table partially due to an integrated audio system, I'd like to be able to use it. ;)


Also, put a headphone port at the front of the desk. That way, if the user wants to listen to his iPod using earphones, he won't need to take the iPod off the dock, or use a really long headphone cable to connect to the iPod.


The PDF is OK, but you didn't really include a diagram of the internal drawers and cable system, which is supposed to be one of the biggest selling points. Having said that, I didn't really understand where the electronics were supposed to go anyway. The diagrams you posted in this thread weren't very clear to me. :confused:

[iisarenotnobody]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make this desk available for purchase!! :D:D:D I love its design and its functionality is amazing.

[design-is]

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Thanks again for the input! :cool:
Short Update: ...


Hi Luke,

Is the huge house featured in your PDF your home? :o lol

Anyway, I love how your approaching this project and can't see how you could get anything but great grades for it.

If you have access to InDesign, this will be a better layout program to put your PDFs together in, allowing you to place Illustrator (best for vector work, i.e. your swirly backgrounds) and Photoshop or other image files (your mock up images and pic of yourself in front of large house) within your page layouts. A PDF created from InDesign will keep text in its vector format allowing it to remain clear at any zoom level and avoiding messy anti-aliasing issues. It could also improve your file sizes.

A few responses to your recent responses:

1. I agree - for the average user you seem to of thought out the sizes well.

2. You should consider something to combat the uneven floor problem. A lot of houses (especially here in the UK) have very strange bumps in floors. Even more so in older Victorian/Edwardian houses.

3. I like the dock. Could it be waterproof / sealed? Include a cap? Spillages are a common occurrence for a lot of people and to wipe out a desk feature with the wave of a poorly aimed hand would / could be a disaster. Also see #4:

4. Power supply issues would definitely need to be addressed. Part of you cabling / metal cage solution? Is there a neat way to use the headphone socket on the desk to listen to your docked iPod/iPhone?

5. & 6. I like your plan for the draws. Very versatile and unobtrusive. I hate keyboard draws / trays, so well done in saying they're tacky :) Most people I know agree, so your on the right track there I think. Much prefer your top compartment for tidying away the KB & M. Draws are always going to get in the way if they are easy to access, so your positioning is fine in my opinion. No one keeps things they need often in the back of a draw. It's just common sense.

7. Would be a nice addition. But people silly enough to put something that generates a lot of heat in a confined space doesn't necessarily need to be catered for... The extreme would be to allow 'fan kits' to integrate into the draws for cooling, but that goes a little down the specialised route that your avoiding - add-on kits etc.

8. A tilt could only be integrated using a section of the desk that lifts up like a drawing board, but you have previously discarded that idea due to it being a specialist requirement, not suitable to your 'mainstream designer' target.

I've not read my post through, so sorry if its garbled gibberish. oh, and I've pm'd you.

Cheers

Doug

[LERsince1991]

Hi Luke,

Is the huge house featured in your PDF your home? :o lol

............

Anyway, I love how your approaching this project and can't see how you could get anything but great grades for it.

A few responses to your recent responses:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
........

Cheers

Doug

Ahh that house isn't mine :p it's not actually a house... well it was in the olden days but its now a hotel. I'm definatly not a rich b*****d which is why funding or the project is an issue at the moment, I am having to pay for it myself. Mum took me and bros down their for photoshoot where we have some of the pics blown up on canvas... anyway I used it cos it was the only suitable photo I had really and it was quite powerful ;)

Thanks for that tip, I shall look into using InDesign when I have time. I haven't used it before but it should be alright. photoshop and illustrator were easy enough (after playing around)

It's always useful to get another persons opinions so thanks for the input.

1. Yup Cheers :)

2. Yes I agree it is an issue. I will be looking into a solution but without reducing the style and shape.

3. It's a good idea, possibly a bit hard to solve in reality and maybe a bit more 'fafing' around but I am still working out how to fit it into the desk. Make my own dock, buy a dock and fit it in, make it removable and replaceable? what connections etc... A lot to do, so little time ;)

4. I will have to work out the electronics soon and I would hope I can make the iPod dock play through speakers and the headphone port, a friend actually commented about that today also. What issues with the power supply? I have now integrated a power strip onto the side of the desk (not exactly sure how yet but it shouldn't be too hard). You may not have noticed that I have added that feature thanks to abstract's input.

5+6. Thanks for that comment :) Obveously I fully agree.

7. It could be possible but adding cost as two peices of mesh would need to be produced; one for the drawer base and one for the bottom of the desk where the drawer sits above. My opinion is there is enough space for heat producing and heat sensitive equipment under the desk in the mesh platform.

8. It could make it mroe appealing to that market but I chose against the tilting solution also because It would mean I would need to break up the smoothness of the worktop and there would be a line/seam running through it, degrading the look and finish.

seems to make sense to me but I don't often read through my post so. Good input there cheers again. I'll look at InDesign now.
Luke.

Also a quick update is in order.
Thanks to 2 days off school due to snow I have now been at school again today and done a couple of hours work. I finished cutting the parts out with a jigsaw and hardcore sanding down. I got the parts and slotted them together. They fit perfectly (atm) with mm perfect dimensions. tomorrow I will be doing 3 hours work so The full dry assembly will be done as I need to route out some slots to finish it. I have been taking photos but only from my friends iPhone so he's copying them to my laptop tomorrow and I will post the first photos up here!

Also one of my teachers is into high tech equipment and he suggested doing a rapid prototype which to explain what it is to some people. It's like printing out a CAD model into a 3D object, it uses layers of resin to produce an object, just think of it as a 3d printer. A uni I have been accepted into has mention that they have this equipment availible so I'm about to contact them to see if they can help me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototyping

Also again thanks to the people that have commented saying they would buy it and that I should make some more etc... I know someone that knows someone that knows a factory in china so I'm going to contact him to see what can be produced :) It would be amazing and a dream if I can launch a production and for it to pay my way through uni :) probably wont happen but I like trying to make dreams happen, push the boundries.

[LERsince1991]

Ok since its the end of the week I will post a couple of photos as I've got them off my mates iPhone. Basically this weeks been very annoying as thursday is normally a big day for product design as I could do nearly 4 hours work but it was again closed due to heavy snow fall. Went in today but didn't manage to route out the last parts. Planning to do the routing out on monday/tuesday.

Just a couple of photos showing some progress.

[GeorgeMAC]

This is the designer...

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq127/RIGGY_05/pooooo.jpg

[LERsince1991]

This is the designer...
....
[/IMG]

George.. Your an idiot :p

(It seems my brother has signed up to macrumors to type that)
Oh and George that Photo is on the last page of the booklet which is in this thread so... :rolleyes:

[Angelo95210]

This is really good. Congrats.

[LERsince1991]

Update:

Ok so I got round to routing all the grooves and stuff. Also had time to build the monitor stand which works well :)

Today I fitted it all together for a dry assembly and it fits well, since its all cut by hand there are a few parts where the wood components are half a mm off but nothing a bit of sanding, glueing, filling and pinning can't handle :)

It is rather big but I chose that size so that I get maximum workspace.

Now I need to work out the electronics and wiring and fit all that in and sort out the legs, metal mesh and drawer runners. Then make the drawers :)

Once I have confirmed all the electronics I can then drill some holes for wiring and then glue and pin the whole worktop together then fit the wiring.

[design-is]

Looks like it's going great! Keep up the good work :)

[LERsince1991]

Looks like it's going great! Keep up the good work :)

BTW I like the first rule of design (Steal) ;)

Just found out today that 'Yanko Design' along with a few other design blogs have posted about my design. If you want to take a look heres the link (http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/02/13/better-than-your-desk/).

[LERsince1991]

There is now a small website up and running thanks to 'design-is'.
Flash based brochure with a link to download the PDF.

http://Novanta.Design-Is.co.uk

I have just got the drawer runners and quite shocked by the quotes I've recieved for the square perforated metal. I may have to use an alternative material for the prototype but I'm trying to get around the cost issue.

Half term atm btw so no progress other than research, buying, advertising and planning.

[alphaod]

Very website as well; looking forward to final results.

[Agurri]

Very nice... good job. Really.

[LERsince1991]

So I've fixed the drawer runners in and made the drawers which I'm going to line with some red/black faux leather or something.

Next stage is to work out all my electronics and make sure its right so I can then glue it all together and fit the wires and components in.

Going to sort out the metal things around the 3rd of March. I had some quotes but the prices were impossible. I'm off to see a university to help me with some better sources.

P.S. It's really annoying only being able to do a couple of hours at a time because thats the duration of the lessons...

[LERsince1991]

Glued and pinned it all together except for the top so I can add the electronics.

Bought the speaker wiring.

Bought back box for connection plate.

Ordered custom connection plate with USB B, x2 AUX and 3.5mm Jack which will be comming the end of this week/start of next week.

Screwed the drawers onto the runners so they work now.

Ordered IEC Power socket to fix onto the underside of the desk for the power strip on the side.

Split my thumb open with a hammer :P

Will upload some pics tomorrow when I get them off my mates iPhone.
I'm starting to put the wiring in tomorrow.

And if anyone could help me source a PDU (Power distribution unit)... The power strip for the side;
Heres the thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7204522#post7204522) I have started for people to help me with the PDU

[design-is]

Split my thumb open with a hammer :P


Ouch... Sounds like it's worth it though... Getting on well!

Looking forward to seeing further updates :)

[LERsince1991]

Not sure what photos I have taken... can't really tell much from them but a lot has been done as I've described in the previous post.

Also the custom connection plate came today but I need to wait till the worktop has been painted and finished to solder it up.

Just really the big stuff left.

Paint, Finish electronics and add speakers and dock, get legs made, get perforated metal for equipment platform.

I have been getting quotes just for the perforated metal and its not good...

Ouch... Sounds like it's worth it though... Getting on well!

Looking forward to seeing further updates :)

No pain, No game. I don't mind the odd injury. My design is my life :P

[design-is]

No pain, No game. I don't mind the odd injury. My design is my life :P

aah indeed... I remember leaving a few blood stains on my A2 graphics project lol

[-Ryan-]

Hello,

I think this desk looks fantastic. Hadn't seen this thread before, but I've subscribed now so I'll be dropping in to see how it's going. :)
I'd actually be very interested in a desk like this. I've got a desk that is larger than this at the moment, so it wouldn't look too out of place even in a normal home environment. I'd replace my desk with something like this if it came on the market though, because I'd like a little less clutter on the desk, even though it's just a monitor and speakers at the moment.
Also, I feel I should just add that I'm exactly one year older than you. :p

[LERsince1991]

Hello,

I think this desk looks fantastic. Hadn't seen this thread before, but I've subscribed now so I'll be dropping in to see how it's going. :)
...
Also, I feel I should just add that I'm exactly one year older than you. :p

I'm really hoping tp put it into production after my course :) Would be a dream come true. I'm probably going to go into the apple store tomorrow to see if theres any jobs going, meet the manager and introduce my desk too see what he thinks, (if he likes it it might help me get a job there because it shows my ability).

1 year exactly? as in its your 19th on 22nd march? :cool:

The custom connection plate came today with usb, x2 AUX and 3.5mm.
Also I made the cut out for the IEC power socket and fitted/screwed that in.
Over this weekend I really need to speak to some people and over the next week I need to seriously have made plans for the legs, sheet metal and painting of the desk. Once I know what power sockets are going into the side I will finish the wiring, glue the top on and sand down ready for painting!

Just the big things left really: paint and metalwork (Legs and sheet metal)
Then a few little things little soldering and bit of leather/finishing materials here and there. Not far off :P

[Consultant]

You should add some text to your web page so people from the other site googling for "your name desk" or something similar would get to your web site.

PDF brochure is fairly useless for web siteRanking(i.e.-free-advertising). You can have all the info as web pages with html text and that'll work much better.

[LERsince1991]

You should add some text to your web page so people from the other site googling for "your name desk" or something similar would get to your web site.

PDF brochure is fairly useless for web siteRanking(i.e.-free-advertising). You can have all the info as web pages with html text and that'll work much better.

Thats an idea, but a friend did the website for me so I can't ask to convert the whole booklet to web pages. Its just a small extra to display my product without sending files.

I bought some fake black leather to line the middle and right drawers with today whilst I was in town :P

[LERsince1991]

Update:
Right I've mounted my ipod dock in and made a little system that makes it removable incase of any worthy update or if it breaks etc...

Tomorrow morning I will be glueing the top on completely so I need to make sure everythings right, once thats dried I will sand down tomorrow probably.

The next thing is to get it painted and everything which hopfully will happen next week. I also need to sort out the legs and sheet metal.

Thinking about it, I'm not far off.

Heres a few pics.
Luke

[LERsince1991]

Tis done... I've sealed it all up, the top is now glued on, I've also made the speaker mounts and tied some cables up.

Sanding down then painting next week :P Can't wait!

[design-is]

Coming along nicely!

Obviously it's not going to go through the stress tests of a mass produced piece of furniture - Will you be confident in using it as your desk when your done? Or does that depend on the legs you get? The main structure of the top looks sound enough.

[LERsince1991]

Coming along nicely!

Obviously it's not going to go through the stress tests of a mass produced piece of furniture - Will you be confident in using it as your desk when your done? Or does that depend on the legs you get? The main structure of the top looks sound enough.

Definatley, I am looking to use it as my desk for many years so I'm trying to make a proper job of it, I may replace it one day with the same desk but professionally massed produced, if/when it does get make commercially.
Well since the legs will be made of metal it will definatly be strong enough and very sturdy. The worktop as it is is ultra strong :P and relitively low weight.

Did some testing of the cables today and temporarily wired the speakers in to give it a go, very nice :P a replacement for the radio thats broke in schools workshop atm. Getting a call back with a quote for the painting over the weekend and probably be painted next week.

[KingXII]

I'm just going to put it as I see it and these are just quick observations :)

If the table is designed for a designer that uses paper -
There should be the option to tilt the top, most pen based designers still use drawing boards of some sort, plus from an ergonomic standpoint a slanted work surface is generally better.
Theres no where to attach a wide rule/straight edge or anyway of making the paper straight.
Theres no option for a lightbox, something that if its aimed at the 'pen' artist is a useful addition - the modular option would be a good idea here. I'm pretty certain the el paper you mentioned doesn't stand up to pressure too well.
No easy access to pens, paper etc, the drawers are directly in front of where you are sitting which isn't easy access in my opinion - maybe have a lift up flap/well area for storing pens while working. Pulling out a tray seems a little bit poor considering you're aiming this at the design market - using a tray isn't really any different to a generic table is it.
Nowhere to store large size paper - people work on larger than a3 :)If the table is designed for a designer that uses a pc -
not suitable for a dual monitor setup
the height of the keyboard storage wouldn't cater for an ergonomic keyboard like the ms natual range.
no where to put an a3 or larger printer
don't think a scanner would fit in anywhere either
idea of sticking graphics tablet in drawer using cable tunnel isn't the best idea when you want it outside the drawer - cable gets stuck in drawer.
If its aimed at the imac, why have the speakers, to be of any use they would need to be powered plus as said not ideal placement.
I'd have concerns over the thickness of the desk, consider your natural ergonomics when using a keyboard at a desk - there isn't a great deal of distance between the top of your legs and your hands/arms.
if you're aiming at the mac pro then you haven't got any cable runners anywhere near where the pro would likely be placed (down by one of the legs most likely)
Nowhere for a ups, your metal grid thing underneath wouldn't hold the weight safely.From a personal perspective I'm not keen on the look of it. It doesn't really look like something I would want in my office. Its also as it stands now impractical for my requirements and I would require more space than I already do.

Another thing to consider when trying to design for 2 or more completely different requirements (pen and pc designers for example) it can make a design worse than whats already out there.

Oh and by the way a bespoke table mentioned earlier is just as much a product as a mass produced one, it goes through the same development process but has a more individual set of criteria to adhere to which are often stricter than those of a mass produced product. You could also argue at this moment in time that your table is a bespoke product as its not being put into mass production.

LeviG I have to agree, I have to say a desk that allows an A3 (11x17) sheet is too small, it must fit an A0 (Arch/ANSI E/E+) sheet without intrusions to the work space, therefore a keyboard/mouse tray is essential. The monitor stand intrudes into the already small workspace, I think it could easily cantilever from the back somehow. My space requirements would probably be at least 4x the size of your design. I must have space to layout drawings.

LERsince1991 I appreciate your design, but I think you're trying to achieve a design that is somewhat an end all solution. The main difference between your design and your desire to mimic apple's product solutions is that, they have solved and are continuing to reinvent their practical solutions. What you've created is in my opinion not very practical for any designer I know of (which reminds me of one of the office managers ordering custom desks for the new office space when she never even picked up an pencil and we wound up with desks where half of our drawings were on the desk or we were working off the floor), you've focused on the aesthetics which is fine but I'm sure most people would agree that functionality is very important.

[theolympix]

I don't see who this desk is for.
You have all this space, but your monitor is relegated way to the back of the desk. Designers (yourself included, I'm sure) tend to work up close to their screens, not from arms length. I hope the iMac stand (which is really what it is) is removable so when the user inevitably moves their computer forward a foot that shelf can come off. So what is all the space for? The only things that look like they would belong permanently on the work surface is a keyboard, tablet and mouse. If that is the case then why the extra space? Most of the designers I know work with magazines, books, inspirational clippings and notes on their desks, but this desk looks like it hates clutter and is offended by paper. And if not why no space for a printer or scanner? The desk looks like a giant computer only stand, and a bad drawing table. Artists who work with pens and pencils need all the more storage and versatile organization. For a desk that is built for pen and pencil use, why is there not a light table? or something to actually draw on? Or a lamp? Honestly if I had this table and I needed to work for a few hours a day with a pen or pencil, I would tape foam against the front ridge to prevent creasing in my forearms from your "sharp edges" and bring in an angled drawing board so I could actully work on somethign more useful than a dinner table. I'd also build something to keep books and a printer on under the table, and even still it would be covered in books and magazine within an hour, which would make typing and tablet use a total pain. There is also no way I would use the iPod dock to control my music, as its a full arm extension away and tilted away from the user. The speakers would be unusable during working because the user is leaning forward to pay attention to detialed design work would have their ears a good 11 inches in front of the speakers. The sensation you describe as the music playing inside your head is the sounds bouncing all around your room before reaching your ears.
All white tables are nauseating! Working on a white desk happens in 10 min spurts between prolonged spells of vertigo.

I could see this being used by an interior decorator, perhaps...like if you covered it in boxes and swatches.Or a web designer, on an all white space station in a retro future scifi.

I'm sorry homie, your drafting and craftsmanship are clearly excellent, but this absolutly screams "B.A Thesis!". It actully looks physically painful to use. And come on take "unique aesthetics" and "unparalleled engineering" off the site, its a basic school desk/imac accessory with ikea styling, that's kinda mainline to be calling unique and unparalleled. And unitalicize "todays" technology. And get the Macbook on the stand out of the image, it looks beyond unusable as if you want the user to rest their plams heavily on the computer and their elbows while they try to type. And the mere fact that you needed an stand for the laptop because it didnt look right with the laptop on the table is a huge problem.
I'm sorry, at first I was like, he's obviously a talented student trying his best, but....yeah, it's just not usable unless you are a far sighted, web only, digital only, paperless, penciless single iMac user, with highly calloused forearms, no prefernce for music quality endlessly deep pockets and lacking a good kitchen table.
That said, you'll prbly get a good mark and a way better job than myself by the time you graduate. So enjoy

Oh and one more burn, sorry....but Novanta is the perfect name for this piece because it is SO 90's!

[LERsince1991]

I don't see who this desk is for.
You have all this space, but your monitor is relegated way to the back of the desk. ......

.....


Oh and one more burn, sorry....but Novanta is the perfect name for this piece because it is SO 90's!

Bad Day?! :S I don't have time to respond to that comment properly though...

Actually I have time to say this... The "unique aesthetics" and "unparalleled engineering" are correct. You have no idea the amount of attention to detail I put into my work. It will be professionally finished with an acrylic based paint which is extremely durable, The metal work will also be done by professionals. The finished build will be seamless, and worthy of perfection in terms of quality. The worktop is also extremely strong and doesn't bend even the slightest when its holding its own weight up.

Come on 'IKEA'!?

Thanks for the input but I am perhaps offended at your level of understanding.

[Eyedn]

Been following this thread for a little while and have to say the progress is looking really good, forget "IKEA"....

Do you have any plans on what you are doing with this desk once finished??

[Abstract]

I think many of the same points have been brought up numerous times, and haven't really been seriously considered. I don't know who this desk is for either. It's a bespoke desk, but one that isn't made for anyone in mind, and that's the problem. It certainly doesn't seem that way.

I think this desk is designed for the fashion conscious. That's it. It doesn't mean this desk is bad, or that it doesn't have a market. It's just that your market isn't the one you initially intended.

I have checked this thread since I posted with my suggestions, but had not bothered replying because I don't know what to say. I think you'll get a good mark for the effort, but if you're designing this desk for designers, perhaps you hadn't taken the recommendations in here seriously enough and just considered what YOU thought it needed.

Every time you address someone's suggestion (even ones that have been repeated), you give a reason why it can't or shouldn't be done. Well if those things can't be added to your desk, then why should a designer buy this desk? :confused: It seems like you're more concerned about exploring the possibility of mass producing this desk, talking to Apple about it, etc, when there have been a number of faults and exclusions repeatedly mentioned in this thread.


You're not Apple. You can't sell an expensive product lacking basic features and get away with it. :p Perhaps market it as a nice desk for people who don't have needs, but want to keep things organised.

[LERsince1991]

Been following this thread for a little while and have to say the progress is looking really good, forget "IKEA"....

Do you have any plans on what you are doing with this desk once finished??

Cheers,

Well the inital plan was to keep it as my own, perhaps take it to uni but I will have to see, I may not be able to fully afford it, I would have liked to take it to uni but I probably won't have space. I either leave it in my room at home and use it for 6 months or so before uni... or if possible I may sell it, depending on the finished quality and function which should be of a high standard.

Abstract Ok thanks, I will look into the previous comments and possibly reply with more reasons, I won't have time at the moment though.

I fail to see any product on the market that matches this though, obveously I don't know if theres better bespoke furniture but they would only be suitable to a single person.

I have to do an evaluation of the desk once I have built it over the half term in a few weeks or so, I will identify any problems there.

Edit: Designers are the hardest people to design for. :P

[Consultant]

It's made by the OP for OP (who IS a designer), and people who think like him.

The OP didn't said it's a desk for everyone. Some people might think like him, some people won't.

Things can be massed produced, but still for a specific market. i.e. Apple computers.


I don't see who this desk is for. <snip>
Someone's got their panties extra bunched up?

<snip>
Apple computers aren't for everyone either. Guess what, some people do like to waste their time "optimizing" their computer instead of using it, or complaining about something when they can't make anything better.

[Abstract]

Guess what, some people do like to waste their time "optimizing" their computer instead of using it, or complaining about something when they can't make anything better.

He did ask for criticism and suggestions, so yes, I'm more than entitled to say something, even if I don't try to make one better. If this was your product, and you didn't ask for comments, then fine. I'm still allowed to hold an opinion though, and if you posted a thread about your product, I'd still feel free to criticise all I want. If you don't want criticism, keep it private.

I'm just glad the OP can take criticism better than you can regarding his own product. ;)


And I was more concerned with the fact that several suggestions were overlooked despite being mentioned in the middle of the design stage (pre-production). I never said the desk wasn't useful, or of poor quality. A lot of effort has obviously been put into creating a desk that's right for the OP, and perhaps that has to be considered as well. Whether it's ever mass produced or not, he'll be the one who has to use this desk.

[xhambonex]

He did ask for criticism and suggestions, so yes, I'm more than entitled to say something, even if I don't try to make one better. If this was your product, and you didn't ask for comments, then fine. I'm still allowed to hold an opinion though, and if you posted a thread about your product, I'd still feel free to criticise all I want. If you don't want criticism, keep it private.

I'm just glad the OP can take criticism better than you can regarding his own product. ;)


And I was more concerned with the fact that several suggestions were overlooked despite being mentioned in the middle of the design stage (pre-production). I never said the desk wasn't useful, or of poor quality. A lot of effort has obviously been put into creating a desk that's right for the OP, and perhaps that has to be considered as well. Whether it's ever mass produced or not, he'll be the one who has to use this desk.

I have just followed along with this thread. And have to say that I agree with the criticism you have been giving. This is a nice desk, but its pretty much tailored to one person. That being said, I don't think its stopping other people for liking it or buying it. Buy as a designer, no I wouldn't be interested in the desk myself. Things have been pointed out, speaker placement, though nice wouldn't be that effective. The desk length puts the monitor quite far away from the user and would require a 24" screen at the minimum not to get swallowed up by the actual size of the deak. If you are a drawing based designer, yes I need space to hold tabloid paper, rulers, straight edges, tools basically. And the draws would work for some but not exactly all of those types of things. I agree that this desk has seemed to have had minor design changes from initial posting, concepts, into production and finishing.

Please OP, as a designer, don't get so offended by a critique. People here have raised very good points about designing a desk for the "designer." I see some great constructive feedback passed up here on this thread alone. I don't want to jump to the conclusion that this isn't a desk for a designer, but really, there is nothing that stops this from just being a desk. and mass produced. That may have been a big goal of yours as well. But from the designer aspect, its not that appealing to me as well for most of the same reasons abstract has pointed out.

That aside, it looks like a lot of hard work and i think the final product is going to turn out great. Its still a good desk that would sell. Enough people here have taken interest already. Good work. hopefully this wont offend you so much as the last guy.

[LeviG]

Edit: Designers are the hardest people to design for. :P

Yep and considering your brief is to 'cater for all a designers needs' and several of the people who have commented regarding the design are designers (myself included). If this was to marked purely on this aspect then it would in my view probably fail, however by targeting the more consumer market it may be more suitable but it still has issues from my perspective. It probably suits 'YOUR' needs very well but don't assume your requirements are the same as everyone elses.

If you intend to take industrial/product design at a university level you will soon find out that what you thought was a good design at a-level often is not a very good design in the univeristy/real world. You will have such a huge leap in your understanding of design in the first year of uni (most of the tutors still do design freelancing) that you will wonder what your a-levels were for in some areas.

@consultant - making one product doesn't make you a designer and the op said 'Well for my last year in college I am designing a desk thats aimed at other designers but also is suitable for other parts of the market' in the very first post so it was aimed at more than themselves.

[LERsince1991]

Ok I have a bit of time after a stressful day :S didn’t even have lunch or a single break because I needed to be in the workshop.

I will try to respond to some of the issues that were brought to my attention.

Once I have started building the legs I will look into coming up with a solution to combat the uneven floors problem which would result in a wobbly desk if the base bars were used. This would defiantly be something I will investigate and I'm sure the solution will be quite simple.

Spillages - I have made the iPod dock completely removable and therefore replaceable if any damage or spillage happens. It may be possible to ovoid this with a sort of lid which I will investigate.

Heating in central drawer - I don't believe heating would be a problem but many people have commented on this issue. Once I have completed the desk I have to evaluate, make changes and test the product. I will 'load' up the middle drawer with alot of equipment and a digital thermometer to measure the heat. I do have about 3 fans and some heat sinks lying around that are designed for computer cases so I could see the impact these would have on the heat. I will also look into alternative ways to minimize heat.

Tilting top - I had many designs and concept in the early stages for tilting table tops but decided against them in the end for many reasons. Off the top of my head I will try to explain. Firstly the tilting work surface isn’t as simple as it may seem; yes it would be possible to get the work surface to tilt but how will the paper be held in place and what stops pencils etc.. rolling off the top. I would need a sort of lip at the ‘bottom’ or front of the work surface. This would seriously get in the way when the tilted top isn’t being used and affect the ergonomics. It’s not comfortable to have a thin block under your arms. The gaps in the worktop would be impractical for any use. The worktop is only 12mm which is very strong as it is well supported but when broken down the strength may be affected. The gaps in the worktop would also be bad for spillages and could mean that everything in the drawers get soaked.

Sharp edges – I have made all the edges sharp originally for sake of design. I then rounded off ever so slightly the front of the top so the force on the users arms are eased over a larger surface area. Even the slightest curve would make a large difference. I avoided a large curve because it would degrade the design. I may look into a sort of thin leather padding or something similar to help the pressure but I would first like to test how effective the curve has.

Monitor stand – The monitor stand is a separate component which doesn’t have to be used. It is not fixed to the worktop. Many people would use this but some would prefer to either leave a KB and mouse on the worktop or use the drawers to hide it away. It isn’t fixed so it can be moved around freely depending on the user’s preferences. It can also be moved if working on very large media, the desk is then just about big enough for A1 paper if preferred.

Drawing board – I would really like to look into the possibility of making the desk compatible with straight edges which would then be a sort of drawing board. Of the top of my head I could route out a groove into the side and maybe the back which would fit some straight edges, maybe even make a sort of converter which is pretty universal meaning any straight edge could be attached.

Light box – A light box can be added, I have made plans to sit a sheet of EL paper into a housing which attaches flush into the worktop but because I can’t afford to add the light box both in terms of time and money, I will not be integrating this in my prototype but will definitely look into again if I make another one.

Dual monitors – This is a known issue and I do use dual monitors myself. I could possibly look into having a way to attach a dual monitor bracket which would allow even 3 or 4 monitors depending on the bracket. Although some monitors heights can be adjusted, maybe the monitors can be adjusted to fit each other’s height.

Scanners & Printers – The size of the desk would cater for a scanner or printer but if the user wanted to place an A3 scanner and printer then they should allocate a separate part of their office for such devices. This is just common sense as I fail to see anyone that would use up a whole ‘work’ desk for such devices. But yes, a printer/scanner can be placed, there is enough room.

Graphics tablet – I suggested the middle drawer to ‘store’ the graphics tablet only, when the user wants to use the tablet they can remove it from the drawer and plug it into the hub on the monitor stand, if they then wanted to use it regularly I would recommend just leaving it plugged in and placing on the worktop. This isn’t a problem.

Ergonomics – I have researched the ergonomics and I believe this product would be comfortable in terms of dimensions. The monitor may be a bit far back but I will have to test this issue.

Strength – This worktop is surprisingly extremely strong. I rested the left and right sides onto two other desks in the workshop and it easily supported its weight without bending at all. I even pushed down on the desk and there was still no movement. I would go as far as to say I could even walk on it, but I won’t be testing this. I may look into a computer model that would be able to test the strength at an approximate value or even doe the calculations myself. The strength comes from the interior structure, it relies on the compressive strength of the MDF and is very rigid because of the layout, the angles and thicknesses of the MDF and the fact it is all bonded together as well as pinned. It is more than capable to use in a real life studio in terms of strength and sturdiness.

Thanks, I hope I have covered everything that has been stated as issues.
Back to the build! :cool:
Luke.

P.S. I have covered all this and more, formally in my coursework folder which counts in at 68 Pages and will probably end up being 70. Then theres the 'other' coursework where we log the build and respond to external evaluations and user testing etc...

....

...

If you intend to take industrial/product design at a university level you will soon find out that what you thought was a good design at a-level often is not a very good design in the univeristy/real world. You will have such a huge leap in your understanding of design in the first year of uni (most of the tutors still do design freelancing) that you will wonder what your a-levels were for in some areas.

I will be studying architecture at uni, which is the most challenging design course. I will ofcourse learn a huge amount as I have in A level. Considering the 'usual' product at A level are such things as handles, lights, displays for maps and flower pots, I wanted to push the boundries which I believe I have, whether or not I get credit for this is doubtful but I don't design for grades, I do it for myself. I will always push the boundries and limitations to exceed expectations throughout my life... I can't wait for uni :P

[sn00pie]

good luck and kudos on a great build :)

[Intel Inside]

Seems like a great bunch of ideas from everyone. Very intuitive, a bit like Apple :D

Cant wait to see the finished product.

[LERsince1991]

Shouldn't be waiting long the worktop was picked up from school on thursday, it has been sprayed today and will be drying over the weekend. Will be delivered back to school on monday so I will try to post some pictures then :P

Can't wait... I hate handing my work over to someone else... If they ruin it :(

I don't like to think about it... He gave me a good price for it but its bloody expensive. I got it for about half price, hes not making any money from me since he wants to support my school project.

Will be soldering and connecting the electronics on monday, also making the drawer organiser. Trying to sort out what I will be doing about the legs and sheet metal over the weekend.

[Intel Inside]

Whoa! dont wanna see this thread die!

And feel the same way when handing my work over to my teacher to have a look. Scared if they drop it or something like that. BTW doing GCSE resistant materials

[MattZani]

I Know what you mean, its easier being a Product Designer, as many are mock-ups, but if the final product has a fault in it somewhere, a month or 2 of work is gone all over the floor.

Im sure it will be fine, he wants to support your project, i think he realises how important it is to you.

[LERsince1991]

Got it back today from the paint factory :D

Amazingly pleased with it. It has got a glossy white polyeurithane (something like that) paint. It is sort of plastic/ruber based which means it's not brital but has porperties of rubber. like if you stabbed it with a nail, the nail would go in slightly but when removed the paint would slowly sort of 'heal' itself and the hole would disappear :D If it was acrylic based he said it would chip, especially the corners.

He told me to let it set so its really rock solid for about a week then get some tcut or something similar and give it a buff and polish and it will be nearly as smooth as glass ^^ Amazing

The photos definatley do NOT do it justice, you need to see it first person and touch it :D I will take some better photots tomorrow in better lighting with a camera and not an iPhone.

The deadline is end of next week so I have my work cut out. I think I will have to make the legs out of MDF due to time, cost and availibility.

I've also wired the speakers on. Will be blasting some tunes tomorrow lol
YAY, I was so worried about getting it back but extremely pleased.

[sn00pie]

Excellent work! :)

[design-is]

Finish looks great! Not surprised your pleased :) Must of cost a bit though, no?

[LERsince1991]

Finish looks great! Not surprised your pleased :) Must of cost a bit though, no?

I got it nearly half price and it still cost a good lump of my cash. Don't want to say how much though. He was a sound guy and he does a lot of work for a family friend, plus the fact it was for a 'school project' (god how I hate to class it as a school project). But ya he gave me some off but was still expensive but definatly value for money.

Soldered all the electronics on except the power socket but that doesn't get soldered. I will try to buy that over the weekend and sort it out first thing next week. I also fixed some small bits of leather to the cable tunnel (the hole in the desk) so it was a bit nicer since it was awkward to paint.

A few more pics in better lighting. Shame you can't hear it, it rocks having sound coming from my desk and YES it all works perfectly :P

The worktop has been put into a storage room now until final assembly so no more pics of that until its 100% finished!

I'm sorting out the legs at the moment so they should be cut out form CAD machines early next week ready for glueing, sanding and finishing (not sure how yet, I can't get them made from metal at this time, maybe replace them some other time). I found some liquid sprayable metal but its way to expensive for the starter kit (like $4000-$6000). Shame because it will actualy be metal then with no seams instead of a finish to imitate metal.

[LERsince1991]

Deadline is end of next week and the legs are still just a CAD drawing.

I've made an alteration in the design which would allow the legs to be made easier from a strip of metal. I do NOT want to comproimise the looks and styling of the desk, I just want to make sure this alteration visually works.

Basically I've changed the thickness of the legs, from 50mm to around 15mm thick. It would be possible to then get these squares made, possibly from a single strip of thick metal which would then be very tightly bent on the corners whilst being heated. This should be extremely strong and the change in design is growing on me.

I've attached the images below. Please post your thoughts.
Cheers.

[LeviG]

Assuming the metalwork is being done by an external company have you considered welding instead (assuming you want the right angle look as in images) - just slice the metal at predefined lengths and then weld it at right angles :confused:

The metals most likely going to need to be polished when its all finished anyway due to discolouration from the heat treatment.

Personally I'd be concerned with the 'tight' bend even with 15mm metal. If it's got a decent radius on the corners then obviously this will make a difference but your pictures don't show that there is one.

As to the legs (assume wooden) you could try a 'chrome' paint after some heavy priming as this can come out pretty good if done correctly (look at some 'chrome' modified cars)

[xhambonex]

I like this option more than the original design. I'd take LeviG's advice and cut the metal and weld instead of bending the metal. You'll get better angles and much tighter corners. This desk would not work with rounded corners on the legs. So I'd take that into consideration. The welding would be simple and you could do that yourself if you know how.

[LERsince1991]

Ok thanks for the advice. I didn't want to cut 4 strips and weld them together because I thought the welding points and just generally the corners would look messy. But i suppose if it is them sorted out and finished properly it would be good.

When comparing these thin legs to the original, the original looks rather chunky.

Thanks for the advice

[xhambonex]

Yeah really the trick will be grinding them welds to look smooth and even, but if you kept all the welds on the inside then you would just have a slight radius on the inside but the sharp edges would still be on the outside.

[apersianboyCOM]

looks awesome, can't wait to see the finished product.

[LERsince1991]

Waiting on the legs, speaker grilles and perforated box atm, going to be powder coated steel. Its the easter holidays so I took my baby home to finish it off. My rooms an absolute tip because I threw everything well ou the way to get it in. using half an old chip board desk to rest it on (with lots of bubble wrap).

Nice to use it for a bit :)
Everything has worked perfectly in terms of electronics. so I don't have to rip it apart to fix something (actually thats not true, it is mostly replaceble and fixable)
Got an exhibition at college in about a month or less so I'm getting some extremely high renders and photos done to be printed on A3 for that :)

[simplymuzik3]

That looks fantastic! Great job! It look amazing and so professional! I would buy that any day!!!! PLEASE post more pictures when its fully done! :D simple the best desk ever! :)

[LERsince1991]

That looks fantastic! Great job! It look amazing and so professional! I would buy that any day!!!! PLEASE post more pictures when its fully done! :D simple the best desk ever! :)

I may have to sell it but I'm not sure if i want to because its a once in a very long time exclusive and I've put so much love aswell as other things :) into designing and making it. Will have to see what happens.

Thanks for the comment :D

[design-is]

I agree - fantastic!

You've done an excellent job. Can't wait to see it with it's powder coated steal additions - sounds like a great way to finish it off.

[IrishSniper87]

Yeah, this desk looks awesome!

[LERsince1991]

The metalwork is being done and should be finished by around 20th maybe sooner, maybe longer... I can't wait though...

I'm going to clean up and clear out my room today as I have just bought my first ever mac yesterday (2.4GHz Macbook). I'll take a few shots with it all set up on my desk soon :)

Can't wait for the metalwork though, it just sounds well cool. It's being laser cut and powder coated :D

I'm going to be entering some competitions soon once it's done, could be £1000 for the 16-18 year old design comp and will find some more :P

[alphaod]

Looks amazing. Good luck! (Not that you really need it ;))

[-Ryan-]

The metalwork is being done and should be finished by around 20th maybe sooner, maybe longer... I can't wait though...

I'm going to clean up and clear out my room today as I have just bought my first ever mac yesterday (2.4GHz Macbook). I'll take a few shots with it all set up on my desk soon :)

Can't wait for the metalwork though, it just sounds well cool. It's being laser cut and powder coated :D

I'm going to be entering some competitions soon once it's done, could be £1000 for the 16-18 year old design comp and will find some more :P

Sounds good. I'm looking forward to seeing it completely done. And congratulations on getting the Macbook. I'm sure it looks much better perched on the desk :p

[LERsince1991]

Hey people,

Thanks for all the interest and support. Unfortunately I've let slip a bit, way too much work on atm to get round to posting things. I'm STILL waiting on the metalwork... May not be done in time to mark but I'm still getting it.

However there is a small update, the principle has decided to pay for the metalwork (legs and grilles). This is excellent as they are really expensive and I was worried. In return for him paying this I am re-designing the whole school, sort of like modernising it, the budget isn't much though so I'll have to work on that. (~£10K)

I WILL post updates the day I get the legs for everyone...
Thanks again

[marclapierre13]

Edit: Thought I would add the website to the into post
Link (http://novanta.design-is.co.uk)

Well for my last year in college I am designing a desk thats aimed at other designers but also is suitable for other parts of the market.

I wanted a clean looking solution that has crisp, sharp edges with an overall minimal, sleek design.

I have tried to integrate a lot of a designers equipment but at the same time maintain flexibility and allow different users preferences (different users like different equipment so it was important to allow for this).

I have made the desk quite large to fit a laptop, monitor and large sheets of paper on at the same time.
There is an area on the desk where a monitor will stand on top of, and a keyboard and mouse will fit underneath.
There are 2 high end speakers integrated into the worktop.
There are 3 drawers in the worktop, The left or right will be for drawing equipment and will be organized and customizable a lot like utensil drawers in some new kitchens. Places to put different pens, pencils etc...
The middle drawer is for electronic equipment as it has a 'tunnel' at the back for cables to go through. This is big enough for small form pc's, mac minis etc.. as well as graphics pads, docks, multi-plug power adapters, hard drives etc..
The other (left or right) is big enough to store a lot of A3 paper in and a laptop.

The worktop is MDF which will be sealed, painted and coated in some sort of durable gloss finish, speaker grille and underneath equipment area is square perforated metal, The legs are metal and solid plastic.
I haven't decided exactly on the types of metal or plastics.

Also I am yet to come up with a name so if something comes to your minds please post it.

I am about to make this design in school although I have had to work in certain constraints as we get marks for making it, not sending parts to a manufacturer.

I have tried to show the idea from the pictures but if you have any questions or comments please ask.
I wont bore your with all the details of how it will be made, components I will use or how parts work unless someone asks.

I have looked into a lot of complicated ideas but in the end I believe this simple (compared to others) worked the best as a product, not a piece of bespoke furniture tailored to one person.

Cheers,
Luke.

Great looking desk. That website in the OP has to be one of the most intuitive website I have ever come across....I love the page flipping, and how you can drag the pages.

[LERsince1991]

Great looking desk. That website in the OP has to be one of the most intuitive website I have ever come across....I love the page flipping, and how you can drag the pages.

Thanks! Great compliment.
Funnily enough it was the first thing I did on InDesign... Well most of it in Illustrator which was a mistake, I was learning... always am.
The page flipping was just something I stumbled across in the transitions in ID.
The quality is quite low in the website as it was done in Ai and I think the pages were rasterized.

I'm actually building a new website at the moment to go with a new colour scheme of steel grey, orange and white. I've also got a new rendering program called hypershot so I re-rendered every image last night, so much better!

Anyway, Thanks mate!
Oh and heres my contact card with the new colour scheme, fonts, style and renders.
Need anything drop me a line ;)

[Darth.Titan]

While not wanting to be a nitpicker, you should see about spellchecking the website and PDFs. Without overly scrutinizing I caught the words "necessity" and "unparalleled" rather glaringly misspelled.
Just FYI

[LERsince1991]

While not wanting to be a nitpicker, you should see about spellchecking the website and PDFs. Without overly scrutinizing I caught the words "necessity" and "unparalleled" rather glaringly misspelled.
Just FYI

Ah right I looked through a couple of times. I will do a proper spell check with the new one thanks.

[iTzChasE]

Hello, not trying to bug you, but has there been any progress on the desk?

[LERsince1991]

Hello, not trying to bug you, but has there been any progress on the desk?

No problem mate... Well i would surely update this thread if anything had happened I assure you but I'm afraid not... But soon :D (atlast)

The engineering company I am using has been unable to process my details for some time but I've been calling them every day for the last few weeks (not always getting through), as well as emailing them and YAY. They are laser cutting everything tomorrow and machining then powder coating the following days...

Wait until Friday or Monday and There WILL be a big update here.

I've been building a website with a professional web designer as well as a lot of school work and uni things mainly... Sorted out a lot today :D

[LERsince1991]

Ok so in theory it should be finished but theres problems haha

BUT the steel HAS arrived and heres some photos! :D

the problems:
- The speaker grilles haven't got any pins/pegs on so I can't fasten them to the worktop yet... the steel company may send them with the pegs soon. I have 4 of them already haha but they were done for free :D Expensive cup matts :D (I'm going to add some little rubber feet). For the pics I used some blue-tack...

- The legs don't have the pegs either, I may have a solution though but I will speak to the steel company see what they say...

- The square perforated box platform was like £300++ so that was out of the option for now.. will come up with a solution hopefully though, see what happens.


The structure is very strong though, I recon 3 people could stand on it but I just stood on it and lay on it... didn't want to push it...

HERE IT IS!
(I'm going to try and take some better photos tomorrow but I'm not sure what to do for a backdrop, white blankets make the worktop disappear!...)

[-Ryan-]

That really does look very good. Would look really great in a room with black walls rather than white :)

[fireshot91]

Just noticed your birthday is March 22.


So is mine. :)


Nice desk by the way, I think it could really help clear a lot of space for people!
I think it'd be better if there were different color options or something- Just an idea.

[design-is]

Final product looks great! Shame the steel undercarriage is going to be so costly! Nevertheless, it's a great concept that's been excellently realised - especially since you're only at A-Level level ;)

[iTzChasE]

I. WANT. THAT. DESK!!! Looks amazing.

[-Ryan-]

Just noticed your birthday is March 22.


So is mine. :)

Ha, I mentioned the same thing earlier in the thread. There's three of us here now! :D

[jordygreen]

wow that fully puts my speaker design that I manufactured to shame ha.

It looks brilliant!

[LERsince1991]

Thanks for the support/comments everyone!

Haha March 22nd is a good day for 3 us of then :P

[Olivier81]

looks good - I have a glass desk with chrome trestles and cables are a nightmare (not in yours:))
I made an electric guitar for my a-level this year. The bodys a block of clear acrylic and the necks zebrawood. Luckily I get to take it home as my school said forget about the moderators!

[HudsonsHalfHour]

Thanks for the support/comments everyone!

Haha March 22nd is a good day for 3 us of then :P

Amazes me that so few apple style desks are out there for the public to buy, the choice we're left with is pathetic. You buy an elegant machine like an imac and have to stick it on a collection of plywood pieces.

You should do one in the style of the apple genius bar desk, but of course on a smaller scale. Big chunky blocks of beech….

[LERsince1991]

Amazes me that so few apple style desks are out there for the public to buy, the choice we're left with is pathetic. You buy an elegant machine like an imac and have to stick it on a collection of plywood pieces.

You should do one in the style of the apple genius bar desk, but of course on a smaller scale. Big chunky blocks of beech….

Not a bad idea about the apple store desks... (they're not solid though :P) they have LOTS of hidden areas for cables and equipment. Good idea though.




JUST THOUGHT I WOULD TELL PEOPLE...
I've been selected as one of 20 finalists to exhibit a design in London on 19th of June for the Young Designers Competition with the chance to win 2 £1000 prizes, a guaranteed £20 for attending, great publicity, great experience and something to add to the CV and stuff.

Dulwich College - London - 19th June 2009 - 1pm to 5pm

[Sommer]

JUST THOUGHT I WOULD TELL PEOPLE...
I've been selected as one of 20 finalists to exhibit a design in London on 19th of June for the Young Designers Competition with the chance to win 2 £1000 prizes, a guaranteed £20 for attending, great publicity, great experience and something to add to the CV and stuff.

Dulwich College - London - 19th June 2009 - 1pm to 5pm

Heya! Congratz! I hope you will share both the result and some pictures of the competition you are up against with us!

I love your table. How much did you spend on it so far? :)

I have a very special corner in my room and you definately inspired me to built my own desktop as well... I already did my own TV-stand.

By the way... is it a special company that painted the table?? Because to be honest my TV-stand was painted kind of ugly. So I would love a hint for that as well - then I can maybe get a repaint for it! :)

Great work! Great handcraft! I love it... And a pricetag for 200-300£ I would buy it if it was available close to me. Yeah, I love it!

However I have a suggestion (which I guess kind of sucks with your design).
I like my screen to be placed in the far left side of the desktop. This leaves me room for big stacks of paper, etc. which I am kind of keen on.

So you should make it "optional position" of the screen thingy, so people can get it wide, not at all, either sides, etc.

Good work and good luck!

[LERsince1991]

Heya! Congratz! I hope you will share both the result and some pictures of the competition you are up against with us!

I love your table. How much did you spend on it so far? :)

I have a very special corner in my room and you definately inspired me to built my own desktop as well... I already did my own TV-stand.

By the way... is it a special company that painted the table?? Because to be honest my TV-stand was painted kind of ugly. So I would love a hint for that as well - then I can maybe get a repaint for it! :)

Great work! Great handcraft! I love it... And a pricetag for 200-300£ I would buy it if it was available close to me. Yeah, I love it!

However I have a suggestion (which I guess kind of sucks with your design).
I like my screen to be placed in the far left side of the desktop. This leaves me room for big stacks of paper, etc. which I am kind of keen on.

So you should make it "optional position" of the screen thingy, so people can get it wide, not at all, either sides, etc.

Good work and good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion. I have made some changes to the design on paper which if I built another could be added.

- Extra cable tunnel from the top left of the worktop straight through into the equipment bay... Use for laptops and also because the monitor stand isn't attached it could also be used with this 'hole' to neaten things up.

- Optional drawing board attachment which would run up and down along a groove in the left side of the worktop.

- Lightbox may be added and also the equipment bay would be more integrated into the worktop like the design is (just didn't have time in the prototype)

As for the paint I got a high-end specialist commercial spray company to do it for me as I had a family friend in the industry that asked a favour... he lost money but wanted to support me. Cost quite a bit though but for a tv cabinet you'd be looking at about £100 + transport so...

Also I'm not sure I should say how much I've spent on it so far... :P
Custom solid steel, laser cut, powder coated + worktop + electronic components + sealed, high end drawer runners + leather for drawers + Paint job etc...

You do the maths ;)

Edit: Oh and if you check the link in my sig in about a week you and I will be able to see the competition I will be up against... fingers crossed.

[Jozone]

just found this thread.. amazing work, although you've got me wanting something that i cant buy! :(

[LERsince1991]

just found this thread.. amazing work, although you've got me wanting something that i cant buy! :(

Thanks! :D Haha :P

P.S. Unfortunately I didn't win the Young Designers competition 2009 but I guess I didn't sell the idea well enough to the judges... I forgot a lot of stuff.