Design's Copyright

It's interesting how much we've counted on ergonomic designs and the crazy amounts of money that we pour into things that we find useful. There are many things that we see that we think we need to spend a lot of money on, when in reality we're just lazy. Why should one design cost hundreds of dollars more just because everyone is lazy?

I recently became interested in DSLR photography and videography. Now doing video is something that needs a lot of stabilization so I did some research on what I might need. The first, and only a few brands make decent ones, brand that popped up was the RedRockMicro Series. These rigs cost at least three to four hundred dollars. So why not take something from the first day of class and apply it here: Zeitgeist. This terms applies to what I have done here; I have taken something of the 'past' and made a copy of it. In a sense, it's the ghost of design.

To the left is what the professional option is. Nice black with blue accents and rubber grip. To the left is what I made: copper and aluminum held together by welding and bolts. Now let's look at my design and how this fits the designer's needs.

 So ergonomics and designer's needs are roughly broken into five points from the most basic needs to the optional perks: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics. So let's take a look at how well my design holds up against these five points.

Before I start tearing apart my own mock-up I need to be clear that I will critique this design as it is: an unfinished product. So, part one: safety. This design isn't the safest of designs by a long shot. Sharp edges from the 1/4 inch aluminum and mending braces offer many chances for scratches and the copper tubing can easily puncture the unsafe. The finished design (as planned) however will accommodate this with rubber stoppers/caps for tubing and corner pads for the edges.

Next up: comfort. I designed this in mind with the idea that I would be using this for extended periods of time. The original design with straight 90 degree angles were not the most comfortable. I used a 45 degree elbow for a relaxed and natural grip. And that lends into the ease of use. The natural angles help me hold the rig comfortably and the way it was designed was to be taken apart quickly and easily to be packed away.

Performance is a hard standard to measure. It is, more or less, only a measurement of how much better is it compared to what you are upgrading from. A shoulder mount upgrade from hand-held shooting is a whole new level of performance. And as for aesthetics, some flat black paint on the assembly and shiny new counterweights will make this into 'show room' condition.

I can sit here all day and point out many flaws in this design. But the main thing I wanted to point out was simple: a $300+ assembly versus one that I made for about $70. There is little to no difference in concept and performance so I feel that this is design in it's best. Consumer made, consumer used.

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