industrial design : the combination of applied art and applied science, whereby the aesthetics, ergonomics and usability of products may be improved for marketability and production.

cases, frames, and various miscellaneous every day object form aleks’ industrial design portfolio. emphasis is ascribed to the finishing aesthetics achieved by careful machining, followed by sanding and sand blasting techniques, and finalized by various types of anodizing.

 

jewellery : object of precious metal worn for personal adornment.

aleks’ jewellery portfolio is a collection of earrings and necklaces made for friends and family, often co-designed with the person in question. designs are subject to very constrained geometric rules imposed by machining and all pieces are made of sterling silver; some are electroplated with gold or rhodium, or both.

 

scientific instrument : a device developed to magnify human powers of observation, by translating into perceptible form events that are unobservable by the human senses.

within the scientific network of mcgill university, aleks made various contacts during his graduate studies leading to collaborations, design of scientific instruments, and patents. noteworthy scientific instruments designed for his graduate studies and for research collaborators are presented here.

 

graphic design : a creative process using visual presentation on some surface, undertaken to convey a specific message to a targeted audience.

graphic designing was aleks’ first technical endeavour, made possible by access to the software corelDraw during his teenage years. this category constitutes cd cover artwork designed for music albums, as well as various logos.

 

pottery : is the art and craft of forming clay into a desired shape and firing into a ceramic composition, followed by coating of protective and ornamental glazes in a subsequent hotter firing process.

in january 2014, aleks reluctantly undertook pottery at ucsb after moving to santa barbara. the difficulty in attaining tight tolerances and product reproducibility started off as an interesting challenge, but eventually turned into a significant source of discouragement - unfortunately.

 

woodworking : the skilled practice of crafting aesthetically appealing objects out of wood.

in january 2016, woodworking took over as aleks' main hobby after the poor tolerancing of pottery took a toll on his perfectionist aspirations. although wood is intrinsically idiosyncratic and highly anisotropic, there is no shortage of methodologies for taming these sources of inaccuracy.

 

laser cutting : a manufacturing technique that uses a computer controlled laser to cut and/or engrave a variety of materials in two-dimensions.

in january 2017, the discovery of santa barbara hackerspace and its laser cutting machine inspired aleks to pursue the challenge of designing objects with the two-dimensional constraints imposed by laser cutting. sometimes, new constraints can inspire unexpected design creativity.

 

3d printing : a process by which three-dimensional objects are printed by selective deposition of an extruded plastic filament.

in november 2017, aleks took on 3d printing as a hobby after an impulsive purchase of a 3d printer from dagoma that opened a short-lived factory in santa barbara. the specific challenge was to create aesthetically appealing objects using the lowest grade 3d printing technology.