songbird fantasy feeder | Dec 2011
Beautiful songbirds are in our yards: We feed them, wait for them, and journal what we’ve seen.
I thought it would be fun to create a moment that levels the feeding field for our feathered friends. Now your songbird stoops to the level of a road side scavenger.
Imagine the stories they will share while flying south for the winter. Imagine how tough they feel after devouring a full sized rabbit.
materials:
molded bird seed, stainless steel skeleton
*Limited quantities available
($60)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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“power boat” at Cranbrook Academy of Art | Nov 2011
“No Object Is an Island: New Dialogues with the Cranbrook Collection”
On View at Cranbrook Art Museum through March 25, 2012
For more information, visit http://www.cranbrook.edu.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum.
Photography: James Haefner for The SmithGroup, Detroit.
polygon sedan | Nov 2011
charcoal on canvas, 44” x 76”
An American sedan from the mid 70’s exploded in polygons
prints available, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), shipped rolled in tubes, 32 lb. paper
small (11” x 17”) $15
large (36” x 58”) $60
mid-century modern home, FOR SALE | Oct 2011
mid century modern home in Grand Rapids Michigan
(FOR SALE) $279,000, available september 2012
year build 1960
1984 sqf
Completely updated and renovated.
3 bedrooms, 2 full bath, 3 car pull through garage, car port, glass everywhere, great private setting, natural spring pond, sits on 2 acres.
3480 bayberry nw, 49544
email, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information
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NORM stool | Oct 2011
norm.
Inspired by an off shore fishing reel this stool is as simple as it gets.
Too often our products conflict with each other in spaces. This stool is designed to sit perfectly well with lots of other “designery” type products. Not everything has to stand out.
material: cast aluminum
- Read LessContact | Sep 2011
616 283 1610
e. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
studio location
38 commerce SW, grand rapids, MI, 49503
mailing address
3480 bayberry NW, grand rapids, MI, 49544
Men’s Journal | Sep 2011
Volume 20, Number 8
September 2011
The Style and Design Issue
59 Perfect Things
The current fixed-gear bike trend has spawned a mass of less-is-more models, but Inner City Bikes’ 36er is the most strikingly minimalist we’ve seen. “Our goal was to hit the reset button on bike design,” says designer Joey Ruiter. The end product is a sci-fi cycle with the essentials only: an aluminum frame, freewheel rear hub, 36-inch tires, disc breaks, custom fit cranks, and a seat. Not even a chain or drive train. “It’s a city cruiser” says Ruiter. “More fashion than function.”
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moto undone | Aug 2011
From the familiar to the unexpected, moto undone ignores what makes motorcycles interesting.
At jruiter I.D. we want to re-set the definition of a motorbike by stripping away historical attributes that make them so great. It’s hard to image a motorcycle without fancy paint, overpowered motors, exposed mechanical genius, and sweet exhaust tones.
Moto undone is pure generic transportation and by motorbike category definition it isn’t very cool.
There motorbike references are small and when someone is riding they are all you see. The bike almost disappears. The rider just floats along the streets silently.
Powered by a 1000w 48v electric hub motor, moto undone has a range of 90 miles or about 3 hours. All gauges and riding information, like speed and gps, is displayed through smart phones by downloadable apps.
On display at the GRAM, Grand Rapids Art Museum, september 21 – October 9, 2011
photo credits, Dean Van Dis
rider, Pete McDaniel
trumped trial rig,... Buick Estate wagon | Jun 2011
This past Saturday we took our decently built up 2003 Land Rover discovery to silver lake sand dunes in Mi. My wife, kelli, snapped this photo of a mid-90’s Buick estate wagon next to me.
For perspective. Our Disco sits on 33” bfg M/T’s with a 3 inch lift. Not a small truck.
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nucraft funiture, cavara | Jun 2011
Nucraft, cavara
casegoods furniture-
A full line of reconfigurable components serves a broad range of application needs while minimizing its cost of ownership.
contract Gold award, casegoods 2011
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nucraft funiture, flow | Jun 2011
Nucraft
Floor 11, Showroom 1166
Flow
The new benchmark for technology accommodation in an elegant form, Flow provides powerful scalability concealed beneath a floating center island, allowing for simple adaptability over the life of the product.
izzy + neocon 2011 dewey | Jun 2011
Dewey finds fresh ways to inspire creativity and connection on campus and beyond with new cart and storage solutions
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2011: The Merchandise Mart, Spaces 11-100 and 1150
CHICAGO – June 2011 — Dewey’s back, and this time it’s bigger, smarter — and more personal.
The collection from Fixtures Furniture by izzy+ made an impressive debut at NeoCon 2009, when an award-winning portfolio of tables, benches, bookcases, lecterns and help desks was introduced as a fresh approach to the future of learning and teaching. Dewey took another leap forward at NeoCon 2010 with the addition of the celebrated and versatile Dewey 6-Top Table for spur-of-the-moment gatherings all over campus.
This June, at NeoCon 2011, the Dewey collection expands from the classrooms to the commons to the media labs and libraries to the professor’s office space. Dewey’s adding an array of storage and filing options, along with a privacy screen that transforms a Dewey table into a hard-working desk. The Dewey Connection Cart completes the 2011 enhancements to the collection, a mobile stand that encourages idea sharing in and out of the classroom.
“Dewey has redefined and reconceptualized the classroom over the past few years, and now we’re rounding out Dewey as a more robust answer for imaginative open-workplan areas and private offices and meeting spaces,” said Brandon Reame, the Brand Manager for izzy+. “We’re continuing to grow and demonstrate Dewey’s adaptability and its thought leadership throughout all learning environments.”
The new Dewey storage elements include a mobile pedestal file that features an open bin for briefcases or backpacks, as well as bookcase-based doors and drawers to neatly hide files and personal items in new configurations.
“It’s the same kit of parts, with more functionality and flexibility,” Reame explained. “It’s reconfigurable, freestanding, modular furniture which allows us to swap out shelves with different storage components.”
The Dewey Connection Cart incorporates storage elements along with a shelf beneath its whiteboard display. The cart also can accommodate up to a 40-inch flat screen monitor for digital and video display. The stand is designed to enhance connections among learners and workers in a variety of applications.
“It brings technology and a collaboration surface right where it needs to be,” Reame said.
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izzy + neocon 2011 concepts | Jun 2011
Concept vignettes by Joey Ruiter at izzy+ explore deeper meaning of collaboration and inspiration
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2011: The Merchandise Mart, Spaces 1150, 11-100
CHICAGO – June 2011 – Joey Ruiter of JRuiter + Studio calls it a search for “a tone or a vibe” within a physical space. Chuck Saylor of izzy+ describes it as a quest to provide meaningful places for inspiration and effortless collaboration.
The duo’s shared vision continues to sharpen and develop and a number of new or refined concept pieces will be on display in the 11th-floor showrooms of izzy+ during NeoCon 2011.
The vignettes include quiet alcoves with arbor-like elements, a 12-foot standing-height bar for impromptu meetings, and a grotto that includes sofa-like lounge seating within a semi-enclosed aluminum arbor structure that gives definition to the space.
“We’re designing to lower the barriers to communication and connection.” explains Ruiter, who launched the experimental exploration with izzy+ three years ago. “We’re not thinking about the corner office and wood paneled walls, anymore. People need space to develop and share ideas, along with need for solitude at times.”
The project, code-named Nemo, creates three distinct collaboration zones: extrovert, social and private.
Saylor, the founder and CEO of izzy+, notes that the Nemo experiment “all revolves around explorations into the characteristics of the places that encourage and support collaboration, inspiration and reflection. When you ask the question, ‘Where is the most inspiring space you go to think,’ no one says, ‘My cubicle.’ They respond with answers like, ‘My beach house,’ or ‘The library,’ or ‘Under the tree in the park.’ “
By providing some structure for informal space, says Ruiter, community is created and information can be quickly shared. “This is how real learning and real work happens today,” he says.
Saylor says the time is right for this exploratory project. “We see the emergence of a new social culture being formed within work and learning places,” he says. “Encouraged by easy access to information, transparency, a strong desire to contribute and grow, people are increasingly seeking to leverage each other and looking for inspiring places that encourage spontaneous interaction and reflection.”
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GQ France | Jun 2011
Number 40
June 2011
Le Plus Simple Appareil
Un cadre, une delle, un guidon, un frein (à disques) sur la roue arrière: voici le prototype de vélo du futur, l’Inner City Bike. “Nous avons réfléchi à la façon de simplifier le concept de bicyclette au maximum et une idée s’est imposée d’elle-même: supprimer la chaîne”, explique Joey Ruiter, designer américain basé dans le Michigan. Le pédalier, soudé directement au moyeu de la roue arrière, offre une variante bienvenue à la tendance des fixies, ces vélos à pignon fixe que l’on a vu fleurir ces dernières années. Pour faciliter le démarrage, le ratio de pédalage est de 1:1 car “nous avons voulu proposer une bécane qui soit davantage liée au style qu‘à la performance pure, raconte Ruiter. Je ne pense pas que l’on puisse parcourir des kilomètres avec ce vélo, mais nous l’avons conçu comme l’objet idéal du jeune urbain qui déambule en ville.” – Jean-Vincent Russo
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Cyklar! | May 2011
Please visit Vandalorum in Sweden April through August- Prototype #6 of the inner city bike 36er is on display.
Vandalorum is a new art & design Center in the south of Sweden due to be opened to the public in April next year.
Buildings are designed by Italian architects Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
The opening exhibition will be with BICYCLES (Cyklar!)
jruiter + studio, office | Mar 2011
jruiter + studio
38 commerce sw suite 101
grand rapids MI 49544
616 283 1610
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New York Times, design - travel | Nov 2010
The Light Fantastic Design, Travel
Design, Travel
Inner City
For his Inner City bicycle, Joey Ruiter of JRuiter + Studio brought the bike back to basics. First, he unchained it. The bike, specifically tailored for short-distance trips on city streets, operates with a free-wheeling, unicycle-inspired hub that relies on fewer movable parts (which also makes it cheaper).
By JORDAN HRUSKA
November 12, 2010, 9:23 am
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/the-light-fantastic/
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inner city bike 36er, (big city cruiser) | Sep 2010
big city cruiser
the inner city bike, big city, is ready to ride. check out innercitybikes.com for more information-
The Inner City Bike is how I’m starting a conversation about new products and how they change the world. The bicycle is iconic. Throughout its history, its design has evolved. Big wheels, small wheels, even the number of wheels. It’s been made of wood, metal, and plastic. Is there room for another take on the bike? Can we re-define classic objects? I think so.
It is about simplicity in design. The Inner City Bike is the ultimate stripped away piece. So stripped even the chain is gone. Its a statement on bare essential transportation and new ways of thinking about materials, scale, manufacturing processes and function.
For me, the art of design happens when you change the way things are perceived, when a new word is coined to express what you’ve done. It challenges conventionality and creates new stories, interactions and
rarity we strive for.
Fast company blog, by Kaomi Goetz | Aug 2010
Can A Mere Product Design Win a $250,000 Art Prize?
Why shouldn’t great designs rank with great art? Designers are testing the waters.
Industrial designer Joey Ruiter is trying to blur — no, obliterate — the line separating art and design. “I don’t think there’s too much difference,” says the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based designer on why he entered one of the world’s most lucrative open art competitions, Art Prize, with a sleek, minimalist city bike.
Wayne Adams, a longtime friend of Ruiter’s and a Brooklyn-based painter, disagrees. “It’s not design prize, it’s Art Prize,” he says. Adams has also entered Art Prize with an oil painting that looks like a real-life photograph of bunched up aluminum foil, and he doesn’t think designed objects should be considered art and entered into an art competition along with traditional art mediums.
Their debate will be put to the test next month in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the second year of Art Prize, an open art competition with a $449,000 kitty, including a jaw-dropping $250,000 top prize. Last year about 1,200 artists from around the world showed a signature piece of sculpture, performance, or painting. Art Prize drew 200,000 visitors to the city in its inaugural run last year, doubling as both art event and economic stimulant. The winner of the top prize is determined by popular vote, via text or online voting, a la American Idol. This year, organizers made a conscious effort to encourage more designers to enter — a move that is sure to not only complicate the ongoing debate over what constitutes as ‘good’ art, but art itself.
Adams concedes it’s not a simple argument—and that not all designed objects hit the mark. “If someone brings in their old 10-speed, it’s harder to make the argument and design equals art,” he says. But does it? The 10-speed bike has arguably transformed more lives than any piece of art.
Even Ruiter isn’t sure a street bike can win Art Prize, if last year’s winner gleans any clues about.
But Ruiter, who has done work for Herman Miller and izzyplus, sees himself as an artist, regularly exploring his own creative limits. His bike was a design exercise in stripping away the parts of a convention bike: Think of it as a unicycle with a front wheel, no chain, and a single front disc brake. “There’s no grease, no moving parts, we’ve really deconstructed something that was already something simple,” Ruiter says. But it’s impractical for other than as a well-dressed spin down the block: “It might not even be functional at all and that’s hard to swallow for a lot of designers,” says Ruiter.
Which raises a question: Should Ruiter’s entry be judged as a piece of design—and thus on how well it functions? Design usually only becomes great when it serves its purpose well—But does being an entrant in an art contest change that criteria?
And does that mean souped-up washing machines or electric cars could win the next Art Prize? It’s totally possible, says Bill Holsinger-Robinson, the executive director of Art Prize. He and other organizers realized at the end of last year’s event they needed to reach out to more designers — from fashion to graphic-design — to really widen the contest’s reach and impact.
“To a large extent we see ourselves as social designers,” Holsinger-Robinson says, who along with most, if not all, of the Art Prize team also work for Spout, an online networking site for movie fans started by an Amway heir, whose family also underwrote last year’s startup costs. “Some audiences won’t view design as art. But for the broader group, I don’t think they will have issues with trying to make those lines of distinction.”
South Korea-based artist Chulyeon Park explores duality and bipolarity in this bench called “Schizophrenic’s Debris.” It’s made of MDF, laser cut and coated with graphite, then finished with lacquer. [As we were going to press, Park decided to withdraw from the competition, citing shipping costs.—Ed.]
Progressive AE, an architectural and engineering firm in Grand Rapids, entered with “Rabbit Hole,” an interactive installation based on the theme of discovery and curiosity. The visitor will find clear tubes hanging like chimes that emit a kaleidoscope of effect on color, the walls are designed to manipulate sound, texture and balance for the overall experience.
“There will be a variety of texture and sounds. It’s something that’s asking to be touched,” says Brian Koehn, one of the project’s collaborators.
Last year, they entered d.ploi, a mobile, modular structure of wood and steel that could work as your own mini-room inside a room or outside.
Go to Art Prize and see (and judge) for yourselves, September 22 to October 10.
Kaomi Goetz
Kaomi Goetz is a writer for Co Design. She also uses audio to tell stories about technology and social and economic trends for National Public Radio and others.
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Nucraft, Ativa | Jun 2010
Congress style table without the legs to hinder seating applications-
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izzy + neocon 2010 concepts, NEMO | Jun 2010
New concepts by Joey Ruiter at izzy+ invite people to explore social dynamics, energy of third space
Why the kitchen island is such a draw, and how posture changes interaction
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2010: The Merchandise Mart, Spaces 1150, 11-100
CHICAGO – June 2010 – How do you structure the unstructured space? Good question. That’s why the izzy+ team asked designer Joey Ruiter to conceptualize how people connect at anchor destinations within a lobby, commons or student union.
Two unusual concept pieces during NeoCon at the 11th floor showrooms for izzy+ explore the answers, inviting Chicago visitors to test and provide feedback on third space.
The first concept draws you into a small alcove composed of a table, seating and an arbor-like ceiling resembling woven branches, where you might spend an hour, thinking or talking privately to others, recharging your energy in reflective solitude.
But when you have 15 minutes to check the scores, recharge your phone or debrief after class, head to the second concept piece. You can’t miss this 24 foot bar-like structure, capped off with a semi-enclosed seating area. The entire product creates three distinct collaboration zones: extrovert, social and private.
“We’re designing to support a culture of relevance,” says Ruiter of JRuiter Studio. “People need something to gather around, to share ideas and confidences, or to be alone while they’re standing next to someone else. These two concept pieces show how informal space builds community, where information is shared quickly. And it’s where real work and real learning take place now.”
izzy+ Founder and CEO Chuck Saylor is excited about the “concept car” conversation. “This is experimentation 101. It’s another stage of our research on how people act and use space for collaboration and personal reflection, and how we can best support them,” he says. “Why do you naturally rally around a bar, or kitchen island? In the five stages of posture, from sleeping to standing, the stand-up aspect is so intriguing. The body is completely engaged. Your inhibition is low and your energy level is high. In contrast, in the arbor setting, there’s an element of mystery and intrigue. Who’s in there? Who are they with and what are they saying?”
Mixing open and intimate spaces helps explore threshold barriers, says Ruiter. “How do you decrease these barriers? That’s the idea of a bar-height lounge,” he says. “When you sit in a restaurant booth up on risers, it’s more comfortable when people walk by. You have a visual connection to others but you’re not in their space. Can you mix complete privacy with complete openness? We do it all the time today, in the subway, in a stairwell, sending emails from the cafeteria. Converting that idea into physical products is a new idea.”
About izzy+
The employees of izzy+ (http://www.izzyplus.com) design, manufacture and market office furniture and seating that solve real problems for real people. The focus is to provide designers with the tools to create inspiring work spaces for forward-thinking customers in home offices and small businesses, in executive offices and board rooms, in hospitals and classrooms. Its award-winning products are marketed under the brand names izzy, HÅG, Harter, Fixtures Furniture, Zoom Seating and ABCO Office Furniture. Based in Spring Lake, Mich., U.S., izzy+ is a business of JSJ Corporation of Grand Haven, Michigan.
END
Media Contacts:
Debbie Goode, 616.847.6539, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Clare Wade, 616.644.1090, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Rapid Growth | Jun 2010
Joey Ruiter has designs on downtown Grand Rapids
Matt Vande Bunte Thursday, June 03, 2010
Design an award-winning office chair: Check. Design an aquatic pod-racer: Check. Design a bicycle for urban commuters: Check.
Now, Joey Ruiter has designs on a new Grand Rapids workshop. Check this out: The 33-year-old industrial designer has bought a tiny parcel west of Founders Brewing Co. and plans to construct “a little office-garage” estimated to cost $180,000 to support his work.
“The office today for me is barely a setting. It’s a state of mind,” says Ruiter, looking over design concepts for the studio he envisions on Bartlett Street SW. “Every week I do something different, so it’s gotta be able to change and shift and move.
“This is really a shell to accommodate a lot of different things. This is an experiment in how to work in the future.”
Ruiter does a lot of forward thinking. The Grand Haven native sold an office chair design to Steelcase while still in school at Kendall College of Art & Design, which honored him last month with a distinguished alumni award. He also has earned honors at NeoCon, the National Exposition of Contract Furnishings that will soon be taking place in Chicago. And a “totally experimental” boat he designed was featured in Popular Science magazine.
On his own
After working for Steelcase’s Turnstone division after school, Ruiter five years ago opened his own studio. In addition to furniture companies including Herman Miller, Nucraft and izzy, Ruiter’s clientele crosses industries ranging from dental tools to hot tubs. He spends about half of his time developing new stuff, or creating new designs of existing products.
One of his latest creations, the Inner City Bike, seeks to engage a growing cadre of urban commuters by putting some new tread on the traditional bicycle. It sports a pair of 36-inch wheels with a seat atop the one in the rear. There is no chain.
“I basically took away everything that you didn’t absolutely need,” Ruiter says. “You don’t wear one of those cone (racing) helmets on this. It’s probably a reverse in evolution.”
Then again, less can be more in terms of design to Ruiter. His current workspace at 3 Oakes St. SW is smallish, adorned by a Herman Miller marshmallow sofa and a conference table that doubles as his desk. There’s a photo of the Inner City Bike on the wall and a few of his designs on the floor, including an OFS-brand Swank lounge chair made to use a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of plywood so there’s no scrap.
“The key to my business is low overhead,” he says. “I own a computer. I own a printer. I own a couple tools. And that’s my business assets.
“I’m not really building a business to sell. The sale is me doing the work.”
Ruiter moved his assets six months ago to Oakes, the most recent of several workspaces that together have been phases of an ongoing experiment. He previously worked at his Grand Rapids home, a task complicated by the presence of two children age two and younger. There also was a rented space that needed a bigger elevator to fit materials. There was an owned building with a ceiling too low. Ruiter even squatted for awhile in vacant buildings on Ionia Avenue SW.
Hey, he likes the downtown bustle.
“I feel like I’m part of a bigger world,” he says, looking out on Oakes. “I feel like I have co-workers walking by.”
Altogether now
People will be the focus of his design for the new workshop, Ruiter says. He’s striving to make it “like the second home I can work at.” For entertaining clients, there’ll be a kitchen in the back of a second floor that has an outdoor deck on the roof. A third-floor loft would be for storage, with a ground-floor showroom housing a model shop.
The design combines elements from previous workspaces into a single, new building on a 2,000-square-foot lot.
“I’ve moved probably five times in the last six years, and I just haven’t been able to find the right space. It has been a learning process,” Ruiter says. “This building is really the consolidation of a lot of those components at a manageable scale.
“I want the people to stand out rather than the architecture. Products should be in the background to support interaction.“
Grand Rapids city planning officials have embraced Ruiter’s concept for the workshop.
“It is always exciting for us to meet with individuals who wish to build up the urban core and be living pioneers in nearly unchartered territories, like on his site,” said Suzanne Schulz, planning director. “The little postage-stamp size of a lot that he wishes to build on captures the imagination about what could be there.
“To have an individual like Joey want to invest in the city and choose that spot speaks to the enthusiasm that exists about downtown and the confidence people have in the city’s future.“
Ruiter concedes he might never build his workshop, and whether or not he does may not matter. It’s the process of designing that inspires him. It’s another experiment to check off the list, another form given a fresh take.
“I’ve been doing this for years. This is, like, number 30,” he says, looking over the latest workshop design. “It’s a change disorder, an experiment disorder. Maybe there’s an acronym for it.
“I’m really in no hurry, but it’s kind of fun having the aspirations.”
For a designer, it’s an aspiration afforded by Grand Rapids. Shoot, he paid cash for the property. Plus, the business community is rich in world-class manufacturing and the geography suits Ruiter’s penchant for outdoor action like fishing, boating and snowboarding.
Not to mention that Grand Rapids fits his design philosophy.
“We design our own lives to make it easier all the time,” Ruiter says. “It’s simple and easy to live here. I couldn’t even think of doing this in New York.”
link
http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/060310ruiter.aspx?utm_campaign
Matt Vande Bunte writes about business, government, religion and other things. His work has appeared in newspapers including The Grand Rapids Press and Chicago Tribune and in assorted sectors of cyberspace.
Photos:
Joey Ruiter
Newly purchased parcel of land
Future building design -Rendering Courtesy of Joey Ruiter
Joey Ruiter in his current studio (2)
One of Joey Ruiter boat designs -Photo Courtesy of Joey Ruiter
Photographs by Brian Kelly -All Rights Reserved
Izzy plus shows Neocon concepts | Jun 2010
News
New concepts by Joey Ruiter at izzy+ invite people to explore social dynamics, energy of third space
Why the kitchen island is such a draw, and how posture changes interaction
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2010: The Merchandise Mart, Spaces 1150, 11-100
CHICAGO – June 2010 – How do you structure the unstructured space? Good question. That’s why the izzy+ team asked designer Joey Ruiter to conceptualize how people connect at anchor destinations within a lobby, commons or student union.
Two unusual concept pieces during NeoCon at the 11th floor showrooms for izzy+ explore the answers, inviting Chicago visitors to test and provide feedback on third space.
The first concept draws you into a small alcove composed of a table, seating and an arbor-like ceiling resembling woven branches, where you might spend an hour, thinking or talking privately to others, recharging your energy in reflective solitude.
But when you have 15 minutes to check the scores, recharge your phone or debrief after class, head to the second concept piece. You can’t miss this 24 foot bar-like structure, capped off with a semi-enclosed seating area. The entire product creates three distinct collaboration zones: extrovert, social and private.
“We’re designing to support a culture of relevance,” says Ruiter of JRuiter Studio. “People need something to gather around, to share ideas and confidences, or to be alone while they’re standing next to someone else. These two concept pieces show how informal space builds community, where information is shared quickly. And it’s where real work and real learning take place now.”
izzy+ Founder and CEO Chuck Saylor is excited about the “concept car” conversation. “This is experimentation 101. It’s another stage of our research on how people act and use space for collaboration and personal reflection, and how we can best support them,” he says. “Why do you naturally rally around a bar, or kitchen island? In the five stages of posture, from sleeping to standing, the stand-up aspect is so intriguing. The body is completely engaged. Your inhibition is low and your energy level is high. In contrast, in the arbor setting, there’s an element of mystery and intrigue. Who’s in there? Who are they with and what are they saying?”
Mixing open and intimate spaces helps explore threshold barriers, says Ruiter. “How do you decrease these barriers? That’s the idea of a bar-height lounge,” he says. “When you sit in a restaurant booth up on risers, it’s more comfortable when people walk by. You have a visual connection to others but you’re not in their space. Can you mix complete privacy with complete openness? We do it all the time today, in the subway, in a stairwell, sending emails from the cafeteria. Converting that idea into physical products is a new idea.”
About izzy+
The employees of izzy+ (http://www.izzyplus.com) design, manufacture and market office furniture and seating that solve real problems for real people. The focus is to provide designers with the tools to create inspiring work spaces for forward-thinking customers in home offices and small businesses, in executive offices and board rooms, in hospitals and classrooms. Its award-winning products are marketed under the brand names izzy, HÅG, Harter, Fixtures Furniture, Zoom Seating and ABCO Office Furniture. Based in Spring Lake, Mich., U.S., izzy+ is a business of JSJ Corporation of Grand Haven, Michigan.
END
Media Contacts:
Debbie Goode, 616.847.6539, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Clare Wade, 616.644.1090, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
inner city bike 36er ! | May 2010
This thing is huge.
Prototype to be shown in September 2010. To see more visit http://www.innercitybikes.com
The Inner City Bike is how I’m starting a conversation about new products and how they change the world. The bicycle is iconic. Throughout its history, its design has evolved. Big wheels, small wheels, even the number of wheels. It’s been made of wood, metal, and plastic. Is there room for another take on the bike? Can we re-define classic objects? I think so.
It is about simplicity in design. The Inner City Bike is the ultimate stripped away piece. So stripped even the chain is gone. Its a statement on bare essential transportation and new ways of thinking about materials, scale, manufacturing processes and function.
For me, the art of design happens when you change the way things are perceived, when a new word is coined to express what you’ve done. It challenges conventionality and creates new stories, interactions and
rarity we strive for.
joey ruiter | May 2010
Joey Ruiter is redefining expectations in the world of art and design. At 33, already a major influence in the global design community, he has earned best-in-class recognition for his work. His signature is design that meets everyday needs in surprising ways — pushing limits to confront established expectations. His eclectic mix ranges from office furniture to sculpture, concept watercraft to household objects, even bicycles and birdhouses.
“I see the designer’s role to lead people to what’s next…to push, to imagine, to create something great. It is important to me that people find a relationship with the objects that I create, inspiring creates new stories, memories and interactions with each other. Ultimately, that’s really what it’s all about.”
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(7 questions) herman miller blog. | Apr 2010
Design, Products April 19, 2010
Seven Questions for Joey Ruiter, Industrial Designer
By Kate Convissor
Industrial designer Joey Ruiter
Joey Ruiter is having way too much fun for a grownup. From his boyhood penchant for dismantling things, Ruiter has continued to finesse the art of stripping design to its essentials. And he brings this aesthetic of the unfussy to his work as well as to his play. So, Herman Miller’s new Intent line of furniture, designed by Ruiter, is meant to look as cool in private offices as it does in open plan and to offer affordable mix-and-match choices.
At play, Ruiter has stripped the bicycle to bare-nakedness, and the Inner City Bike, “a café racer with the performance of a beach cruiser,” is the result. He also tinkers with boat design. “Why are boats so complicated? A boat just needs something to make it float and something to make it go. Maybe something to sit on, too.” Ruiter’s boats are minimalist and easy to maintain; they have the lean, hungry look of a shark. He even manages to make a pontoon boat look like furniture rather than a barge.
A native son of utilitarian West Michigan with a studio in Grand Rapids, Ruiter has managed to marry his engineering bent to an artist’s eye. So we get fun bikes and boats, and some nice furniture, too.
Here are 7 questions for Joey Ruiter:
1. What are you working on right now?
My current list of work is awesomely random. A bicycle, a boat, a bathroom sink, some soft lounge pieces, and outdoor furniture, to name a few.
2. Which of your projects are you most proud of?
The really complicated projects that end up with a simple solution. Like it was there all along.
3. What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration?
I am inspired by all sorts of people, objects, and funny things that I surround myself with. Inspiration for me is about finding the obscure, hidden, underground, collections and groups. There are so many creative and talented people from all walks of life all doing wonderful things. You need to get off the path a bit to meet them because they’re not in any fancy magazines or blogs.
4. What work do you most admire by another designer or artist?
Pioneer Raymond Loewy for creating new adjectives, thoughts, and inspiring generations; designer Marc Newson for implementing space travel; and artist Wayne Adams for thinking differently.
5. What would be your dream project?
Unlimited resources to implement creative diplomacy in our world.
6. What place in the world would you most like to visit?
After a little time in Holland, Michigan, of course, I would love to take a ride in the Dakar Rally through Chile and Argentina.
7. What one thing do you want to accomplish before you die?
I want to create a new word for an object or thought that I came up with. Words like computer, bicycle, automobile, and even panel system, were new at some point.
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VELO, bicycle culture and design | Apr 2010
Velo
Bicycle Culture and Design
Editors: R. Klanten, S. Ehmann
Release: April 2010
Price: € 35,00 / $ 50,00 / £ 32,50
Format: 21 × 26 cm
Features: 240 pages, full color, softcover
ISBN: 978-3-89955-284-3
Velo introduces a wild bunch of passionate cyclists – frame builders, urban planners, artists, photographers, and those who ride professionally – who are making an impact. They are not only shaping styles, but promoting cycling as a primary form of transport. The book also explores the aesthetic of today’s cycling culture and presents custom-made frames and art bikes as well as a selection of contemporary illustration and design influenced by the cycling movement. Geared toward anyone who has a personal or professional interest in cycling, Velo is the fast lane into a current topic that is both entertaining and socially relevant.
http://www.gestalten.com/books/detail?id=ceafb21a2721f16b012723cde6990004
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tufted sofa | Mar 2010
Outdoor seating ready for all weather conditions.
This sofa traces tradition tufted seams, cracks, and buttons, in powder coated steel. Water, dirt, and grime, won’t find their home here.
laser cut steel, formed and welded. available in many colors
74” wide x 35” deep x 28” tall
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art4d, architecture / design & arts | Feb 2010
number 166
dec 09 – jan 10
Easy Rider. A Michigan-based design firm, JRUITER + studio has just designed Inner City Bike to simplify people’s inner-city personal transportation needs. As the trarget group lives and works in the city environment with minimal space, bicycling at this level might be more about fashion and culture than speed and performance. The design team simplifies a typical bicycle structure and inner city bike is the result. The bicycle includes planetary gear, free-wheeling hub, and is on the slow side – quirk, but fatiguing over longer distances. The positives are easy quick turns, and huge power to the rear wheel to go over curbs and other cityscape structures.
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the Doctors TV show | Jan 2010
Jan. 15th, “The hottest health trends for 2010”
The inner city bike was shown on the Doctors TV show.
http://www.thedoctorstv.com
About JRuiter + studio | Jan 2010
For Joey Ruiter, the joy of the design process is seeing around what is expected. Founder and design lead of jruiter + studio, Ruiter can’t wait to strip a machine down to the bare parts, to ignore the accepted norm and to start over. From office furniture makers and power boaters to urban fashionistas, Ruiter helps businesses re-conceptualize their products to present today’s design-savvy public with a fresh look at what’s next. A recognized rising talent, Ruiter sold his first office chair design before he earned his diploma from Kendall College of Art and Design. He won his first Best of NeoCon® Gold award just two years later. You can find this owner of 25+ design patents in Popular Science, Metropolis and Discovery Channel’s Geek-Week, meeting with industry leaders or doing what he likes best – creating inspiring products from his studio in West Michigan.
“When companies hire me, they get a broad range of experience that crosses the design disciplines, to create objects at their core that stand out. To get there, you have to see around what we are being asked to do. FInd the real, honest answers and try to establish a plan. Sometimes the answer doesn’t even involve me. But when you can get rid of all the cheese, fluff, and doodads, you can create icons. Great products of yesterday and today simply do what they are supposed to do. It’s not mysterious. And you wonder why it hasn’t been there the whole time.”
“Stripping machines down to their core essence and rebuilding them leads me to new discoveries, thoughts and inspiration. I love to spend time browsing in antique shops. You can learn a lot from past technologies that changed our cultural outlook. These are ideas that changed our lives, like the micro computer does now. What if you could find a new way to use things or see things that are already familiar? It creates another chapter, just when you thought you were at the end of the story.”
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inner city bike | Nov 2009
available spring 2010, http://www.innercitybikes.com
Our project, simplicity in inner city bicycling, was at first glance a fun aesthetic opportunity in new trends, color, and materials. Our target lived / worked in an inner city environment with minimal space. Bicycling at this level can be more about fashion and culture than speed and performance.
After the first few brainstorm sessions we knew there were bigger opportunities. The project rethought what a “frame” meant, getting rid of basic key components, and creating a new type of compact bicycling. Inspired by the “hobby horse” from it’s simplicity and the cafe race scene. Each is an exercise in stripping something down to its core.
The final design came down to a frame system and a free-wheeling unicycle rear hub. Everything else is rider preference.
Before all of the bike fanatics get all fired up, we know this bike doesn’t solve everyone’s personal transportation dreams. Performance wise, the bike is on the slow side, quirky, and fatiguing over longer distances. Consider it a cafe racer with the performance of a beach cruiser. The positives are easy quick turns, huge power to the rear wheel to go over curbs and other city scape structures, and great start / stopping / sitting situations.
We rethought everything 2 wheeled with simplicity in mind. This is as stripped as you can get.
Very few parts.
29 × 2.35 tires
29” rims, choice
Fork, shock choice
handle bars, choice
rear hub (planetary internal freewheeling, unicycle through axle)
brakes, front disc only
pedals, choice
The Inner City Bike is how I’m starting a conversation about new products and how they change the world. The bicycle is iconic. Throughout its history, its design has evolved. Big wheels, small wheels, even the number of wheels. It’s been made of wood, metal, and plastic. Is there room for another take on the bike? Can we re-define classic objects? I think so.
It is about simplicity in design. The Inner City Bike is the ultimate stripped away piece. So stripped even the chain is gone. Its a statement on bare essential transportation and new ways of thinking about materials, scale, manufacturing processes and function.
For me, the art of design happens when you change the way things are perceived, when a new word is coined to express what you’ve done. It challenges conventionality and creates new stories, interactions and rarity we strive for.
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power boat | Oct 2009
We need to look forward again-
“First of all, it’s a sculpture, a visual prototype, that explores simple forms and gestures,” says Ruiter. “I think that we should be able to see ourselves in objects. These objects should point us in a direction, and should create situations where we can be inspired.”
“’Power Boat’ has a few simple lines, a wicked sweet surface-drive propeller and some shiny paint,” he adds. “All the nouns you’d associate with a power boat are there and bring it to life. Nothing visually suggests a watercraft, yet its design is all about speed and performance. One can easily imagine themselves driving this, especially since you can see the reflection of your head in the driver’s seat.”
Ruiter used welded aluminum to create the core structure. Surface drive propeller, OEM controls, electric motor, batteries and some trick hydrofoils, make up the rest. “When you connect the lines and arrange the marine type objects in an unconventional way, it doesn’t feel like a boat,” he says. “That’s the whole idea. In reality, it isn’t an abstract version of a vessel, but a small step forward in performance, fuel consumption and natural un-disturbances – low horse power, no noise, no wake and nearly zero intrusion into the water.”
“Power Boat” is intended to raise questions, inspire new ways of thinking and challenge stereotypes of why we do things the way we do today. That is Ruiter the artist and the designer together at work.
Technical details:
width: 60” x height: 72” x lenght: 160”
airboat | Sep 2009
personal watercraft airboat. The ultimate, go anywhere, personal watercraft.
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decorative bird feeder | Aug 2009
stainless steel for all weather conditions, finish options include raw stainless or powder-coated in various colors.
dimensions 16“x11“x3”
(available)
Fixtures Furniture, IZZY + | Jun 2009
Neocon 2009 Gold Award
The best learning tools don’t just accommodate new teaching styles. They also inspire better approaches. That’s why Dewey by Fixtures Furniture, a complete collection of ready-to-roll tables with power/data troughs, mobile storage for wireless technology and freestanding bookcases, is listening, learning and leading in design for today’s and tomorrow’s learning environments.
Leading means listening and learning first. During Dewey’s development, instructors from leading universities and community colleges helped evaluate its design and functionality. These focus group discussions inspired secure storage, reconfigurable class settings and technology-enabled furniture – including the iPod-ready teacher’s station, the Helpdesk.
Think social networking. Dewey’s tables, teacher’s Helpdesk, Lectern and Buddy help level the playing field for students and instructors with function, approachability and scalable power options. In particular, the teacher’s Helpdesk features easy access to technology and power connections. Its inviting soft urethane edge topography intuitively illustrates how the teacher-to-student classroom has morphed into collaborative learning that’s more peer-to-peer.
“On the bus, in hallways, and in stairwells – it’s outside of the classroom where the real learning takes place,” says Joey Ruiter of Jruiter Studio, designer of Dewey for Fixtures Furniture and izzy+. “With Dewey, these things happen naturally because of the intricacies of the design. The top and underside urethane edge of the teacher’s Helpdesk edge is very approachable. You won’t know why you’re more comfortable approaching it, but you just are. On the surface, the Dewey collection is clean and basic. But underneath, as you peel away the layers, it gets more involved.”
With aluminum frames and legs, and solid and wood-grain laminates, Dewey features more than 20 percent recycled content. Designed for minimal impact on indoor air quality, it has powder coat finishing and PVC-free components. No welded parts ease product breakdown for reuse.
“As a result of our acquisition last year, izzy+ is fortunate to offer our customers
Dewey as part of the Fixtures brand, a well-established name in the higher education
market,” says Chuck Saylor, chairman and CEO of izzy+. “Dewey is influenced by
today’s mobile, wireless technology, which you can see manifested in the integrated
teacher’s station. Dewey is also based around the Socratic nature of learning, a
shared interactive knowledge and leveraging of each other’s ideas and experience.
The timing is right for Dewey. And we’re excited to work with designer Joey Ruiter on
this collection.”
Opening June 15, izzy+ showroom 1150 at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago hosts
an entire space devoted to the learning market, showcasing the Dewey learning
collection by Fixtures Furniture. Architect design firm Perkins+Will created the newly
designed showroom.
http://fixturesfurniture.com/dewey/
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Herman Miller, Intent furniture | Jun 2009
SIMPLE, AFFORDABLE CHOICES FOR UNIFYING A SPACE
A mix of private offices and open plan workstations? Nothing brings a consistent look to both types of workspaces better than Intent furniture. That’s because Intent is designed to be compatible with Vivo® interiors. The same parts that come together to form desks and storage in private offices can join with Vivo walls in workstations.
Thoughtful design and smart engineering let you combine Intent’s concise set of parts into everything from a single or double-pedestal desk to returns, credenzas, and hutches. Whatever the form Intent takes, its parts come together with a few simple tools. That makes assembling and rearranging Intent easy and straightforward. With Intent, you have the choices needed to tailor furniture to match the way an individual works. And those choices are very affordable. A variety of materials options as well as multiple leg options let you scale Intent furniture’s price to match your needs. Which makes Intent very easy to own.
Nucraft, Neos Conference | Jun 2009
Neos
From the innovative Articulating Table, to the glass & wood stationary tables, media consoles, visual products & benches, Neos delivers a family of hard working, value-oriented products for a wide range of applications.
Winter Frame | Feb 2009
laser cut steel, powder coat finish
*frame will hold any 1/4“x 24“x 36” material
overall dimensions, 36“x 50“x 3” (available)
Solace fall & winter 2008–2009 | Nov 2008
Pushing design limits in search of the next big idea-
As a child growing up in Grand Haven, Michigan,Joey Ruiter spent a lot of time playing on the beach and in the water. When he wasn’t physically active, he recalls, he was drawing. Either way, Ruiter was busy doing what kids do when they play: finding boundaries and experimenting with how much freedom he could wield within them. This expression of freedom within form is still a big part of who Ruiter is today, as a young, successful industrial designer working from his own studio in Grand Rapids. It’s at the heart of why he ended up in industrial design, which falls somewhere between two other careers he explored: engineering—which is all about parameters and exactness—and fine art—which is often seen as an exercise
in freedom.
“Industrial design has boundaries that I’m able to understand and accept, and then work within,” Ruiter says. “That appeals to my creative side, plus I was able to see career possibilities.”
After discovering industrial design and getting a degree at Kendall College of Art and Design, career possibilities quickly became realities for Ruiter, right in West Michigan. He is in high demand as a designer for many of the region’s contract furniture companies.
“I guess I’m known for having futuristic concepts—the next big idea,” Ruiter says. “People who approach me to work on a design for them usually don’t know exactly what they want. They’ve reached a place where they need some problem-solving and direction for certain issues within the industry.”
As if the pressure of coming up with “the next big idea” isn’t exciting enough, Ruiter keeps himself hopping by setting near-impossible goals and imposing crazy deadlines.
“I’m kind of a mad scientist of design, the way I push myself,” he says. “I’ll call someone up and say ‘I have a great idea I want to present in a month.’ They say ‘Great,’ we set up a meeting, and then the pressure is on to pull off a prototype within the time frame. It keeps
it exciting.”
Inspiration: found everywhere in everything.
For these great ideas, Ruiter is inspired “by everything,” but particularly by the gear and trends surrounding activities he loves, like biking and boating. The design issues he examines and pushes range from form and function to the use of unexpected materials and new manufacturing processes.
“For me, doing something new is about simplifying things in a way that makes them smarter and better,” he says. “Sometimes when you do something new and smart it throws everything else around it into question. That can be scary for a lot of people, but it’s definitely exciting. My goal is to push those limits, but also to promote change in a way people can accept.”
Ruiter is as mentally inspired as he is visually. He loves trend forecasting, following current events, and observing people—how they interact, how they work, and how they play.
“I look for all kinds of social and economic triggers, and I’m a news junkie with lots of opinions,” he says. “I also think I have a lot of empathy. I understand how different situations make people feel, which really comes into play in my designs.”
In addition to being human-focused and forward-looking, Ruiter’s designs are known for their cleverness. It’s not a loud, goofy cleverness, though. It’s more subtle, like a touch of humor that takes people by surprise but then quickly makes all the sense in
the world.
Some of that cleverness is imbedded in the object’s function, but other Ruiter designs incorporate jokes that are at once visual and conceptual. Ruiter’s bird feeder, for instance, has a cutout of a bird on it.
“The bird watching the other birds eat while people watch the whole thing is funny to me,” Ruiter says.
When several people asked if his bird feeder was squirrel proof, his response was classic Ruiter: designing a squirrel feeder. “Squirrels have to eat, too,” he says.
“I look for all kinds of social and economic triggers, and I’m a news junkie with lots of opinions,” he says.
Back to boat basics.
While Ruiter is known for his furniture designs, his other big love is designing boats. He is starting a boat company called just that: A Boat Company—mostly because he loves boats and worries that the boating industry is “backwards,” and needs a new approach.
“The materials used to make boats are very dangerous and are killing the people working in the factories,” Ruiter says. “And then a lot of people who own boats don’t use them because they require too much maintenance and work covering and uncovering them, storing them, getting them back out. I thought ‘Why are boats so complicated? A boat just needs something to make it float and something to make it go. Maybe something to sit on, too.’”
That’s how Ruiter’s Front Runner design and his new take on the classic pontoon were born. The boats are perfect representations of Ruiter’s philosophies about design, materials, manufacturing and fun, all rolled into one.
OFS, swank chair | Jun 2008
A cube with a dynamic,flexible seat that expresses itself from every perspective. Swank is a statement about comfort and convenience through simplicity in form, and brevity in material use. It’s designed for a wide range of applications: team spaces, lounge areas, project rooms, and reception areas. The integrated shelf below the seat is an intuitive and convenient place for all the stuff we seem to carry along with us these days.
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Pontoon - Huck Finn | Jun 2008
No covering, minimal parts, open to the elements, and useful even at the end of the dock as it is parked. Built with Michigan grown wood deck, 26” aluminum pontoons, 25hp tiller style motor, and solar navigation lighting. This boat needs as much upkeep as your dock.
24ft length, 8.5ft beam, 10” draft
Holland Herald | Jun 2008
Floatastic
For US designer Joey Ruiter, the Front Runner is all about “going where other boats can’t and having a lot of fun getting there.” With two 215-horsepower engines it can also get you where you want to go pretty quickly. Able to operate in as little as 15 centimeters of water and run over debris such as rocks and logs, it features durability of a monster truck and the thrills of a sports car, spinning and sliding around corners in a blur. It’s not on the market yet, but be patient: there are product plans for spring 2009. The expected price is $55,000-$70,000. Ruiter is also working on a twin 400-horsepower prototype for military applications, scheduled for production in 2010.
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Nucraft, Neos | Jun 2008
Neocon 2008 Gold Award
In the era of the incredible, shrinking 401(k) comes the amazing, shrinking office. Neos saves the day with a U-shaped station and a bevy of storage compartment sidekicks. Fit for use either as an executive open workstation or as a private office case good system, it has double-height overhead storage cabinets, high and low wall partitions, a single-pedestal desk, wardrobe compartment, and an 18- or 24-inch-wide tower. It is available in FSC-certified wood, with 75 percent rapidly renewable content and up to 80 percent recycled content. It comes in 18 wood finishes with clear, anodized aluminum hardware.
http://www.nucraft.com
local church | Mar 2008
The Local Church is a way to franchise churches. It may not have a steeple, but it’s yellow door can immediately recognized as a place to get help and get connected. The Local Church is a satellite building that can be built anywhere and everywhere in the city: in strip malls, subdivisions and downtown alleys. The people who need church most can find it when and where they need it most.
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Front Runner | Feb 2008
Imagine the thrill of off-roading, but on the water. Carve. Spin out. Drift a corner. Or imagine packing up your camping gear into a boat and setting off to a deserted island for an overnight adventure.
The boat is the Front-Runner, a full-size hydrofoil watercraft made unique by twin forward-mounted jet-drive motors. More aircraft than boat, it has an airplane-like steering system that allows changes in heading, pitch and bank. The Front-Runner can navigate waters that are usually inaccessible. It is 11’ long and has two 215 horsepower motors, ergonomic crew chairs, a retractable top and ample space for storing gear. On top of it all, it’s made of entirely recyclable materials.
In the boating industry, options for the adventure seeker are limited. But the Front-Runner is one notable exception. Its estimated production cost and selling price are comparable to any typical twin-engine jet boat of its size. This design isn’t far from reality.
Ruiter has designed, engineered, and constructed an innovative watercraft. What makes this boat unique are the twin forward-mounted jet-drive motors.
“You can take the this kind of boat into un-chartered waters.”
The Front-Runner is more aircraft than boat. It has an airplane-like steering system that allows changes in heading, pitch, bank, and a design that allows it to navigate waters usually inaccessible.
The position of the motors, along with the suspension, allow it to pierce the water and carve in and out of turns. The rear hydrofoil lifts the boat body out of the water so the driver can control different aspects of the ride. This design changes the rider’s experience. Because the motor is extended in front of the bow, there is more of a ‘pulling’ feel compared to the “pushing” feel of a traditional boat. “The advantage is this boat can do more, with more control and function, and go so many more places,” comments Ruiter, a local award-winning industrial designer. “This boat will go where most boats can’t because it will run in extremely shallow water, and it’s got a tremendous range.” The boat itself is eleven feet long, and features a robust interior roll cage. Twin supercharged 215 horsepower motors provide a small boat like this with a lot of power.
Ruiter has designed boats, motors, and interiors for the boating industry
before, but this concept boat brings a whole new attitude to small boating.
He calls it the Front-Runner. It is functional yet loaded with design
innovation.
Ruiter describes why he focused on a new design for a smaller boat. “Large scale boats get most of the attention in this industry. Smaller boats for the average weekend boater are often ignored when it comes to new and innovative approaches. I wanted to challenge the thinking about small boats. The Front-Runner takes advantage of new technology, and creates a new boating experience. There isn’t another small boat out there like this.”
Ruiter brought in Spectrum Sand Sports of Holland, MI to help construct the Front-Runners unique tubular frame. They build long-travel sand cars for west coast style Baja racing. Andrew Prinns, owner of Spectrum, was surprised when Ruiter asked him for a tubular frame with full suspension and articulation for a boat. Ruiter and Prinns built the boat’s ‘suspension’ together and both enjoyed collaborating on this innovative concept.
In addition to the forward-mounted jet-drive motors, the Front-Runner features:
Modified four-link suspension and steering for aircraft-like controland feel
Hydrofoil on four-bar linkage to control boat elevation and ride
Environmentally sustainable design
An all-aluminum frame and skin that resists rust, dents, and dings
Materials are easily separated, and recyclable
Retractable California style top
Ergonomic crew chairs for all-day cruising comfort
Spacious cargo area (approx. 30 sq. ft. of deck space) with integrated lash cleats
Tambour rear door that allows for easy loading and unloading
Overall dimensions: 18’2” L x 8’6” W x 5’2” H
Twin 215 horsepower motors
The Front Runner could be produced and sold at a price comparable to a typical twin-engine jet boat. Ruiter would like to see a manufacturer put the Front-Runner into production. “This design isn’t that far from reality. It’s a new way of thinking about small boats. From a production standpoint, I’ve reorganized and repositioned semi-standard components in new ways.
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Grand Rapids Magazine | Feb 2008
Making a splash
What’s good for the office is good for the dock at least when it comes to Grand Rapids-based industrial designer Joey Ruiter’s work, which looks very good in both places.
Ruiter studied fine art at Muskegon Community College before transferring to Kendall College of Art and Design where he discovered industrial design. Since graduation in 2000, he’s done product design for a number of West Michigan’s companies, must recently Steelcase subsidiary Turnstone.
With one foot still planted in the world of office furniture, he set up shop on his own as JRuiter Studio four years ago. “They get what’s going on,” Ruiter said of his office furniture clients, which these days include Haworth, Nucraft and izzydesign. “They’re sort of ahead of the ballgame, as far as pushing industries to move forward with the green processes and sustainable design. Great fashion, great products – they get it.”
Yet, like a human Slinky in a competitive game of Twister, Ruiter continues to stretch himself, bouncing between contract furniture work and other design challenges – primarily, he says, to keep himself entertained. “It’s hard to do boxes all day,” Ruiter deadpanned, referring to the foam core prototypes of modular office components that occupy vast chunks of his west side studio. never mind the fact that some of these “boxes” represent a quantum leap forward in the way executive office furniture suites function.
Practically everything Ruiter designs seems to advance an idea about improving the way that product’s end-user works, plays or lives. And no product illustrates that better than the watercraft Ruiter is designing for industry upstart A Boat Company. Last February at the Grand Rapids Boat Show at DeVos Place, the company debuted Ruiter’s Frontrunner – a dual engine watercraft reminiscent in concept to the pod racers from Episode I of the latest trilogy of the “Star Wars” films. The “wow” factor in a boat like the Frontrunner comes from its form, not the bells and whistles that tend to drive up the prices of conventional boats.
“Form and style and color – that’s all fashionable and free,” said Ruiter who grew up near the water in Grand Haven. “It’s the components that are expensive, so our goal is to break those down. … When you do that, you end up with a product that’s a lot simpler to make and is more likely sustainable.”
Other than the fact that they all float, Joey Ruiter-designed watercraft have little in common with conventional boat. In addition to the futuristic Frontrunner, which he classifies as a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object), he is working on a new class of slick runabouts powered by small airplane engines, and pontoon boats he calls platforms, which essencially are floating decks with customizable architecture and motors. Ruiter predicts that A Boat Company can make these basic platforms for a price that starts at $6,000 to $10,000. That would be a coup in an industry that has seen boat prices soar, driving would-be customers towards used boats.
“The public has caught on that most new boats are the same boats they were 15 years ago,” Ruiter said. “And they’re only $5,000 versus $70,000!”
Each class of boat he’s designed – UFOs, runabouts and platforms – attempts to be something special for the boaters.
“I guess I’m just interested in inspiring people around the products that I make,” Ruiter said. “People ask me what I do, and it’s sort of hard to answer that, because at the end of the day I make objects – but I feel I make experiences.”
Jruiter in the house
When he’s not meeting the high demands of the office furniture industry or shaking up the boating world, Joey Ruiter makes bird houses.
Even though his growing list of clients leaves him little time for spec work, Ruiter still manages to create whimsical objects d’art when ever he finds a moment.
He sometimes imposes arbitrary deadlines on himself for these creations. For Festival of the Arts last year, for example, he entered an ornate squirrel feeder in the Regional Arts Exhibition.
“ I need to leave room for myself to sort of create without any boundaries,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean sacrificing a commitment to sustainability. By sticking to 100 percent recyclable materials and simple manufacturing processes, Ruiter’s home and backyard accessories deliver style and conscience.
“For me, there’s really no purpose in the world for some of the things we surround ourselves with, so we shouldn’t wreck the world trying to make them,” Ruiter commented. “They’re just temporary fashion, but this is the type of stuff that big retailers will do whatever it takes to get out as cheaply as possible.” – Curt Wozniak
Popular Science | Nov 2007
The Aquatic Pod-Racer
A passerby recently asked Joey Ruiter where he found his aluminum-encased Star Wars pod-racer look-alike. “It’s from the future,” Ruiter replied. Apparently convinced the woman nodded and walked away.
A lifelong boater, Ruiter believes that manufacturers focus too much on creature comforts, at the expense of the the driving experience and environmental concerns. So the Grand Rapids, Michigan, product designer decided to try to create a scaled-down recreational boat that would handle like a small twin-engine airplane and could maneuver into hard-to-reach places typical cruisers can’t go. He stripped down two jet skis, built a cockpit, and worked with a local dune buggy shop to construct the frame that holds his 18-foot-long prototype together. For the three main sections, he cut and formed shells from aluminum, instead of fiberglass.
With no external propeller, the boat can run in as little as five inches of water. It’s green too, since Ruiter used all recyclable materials. Now he’s building a retractable hydrofoil, which would crank the top speed from an estimated 45 mph to over 65. – Gregory Mone
the thousand dollar club. | Jun 2007
1957 Wagemaker and 1958 Evinrude Lark 35
Could an inexpensive boat that is light-weight to tow, easy to use, very durable, and great to look at, be less than $1000? It turns out yes. Just add 10hrs of polishing, a little paint, new seat covers, and a vintage in-dash eight track player. (some assembly required)
3 Rms, Lk Vu | Jun 2007
The first goal of the 3 Rms, Lk Vu concept was to create an inspiring living environment that jettisoned old ideas about what a “pontoon boat” should be. This is a study in creating small interior spaces for the exterior environment: how a comfortable boat on the water can offer a variety of spaces for dining, entertainment, relaxing, and cruising.
The second goal was to bring an up-to-date residential furniture perspective to a boating environment.
3 Rms, Lk Vu is part apartment, part outdoor living space, part family room. It includes a kitchen/dining space, a living room area, and a “basking deck” complete with fireplace pit and teak floor. The deck is ideal for practically any activity under the sun, from swimming, sunbathing or picnicking during the day, to sunset cruising or stargazing during the evening. Its varied spaces give users more freedom to use the boat on their own terms.
The boat’s defined spaces work equally well for small groups or one large gathering, and offer varied seating choices. The living room space is a welcoming space positioned amidship –a step down from the dining and deck areas– and integrates the two ends of the boat. The residential furniture aesthetics suggest actions to users: mingle, relax, move about, gather, adapt the spaces to your activity.
Traditional needs for a water craft are not ignored, but are designed to be both more efficient, and inspire and comfort boat users: Partitions above the main sidewalls protect from the wind, but they’re translucent and provide light and visibility. The dining area’s canopy is peaked, echoing a house roof, shedding rain and offering shade. Safety equipment is stowed, yet visually apparent and easily accessed. A full-length bumper rail is quietly integrated into the hull Typically unused space here becomes storage area. The pilot’s space for operating the boat has also been reconsidered. The controls and seat are positioned near the center of the boat, bringing the captain into the conversation.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT OR BETTER?
The new concepts here are simple, low cost, and easy to manufacture. Yet the boat uses space in new ways to create more opportunities for people to interact with sun, wind, and water, as well as with each other. Space is also used in new ways for equipment and storage. Finally, the residential aesthetic offers a new take on comfort and convenience.
3 Rms, Lk Vu speaks to my design philosophy: the design process is less about creating a product than it is about creating a person’s experience with the product. I see people using 3 Rms, Lk Vu as an efficiency apartment floating on the water: entertaining, cruising with family or friends, fishing, enjoying a sunset by the fire, dining –with many ways to move about the boat to find a space that works just right.
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intersection, land, air & sea | Jun 2007
The Aquatic Front Runner
When Joey Ruiter’s not working on furniture, designing art or turning Alfa Romeos, he;s thinking about how we travel on the ocean. “I grew up in a beach community in Michigan. I’ve done everything stupid there is to do on the water. I simply wanted to do more.” His Front Runner was the solution. “When we were thinking how to design a new type of boat, we approached it from the point of what do we want to do. Personally, I want to go fast, but have lots of control like an airplane. I want to be able to pack a bag and go on an adventure where I may hit stuff, rocks or logs, and not have to worry. We then figured out how to do all that.” the pod-racer design seems to fulfill his wildest desires. With 450 hp delivered from twin jet engines tethered to the body like horses to a chariot, the Runner can certainly haul. It has a complicated foot pedal steering system that allows for changes in pitch, bank, heading, and the flat bottomed hull and hydrofoil allow for close to zero drag as well as the ability to go over things a curved hull couldn’t. It’s what all suburbanite fathers have been waiting for, an SUV for the water. – Frank Hentic
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nucraft, moment | Jun 2007
Moment, a collection of contemporary occasional tables, benches and consoles. The collection incorporates mitered corner joints for crisp, straight lines on the top and outer edges that contrast with soft curves on the underside, creating a dynamic visual interplay. The signature element of the tables and consoles is a back-painted ½”-thick glass top featuring optically clear glass to allow the true color of the painted underside to shine through.
“The Moment collection was designed to blend the natural warmth of wood with the bold, reflective nature of glass for a unique, contemporary aesthetic,” says Joey Ruiter, designer of the Moment collection. “The piece began by incorporating soft curves on the undersides of the support structure, reminiscent of the curves found in turned or hand-carved furniture, and combining that with crisp, straight edges on all outer surfaces. When combined with the shimmer of the back-painted glass, the end result really pops!”
Moment’s breadth of offering provides solutions for a wide range of needs. The Moment collection of tables are available in square and rectangle shapes in two heights, providing a simple yet flexible offering suitable for most settings. The Consoles feature an adjustable glass shelf and two storage cabinets, which make them a perfect solution for anything from food service to technology accommodation. Finally, the bench offering includes a large Island bench designed to accommodate multiple users in a single piece. Individual cushions and an optional power & data device in the center of the Island bench offer both aesthetical and functional flexibility.
Nucraft quality sets Moment apart.
Moment’s handcrafted artistry is enhanced by Nucraft’s modern high-quality manufacturing processes, which are used to produce fine wood furniture. The product meets or exceeds BIFMA durability standards and is backed by Nucraft’s 10-year warranty.
“Moment is a very progressive contemporary design while being both elegant and timeless,” says Bob Bockheim, Nucraft’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “The combination of soft curves and sharp, clean lines in the wood pieces creates a simple, minimalist structure that can work well in a variety of settings. When you add the iridescent qualities of the back- painted glass, the result is very striking. This product was designed specifically for customers who appreciate a mix of materials in clean, contemporary forms.”
http://www.nucraft.com
Grand Rapids Magazine | Jun 2007
Nucraft Design, Strategy
Tapping deign talent both locally and nationally set Nucraft up for an exciting product launches at NeoCon 2007.
Based in Comstock Park, the company tapped Grand Rapids designer Joey Ruiter for a new occasional table, bench and console collectively called Moment.
The handsome, well-scaled pieces may expand into a larger line for Nucraft in the future.
For View, a new occasional table, Nucraft turned again to well known NewYork designer Mark Goetz, whose designs for Nucraft’s Shine table won a Silver Best on NeoCon Award in 2006. Nucraft president Bob Bockheim described View as “very contemporary, light in scale and right in line with the direction of the company.”
Nucraft also plans to launch strategic expansions of its Saber conference collection by West Michigan designer Mitch Baker, and its Aerial line of casegoods. Saber will take on a more environmentally friendly focus through increased recycled content and the possible addition of rapidly renewable or Forest Stewardship Council-certified woods as an option. Aerial will offer a customized solution in response to the specific office needs of the legal profession.
Metropolis | Jun 2007
Rocking the Boat
The Front Runner is a bit of a vitamin-enriched soft drink: a healthier product for the market merely seeking gratification. “Boating is filled with hot-rodders and hillbillies who just want to go fast,” industrial designer Joey Ruiter says. “That’s who boat manufacturers are targeting. I’m saying that you can have the horsepower and the excitement, but you don’t have to be doing it the way you are today.”
That way involves copious amounts of fiberglass, which is manufactured with styrene, a toxin and potential carcinogen. “Making these boats is literally killing people,” Ruiter says. His aluminum hydrofoil concept reduces harmful emissions without sacrificing muscle: pulled by two independent four stroke engines, the Front Runner draws only a few inches of water, allowing it to go in shallow areas and clear normally crippling obstacles. Ruiter hopes this combination of performance and sustainability will be a wake-up call. “My clients in the contract-furniture industry are pushing me to do things environmentally,” he says. “I want to help another industry come out of the dark ages.” – Kristi Cameron
Go Boating | May 2007
Up, Up and Away!
Joey Ruiter has his heads in the clouds, and that is exactly where we hope it stays.
The young design principal of Jruiter Studio recently unveiled his winning concept boat design during Michigan’s Grand Rapids Boat Show.
Dubbed the “Front Runner,” Ruiter’s forward-mounted jet-drive watercraft looks like it would be equally at home in the skies (perhaps with the likes of Batman or James Bond at the helm) as it would be on water.
More aircraft than boat, it has an airplane-like steering system that allows for changes in heading, pitch and bank. Rear hydrofoils lift the body of the Front Runner out of the water, making it possible to navigate extremely shallow waters that would normally be inaccessible.
Twin, supercharged 215hp motors provide the 11-foot-long boat with enough power to satisfy those with the need for speed. And just in case you still aren’t impressed, it’s also made of entirely recyclable materials.
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expanded metal bowl | Dec 2006
A bowl holds your attention as easily as it cradles its contents. This bowl reflects light off of its playful geometry of shapes and space. It begins as an intricate pattern cut into a sheet of stainless steel. The form slowly takes shape as the sides are hand-pulled into the three-dimensional form. Since each bowl is shaped by hand, the horizontal spaces vary slightly, making each Lattice Bowl a unique piece of art. Made in USA.
Material
Stainless Steel
Measurements (nominal)
H 3.5” Diameter 15”
Nucraft, Tiro | Jun 2006
Tiro features a clean, minimalist aesthetic and is ideal for creating large or small gathering places in lobbies or corridors.
the collection features a modular motif based on a lightly-scaled steel frame complemented by a mixed use of painted and veneer surfaces. “The goal was to be flexible enough in the design that the furniture would fit in most any architectural environment,” says Ruiter. “Using a thin, yet solid steel frame, we were able to provide a simple, clean support structure for all the pieces.”
All tables, consoles and benches in the Tiro collection are available in numerous sizes and shapes. The surface material offerings are many, and include a wide variety of veneers and paint options, along with custom finishes. Taking advantage of this combination of materials provides striking aesthetic alternatives. Coordinating table lamps provide accent lighting within the same aesthetic.
The handcrafted artistry needed to create Tiro is enhanced by Nucraft’s modern high-quality manufacturing processes, which are used to produce fine furniture of aesthetic integrity. The product meets or exceeds BIFMA durability standards and is backed by Nucraft’s 10-year warranty.
“This is a practical yet versatile product,” says Bob Bockheim, Nucraft’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “The reasonably priced Tiro occasional table collection is at home in any environment, which in today’s ever-changing surroundings means it can move with you as your company changes and grows.”
Founded in 1944 and based in greater Grand Rapids, Michigan, Nucraft is a privately held manufacturer of high-quality wood furniture for conference and training rooms, lobby and reception areas, and private offices. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at HYPERLINK “http://www.nucraft.com/” http://www.nucraft.com. Nucraft was recently recognized with the West Michigan 2005 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For award.
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