EVERYTHING HAS A BEGINNING >

Starting at an early age with drawing shapes and basic objects, I found myself really enjoying the idea of using a pencil to create an image on paper. It was such an odd thing, I couldn’t resist continuing to practice the craft through grade school. In high school I started experimenting with acrylic paint and some screen printing while still working on my drawing skills. Upon graduation I decided to join the military, as it was another intriguing concept I wanted to explore. I did continue drawing while in the military, as I found myself painting military logos on doors, designing t-shirt art and a tattoo design here and there. While in Iraq with 3/8 CAV, 3rd Armored Division, as a morale boost, the brothers wanted designs on their work shirts, so I happily complied. After Iraq I returned to the United States and was assigned to 5th Military Police Co. Louisiana. Upon returning from our deployment from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Company became 502nd Military Police which would led to my first certificate request. What a great adventure. However, the adventure was winding down. Now, it was time for me to go home as I finished my contract with the Army.

NOW WHAT?

 So, now what? I’ve returned to my home and ready to start the next phase of my journey.  I knew that I really enjoyed design. However, I was a bit concerned if a design career was going to deliver a sound salary. Do what you love they say, so what did I do? I enrolled into Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy.

Hmmmm, not all a bad move, but not what I was solely interested in. I completed the technical degrees, did very well, and changed my major. I went back to; Do what you love. I needed a career that I would enjoy and support my now growing family. I researched design fields that would be a good fit for me while being viable. Wanting to experiment with other mediums in design, I set out to explore computer generated imagery with the possibility of video game design. So I started down the path of 3D modeling, which landed me studying Design Technology and learning the AutoCAD software. The program gave one year exposer to architecture along with the mechanical engineering, as to let students choose what area they were most interested. I liked both, but I really liked the mechanical side. Learning the Auto CAD software was a precursor to the use of 3D Studio Max software. After being tormented in all the math courses, I finally got to the 3D course. The course being really interesting but not quite enough instruction, I continued working with the software on my own. I eventually came back to the college and instructed the course. I did find myself enjoying the engineering and continued with the AutoCAD to include the Autodesk Inventor software.

GET OUT THERE >

After graduating the Design Technology program my first experience with design was compiling all the graphic content for a children’s video game. The game was categorized under Edutainment, as it was to assist children with speech. Unfortunately the project was shut down and not finalized due to financial issues. I had fun working the art.

BACK TO THE FRONT >

So onto my next adventure…I had the opportunity for a mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina with 38th Infantry Division. I volunteered for the mission as a Communications Maintainer with the Indiana Army National Guard. However, I eventually found myself designing again, working for Brigadier General Wright compiling art for our dignitary guest and certificate designs for the companies of 2/152 M INF and later to include Black Hawk Troop 2/152 CAV, Ghost Rider 1st Squadron 152nd Calvary, Apache Troop 2/152 CAV, 3-19th Agribusiness Development Team, Afghanistan, and 238th Light Cavalry Echo Troop. When I returned to the States I compiled certificates for local Law Enforcement to include the certificate design for the celebrities and dignitaries of the Armed and Famous project.

DID I JUST GET A DESIGN JOB?

My next opportunity was to implement a Design Department for my new employer. The company drastically needed the resource of designing in house. I was the first designer and was tasked to build the work flow with the opportunity in designing the floor plan. Later I would design our Digital Press room utilizing AutoCAD software. I assisted the company in their campaign to establish appropriations within the gaming industry, with the House Enrolled Act No. 1153-Indiana. As I learned many new skills such as pre-press, foil design, bar code technology, variable data with XMPie software and offset plate building, I also advanced my mechanical engineering skills.

While tasked with organizing older machine blue prints, the task also included redrawing the prints utilizing AutoCAD software. The main scope was to revive a particular machine that had not been implemented with the company’s current machine configuration. The part dimensions were transferred to the Autodesk Inventor software as to create a 3 dimensional print. The project went very well and I would like to acknowledge Ethan Eichhorn for his outstanding assistance with this project.  

As the company took notice of having engineering available on site, I was once again into another project. The project involved reverse engineering a machine to obtain all dimensions for a modified version. At this time the Inventor software would be utilized extensively. I would like to thank Nick Johnston for his help with the Autodesk Inventor software. I still continue in mechanical engineering projects with the company.

LETS KNOCKOUT THIS VIDEO GAME >

The company had subcontracted a programmer for one of our machines. It just so happened that this programmer, Daniel Null, liked video games and always wanted to build one. I have always been fascinated with video games and the workings of them. So, we set out on a video game project. I had a story line and workflow to a game I was going to design using Macro Media. Yes, Macro Media, it’s the only thing that I had access to at the time. Well, anyway we decided to develop an XBOX 360 Indie game. We got the models to work on the XBOX 360 platform. We got to maneuver the ship around the 3 dimensional city. I was really excited but I had to be honest. The game was too big and would take us quite some time to develop with only the two of us. I decide to scrap that project and move to something a bit more manageable. I set up another design, compiled the design document and delivered it. Little did I know, Daniel had contacted Jay Smith, founder of Smith Engineering/Western Technologies which developed the Vectrex system in the late 80’s. We were authorized to remake the title WebWars as an iOS application. I compiled the design document, models, UVW maps, graphic user interface (gui) and music tracks, while Daniel handled programming and animation, with a release date of one year after start. We stayed true to the project by finishing on schedule of one year and the game was approved for the App Store. I would like to thank Daniel Null for a very interesting project. I gained a great deal of knowledge and had a blast creating the content.

GET BACK TO WORK >

All the while I still had work to do for my employer. The company is a manufacturer of gambling products and ticketing. The next big project was the undertaking of moving the companies gaming products to the digital print environment and incorporate the use of variable data for game production.

I was placed in charge of designing the templates that would then be linked to data and graphical assets via the XMPie software. I had built several of the games compiling data manually and some games still require that technique. As I started transferring the offset lithographic games to full digital productions, I found myself becoming bogged down with the manual data builds. Realizing then that we would need help in the area of data management. In order to build the games of chance utilizing variable data efficiently, gain production speed, output accurately, and accessible to all company designers, I requested that the company seriously invest in a programmer to achieve this goal. The company brought Chris Petzel on board and the project was underway. We worked together for several months on the project, as I gave the requirements of the many game types and the parameters within those types, Chris would design the logical architecture of the program. We finally released MN Data Manager v0.8.4, 2014. The program worked great to include being well planned for future development as we are running v1.2.1, 2017. The program now gives all of the company designer’s access to build variable data games for the digital environment. The project went very smooth and resulted in a program that is very unique for a very unique industry. I would like to acknowledge Chris Petzel for his great programming skill and creative thoughts in the Data Manager Program. Thanks for a very interesting and continuing project.

BEING A DESIGNER or ENGINEER >

 I am very fortunate that the path I took gave me the opportunity to not only practice design and art, but learn new systems of design in the architectural and engineering fields. Studying under the Design Technology major opened new skill sets and pushed my creativity to new levels. I have taken my ideas and translated them into working parts for machines to include having the ability to 3D print those parts. I have reversed engineered machines for modifications, compiled Rule and Die designs, designed work stations, floor plans, evacuation routes, insurance data sheets, factory data for IOSHA compliance -Lock Out/Tag Out diagrams, design and print Raspberry Pi cases, facilities planning - placement of new equipment, and management of CAD files.

Developing my skills in design I learned to properly apply the CMYK and RGB color models, compile templates for print and variable data printing, set up and output CMYK offset plates, optimize graphic files for print (offset lithography and digital), design foil templates, properly utilize bar code technology, design security varnish plates, set up protocol for print and proofing, organize work flow for design team, and apply techniques in designing variable data print jobs with the XMPie software.

I have had the opportunity to utilize a wide range of software and learn new technical skills using the Cross-media dynamic publishing software (XMPie). I have learned that being a designer or engineer is not limited and both areas of study complement each other. Without design and concept, you really don’t have much to engineer. Design is implemented in all types of industry. It has been a really interesting career working in the design field.

I hope you enjoy my portfolio, as it reflects many different techniques and content.

Thank you

Joseph H. Routh

Design Technology