2007 Northeast District Student Merit Winner
All work and no play simply doesn’t work for Dan Bolinski—which is fitting for someone who naturally gravitates toward toy design.
I like to have fun with what I do,” he said. “I don’t think the process should kill the product.”
Bolinski arrived at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT as an illustration major and found himself switching to ID after observing the process of how plastics were being finished for a street bike prototype. “The 3-D design process really sold me because a really cool idea on paper doesn’t always translate from 2-D to 3-D. It’s challenging and I love the process of moving from one to the other.”
Since he made the switch, Bolinski has interned with Reebok, where he worked on the 2008 NFL Receiver Gloves and a line of performance golf apparel. Bolinski also participated in a design collaborative project sponsored by Xerox, where he designed a tablet PC and thermal printer that allows workers on a construction site to print out and process paperwork remotely. “The idea was to create the ideal office,” he reported. “Xerox loved the concept even though it wasn’t really their niche.”
Bolinski reports that he had the most designing a robot mp3 player styled like a classic boombox and made to naturally appeal to kids. “It was a great way to merge my illustration talents with my ID skills,” he offered. “Toy design is a natural fit for my illustration background. The whole play idea. It’s a really fun, exciting, fast-paced field.”
Dan Bolinski can be reached at[email protected]
