Michael J. Dobija
Industrial Designer
Mission Statement: Design and develop products that satisfy market needs with unique solutions that achieve the client’s objectives.
1966
General Motors Corporation
Automotive Styling, 1980 Car Concept
60’s car design has a pronounced engine, passenger, and trunk compartment. The sculpted aerodynamic form of my 1980 concept vehicle defies this convention. Other innovations include front clam shell door access for the driver and one passenger. Side gall wing doors to provide access for six passengers or an extended cargo space. A transaxle flat eight-cylinder engine drives the rear wheels. This eliminates a front to back transmission shaft lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity making it safer to drive . A telescope runs under the floor projecting rear view images to a dashboard monitor..
1967 - 1971
Davis-Monthan AFB
Golf Club House
My Industrial Design curriculum blended art, materials, form, function with manufacturing processes to create products that satisfy consumer needs. I am not an engineer but passed an Air Force aptitude test and assigned to a Civil Engineering Squadron. I became an officer without engineering credentials and assigned to meaningless jobs until the colonel in charge of Base Civil Engineering reviewed my Industrial Design portfolio and said, “Get a 2bedroom apartment. You’ll need the extra room for a studio. You are going to design the new Golf Clubhouse.”
My completed floor plan, building design, material specifications, scale model and illustrations were submitted to the squadron’s Architecture & Engineering department to complete the project’s construction documents.
1967 -1971
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Air Base Mission Exhibit
Davis-Monthan AFB occupies Tucson real state and employs 100s of Tucson citizens. The Base Commander and City Mayor agreed the citizens should be familiar with the Air Base mission.
After extensive interviews with SAC, TAC, and MSDC commands, I photographed key unclassified operations and converted the information into 32 acrylic paintings with a collection of command mission written descriptions. The exhibit consisted of four custom designed display clusters.
Paintings on ¾” smooth plywood in a variety of sizes (24” x 24”, 32” x 24” & 32” x 60”).
1971
Retirement Home, Lake Odessa, MI
Design Description
The property is on the south shore of the lake. Winters are cold with deep snow drifts off the lake ringing the shoreline. Summer is hot and humid. To confront these conditions, the house design specifications are energy efficient and low maintenance. The redwood siding and cedar shingle roof will age naturally and never require refinishing. Triple pane windows, 2” x 6” wall studs and 2” x 10” ceiling joist with fiberglass batt insulation limit exterior/interior heat/cold transfer. The three shed roof configuration prevents excessive snow loads. Windows at the roof apex vent summer heat. Open windows on lower and upper levels create venturi air flow that naturally cools the house reducing the use of air conditioning.
1971 - 1981
Masonite Corporation
Masonite R&D
Industrial Designer responsible for new product concepts. Collaborated with wood technologists and chemical engineers to explore new uses for materials and processes.
Colonial Village
A textured decorative panel product line utilizing new press plates to deboss a 4” thick loose wood fiber blanket into a 0.250” thick hardboard panel with recessed “V” grove plank joints. The back of the collection’s deep false joints are resin filled to add panel insulation capability.
Commercial Division of Masonite
Manager of Market & Product Development responsible for the diversification of the Marlite Division’s residential products to meet the needs of commercial chain account building programs. For immediate market exposure, I modified 16 existing residential panel designs to meet commercial trends. Based on the successful transition, Masonite renamed Marlite to the Commercial Division. I then hired Industrial Designers and technicians to design and develop new product lines. I then focused on missionary sales calls to assess targeted chain account decorative wall needs then developed custom product designs that met their multi-store roll outs.
NEW PRODUCT
NEW PRODUCT
MODIFIED PRODUCT
Product Samples Exhibit section of 4’x8’ faux finished panels
1982 – 2004
Graphic Insights, Inc.
Market & Product Development Consultant
I founded Graphic Insights to offer Market & Product Development consultation to decorative building product manufacturers interested in developing Chain Store Business or developing new product lines to diversify their marketing effort. Integrated Ceilings, Formglas, and Forms + Surfaces were key accounts for Chain Account Development. Marlite, Ready Metal Manufacturing, and Chicago Metallic Corporation retained my Industrial Design service to design and develop diversified products.
Chain Account Development
Chain Account sales has a major benefit that attracted clients. One specification turned into hundreds of orders. Chain Account development included missionary sales to understand target account needs then provide marker illustrations of client’s standard products or my modifications of standard products to meet the Chain Store image and building program budget.
Restaurant Chain Decorative Product Application Concepts
1989 – 1995
Graphic Insights, Inc
Marlite, Surface Systems
Utility Patent
Marlite sold decorative wall products directly to Chain Accounts. To balance cash flow during Chain market fluctuations, Marlite targeted new sales from the General Commercial decorative wall market. I received a design and development contract to create a new product line to meet their objective. The new product introduction was called Surface Systems.
Surface Systems gave Marlite the intended diversification. Surface System’s package also provided a new direction for commercial wall specification; a collection of decorative panels ( metal, wood veneer, resin, thin cement, etc.) installed by a single trade using pre-engineered hardware. 1995 Surface Systems won International Interior Design Association and Interior Design Magazine awards for “Best Hard Surfacing & The Best New Product of the Year” as well as IBD, SPI, and IIDX new product design awards.
System Hardware & Panel Assembly Options, Pencil on Vellum Illustrations
1996 – 1997
Graphic Insights, Inc.
Chicago Metallic Corporation (CMC), Cut-Outs Ceiling Panels
Chicago Metallic invented the inverted “T” Bar ceiling grid and supplied grid to Armstrong Ceilings and USG Ceilings for suspension of their acoustical and decorative ceiling panels. As their ceiling sales volume grew, both companies manufactured their own grid.
CMC retained Graphic Insights to design and develop a proprietary decorative ceiling product line to increase their dollar sales and have the proprietary panel specification protect CMC grid specifications. I focused on the Late Modern aesthetic with a collection of geometric cut-out patterns 2’ x 2’ x 3” thin wall GRG material. The GRG panels rest on CMC’s inverted “T” Bar grid. Individual pattern repetition or pattern combinations provided a multitude of decorative ceiling options.
Late Modern Fixtures and Panel Finishes
Deconstruction Fixtures and Hardware Finishes
1995 – 1996
Graphic Insights, Inc.
Ready Metal Manufacturing, Fashion Fixtures
Sears was Ready Metal’s main customer. Sears hired an interior design consultant to modify Sears image of a hardline retailer to include fashion retail. Existing Ready Metal’s store fixtures were designed for merchandising car batteries and tools. The consultant advised Sear’s, Ready Metal fixtures were not appropriate for fashion display. Sears management allowed Ready Metal 90 days to meet the fashion fixture need. I received a contract to create fashion display fixtures.
Fashion and architectural trends are compatible. I met the 90day schedule by modifying the hardline fixtures to reflect Deconstruction & Late Modern design trends. Deconstruction was achieved with rusticated coatings, industrial hardware, and angular framing. Late Modern was achieved by hiding the hardline fixturing behind modern panel finishes and merchandising accessories.
Following my three-hour presentation to the Sears design consult, Ready Metal’s fashion fixtures were approved. for the new Sears image.
Inverted “T” Bar Suspended Ceiling
Installation
Repetitive
Pattern
Installation
Pattern
Combination
Installation
2000-2004
Folio, Inc.
Litewall, Utility Patent
The Light Construction architectural trend utilized transparent and translucent exterior glazing to penetrate the interior of a building to reduce interior light fixture energy. When direct light or transparent glass wall partitions were not possible interior designers specified luminous wall installations. The site assembled installations were frequently flawed by light leek, hot spots, and maintenance issues.
I partnered with a sign specialist to form Folio, Inc. We developed a luminous wall system utilizing proprietary hardware assemblies, LED and fluorescent lighting options, reflective plenum coating, and four collections of translucent panels. Litewall installations prevented light leek and hot spots. Panels could be removed for maintenance requirements. Because Litwall was a pre-engineered system, contractors could accurately estimate the installations.
Litewall System Assembly Options
2004 - Present
Averve, LLC
Railset , Utility Patent
I partnered with a marketing specialist to form Averve LLC to design and develop decorative wall products for commercial specification. Analysis of decorative wall panel installations revealed 30% – 50% of labor was expended on correcting sub-wall surface irregularities before the start of decorative panel installation. The Railset Web was designed and developed to eliminate this time and costly exercise. The Web assembly is square, level and easy to plumb masking sub wall irregularities. The Railset Web will conform to flat and radius wall, cavity, and partition assemblies.
Railset is an aluminum hardware system. The rail’s three screw boss reveals receive five standard components. Webs can be site assembled or off-site pre-assembled. Preassembled webs further reduce field labor installation time and cost.
A textured decorative panel product line utilizing new press plates to deboss a 4” thick loose wood fiber blanket into a 0.250” thick hardboard panel with recessed “V” grove plank joints. The back of the collection’s deep false joints are resin filled to add panel insulation capability.
2004 - Present
Averve, LLC
Railset, Decorative Panel Trim
To complete a Railset Web decorative wall installation, panels are fixed to the Web in three ways. Cleats attach to the back of the panel then slot into the rail, Clips that slot into the rail then engage kerfed panel edges, and Face Fasteners that mount to the panel and rail. Splines join and align panel vertical joints. The Edge Trim flange slots into the rail to cap exposed panel edges. The Edge Batten slots into the Edge Trim to cover panel edge saw cut fragmentation.
Since all mounting hardware attach to the square and level Web, panel joints and corner intersections align perfectly.
CLEAT
CLIP
FACE FASTENERS
EDGE TRIM
& BATTEN
VERTICAL
SPLINE
Decorative Wall Panel Installations
2004 - Present
Averve, LLC
Railset Web Pre-Assembly
Railset’s Web pre-assembly benefits.
- reduce field labor time and cost
- assembled during job site delays
- accommodate limited site conditions
- assembled by less expensive labor
2004 – Present
Averve LLC
Trimset Panel Hardware
The introduction of 3mm thick large slab porcelain and decorative composite panels offered education and healthcare designers a durable, decorative, and affordable product. However, the density of the materials made panel edges vulnerable to chipping.
3mm panels entered the market dependent on existing aluminum trim intended for utility applications not decorative applications. I designed Trimset hardware to compliment the decorative panel aesthetic. A collection of 6063 T5 clear satin anodized extrusions protect the panel edges, mid-wall joints and perimeter edge and base cove with minimalist detailing. A HMC designer reviewed the Trimset profiles and commented, “ Trimset profiles are like jewelry.”
Trimset Extrusions with 3mm Panels
