Modern nomad Supply
Senior Thesis
2015
The concept for Modern Nomad Supply started as an idea for my senior thesis that would allowed me to dive into the world of (#)Van Life and those living on the road in the 21st century. I wanted to know how they were making money, and making spaces of 200 sq. feet and often much smaller feel like home. (Not-so-secretly, this was an elaborate ploy for me to hit the road for a few months in my 2001 Subaru Outback.)
Having road-tripped most of the west coast on a shoe-string budget prior to the project, and following much discussion with those living on the road both part and full-time, I was able to get a pretty good sense of what life living out of a vehicle was like. In short, a lot of shuffling, picking things up and then strapping them down, maximizing precious space, and keeping a place for everything and everything in it’s place.
The audience that emerged were those who didn’t want to invest in a custom-built sprinter van, but still wanted to spend extended periods of time on the road. With the audience and main problem in mind, the solution that presented itself was a modular storage system that could easily be transported from garage to car, snap together, and once in the vehicle, be quickly rearranged to allow both easy access to storage and double as a comfortable sleeping platform. This system had to be made durable, light-weight and aesthetically pleasing in order for the user to replace their Tupperware or Rubber Maid, but not so precious that the pieces can handle the wear and tear of life on the road.
HOBO-GLYPHS:
A series of symbols and messages left for others in the hobo community during the great depression to communicate safety, danger, work options and more. The community that has grown up around Van Life is not unlike that of travelers and Hoboes during the 20’s and 30’s with Instagram’s #vanlife and geo-tags doing the work of the hobo-glyphs.
The circle with a diagonal line through it as seen in the logo means “good road to follow.”