Lucas Barnes

Sustainable Product Designer

ME

Design EthosDesign Process (coming soon)ProfileResumeLinkedInInstagram

PROJECTS

Hand-Carved Beechwood SpatulaCactus-Skin WalletsClimate Action Museum InternshipManufacturable Outdoor DeskRavinia Festival Poster Competition"Treevas" Sustainable ClothingAwRoa Logo DesignBlacksmith Bonsai

TOOLKIT

Design SketchingRapid PrototypingWoodworkingAdobe Creative SuiteWebflowSolidWorksKeyShotPhotographyVideographyIllustration

This website is of original design using Webflow.
For license & copyright information, click here.

Cactus-Skin Wallets

B

orn from a newfound love for leathercraft and plant-based materials, I researched, designed, and sold these cactus-skin wallets under my LLC, titled "Treevas Goods Co." via Etsy. Seen at the time as an extension of my clothing line, "Treevas," these wallets are of original, sustainable design. I handcrafted each one using a plant-based leather alternative developed by two farmer brothers in Mexico called "Desserto." They were eventually available in 5 colorways, and I shipped them in personalized, 100% recycled, 100% recyclable packaging.

Contribution: All Original Work
Timeline: ~1.5 Years (On and Off)
Material: "Desserto" Cactus-Based Leather Alternative, Waxed Thread
Date Completed: July 2022
Association: Personal Project under Treevas LLC

My wallet amongst some shrubs overlooking the glorious Pittsburgh!

Grassroots-Funded by Earth Uprising x Ecosia

After releasing my first clothing line in 2020, I was invited to join the international youth climate action group "Earth Uprising," an international youth climate action group. They informed me of their new microgrant program—partnered with the popular search engine Ecosia, titled Earth Uprising x Ecosia—through which I was awarded the funds to afford the necessary resources for this project. Through a two to three-month

trial-and-error prototyping process, I designed my flagship wallet. I experimented with form factor, functionality, features, and color using feedback from friends and family. Aiming to provide a personal customer experience, I designed and printed packaging inserts for TGC including a coupon code, thankful message, and signature. Within each wallet I inserted a card with details about when and how it was produced.

Final wallet form in my personal favorite colorway, "Hot Chocolate Brown."

Prototyping and Packaging

From left to right and top to bottom, these are my prototypes leading towards my final design in the bottom right.

My 100% recycled and 100% recyclable packaging.

My packaging inserts, emphasizing the sustainability and quality craft of each wallet.

Videography and Web Design

Watch me briefly show how the wallet is held and used.

Watch me handcraft my flagship wallet from beginning to end.

This graphic outlines the web design flow I designed on Webflow with both mobile and computer dimensions. Click this link here to view an archived version of this website!

Project Takeaways

T

his project was so fun and engaging from beginning to end. Having it funded by a company I admire, Ecosia, I wanted to live up to the high standard I set for myself when designing my wallet, and I created a design that still sits in my pocket to this day, and likely will forever. I gained invaluable experience working with my hands to create rapid prototypes and invent my own production process, packaging, and

website; This project was truly all-inclusive. Going forward, however, there are always lessons to be learned. In retrospect, I wish I had documented more of my design process and sketched my ideas more. A lot can be inferred from the image of all my prototypes about my process, but nothing compares to some sketching. In the future, I plan to improve my documentation skills and continue to hone my hand-craft skills.