THE WHEEL

DUBLIN, CA

I decided to focus my proposal for the “History of Travel through Dublin” utility box design on “the wheel” and place it in the time of when cars first made their appearances here in Dublin, California.
 
Throughout history, most inventions were inspired by nature: the idea of forks came from forked tree branches and planes from birds. Not the wheel. The wheel is 100% a 'human' innovation. It took a long time for the wheel to be invented and the first wheels were created not for transportation but to serve as potter’s wheels. The ancient Greeks eventually invented the wheelbarrow, a one wheeled, hand drawn vehicle.
 
Most people recognize the vintage car as an historical image of transportation. I added an old bicycle to highlight the fact that it was a bicycle mechanic, Henry Ford, who invented the first car using advanced bicycle technology.
 
To humanize the history of the wheel, I adding one person into the image: a child playing a game with an old tire.
 
It was the wheel that led to the first bicycle that in turn led to the first car. All three (tire game, bicycle and car) represent a common time period in the history of travel through Dublin.
 
Dublin has dry, hot summers and is bordered by Mount Diablo and the Ridge. I used the colors purple, burnt sienna, yellow, and van Dyke red against a mountainous background.
 
The silhouettes provide a sense of bygone days.