Convergence. Continued.

This week we took a much closer look at the appropriateness and necessity of our design. While we had a sufficiently functional space planned, we realized that it was not the BEST possible solution to our design process. With our concept (Convergence) in mind, we reexamined our display system first. We did away with our baskets and wall shelving systems. We knew we could come up with something more successful. 

We took away our walls and have decided to suspend our ceiling from a central pole. We have designed a hexagonal booth/table that sits in the center of our space. Our employee will stand here. Upon the table we have created a series of displays that literally converge into each other around the perimeter. The peppers will be placed in the individual compartments (see below). I am very excited to have made this step forward. During our last crit with Professor Leshinsky, he told us that you know you have a successful design when one part of the design doesn't work without the whole. Our display system would not be appropriate for any other space, but for our design, it supports our entire concept. 

On each side of the table itself, we plan to have map images of various regions of the globe (examples below). On each map we will have pieces of red painted museum board glued to the image. The pieces will converge to a specific point on the map where the peppers displayed above originated. 

I believe my group made great progress this week. The final models are due this Thursday, December 9th. I am looking forward to sharing pictures of the rest of our design soon. 

Convergence.

This week my group singled out a concept for our design. Convergence. We want to design a space where diverse, exotic peppers from around the globe are brought to you. We had a lot of trouble coming up with this concept. My group and I were too focused on the cultural diversity of the peppers which lead us astray. We got carried away with various themes that had no correlation to our object - peppers. Our "Ah-Ha" moment came when took a step back and thought about the function of our space. Our retail booth reflects a coming together of cultures and their native peppers. Convergence. We are finally able to start designing!

We want to design a space that has a clear direction. We want to lead the customer toward the center where we will have a display of dry crushed peppers (the "convergence" of various pepper blends). Each design element will reflect our concept. We are playing around with different ways to best lead the customer into our space. In our first model, we designed angled shelves on the walls that point toward the center of the space. We also want to reflect a global, multicultural aspect to the chili peppers. We have design floor mosaics of peppers. Again, they point toward the center. On the ceiling we have an image of the world. It references the internationality of the peppers being sold.  

We have a lot left to do and little time but each decision is much easier to make now that we have a concrete concept. I can't wait to share more soon!

Concept Struggles.

Project Four. Kiosk.

Last week we were assigned groups and asked to pick a new object and design a kiosk/booth structure. As a group, we selected chili peppers. I am excited and sad at the same time to abandon my orange. I was finally in a groove with my orange. I enjoyed building off of my previous work with each new assignment. Now it's back to step one. Establish a concept.

The chili pepper is a fun and "spicy"object yet we have found it difficult to distinguish between a design "theme" and a design "concept" for the pepper. Our first idea was to design a kiosk that sells spicy peppers from all over the world. We selected four cultures widely known for their spicy cuisine: Thailand, Egypt, India, and Mexico. Our "concept" was to bring the experience of shopping in those four local markets for peppers to an American consumer. We designed a pentagonal-shaped booth. At the top of each side we placed an image of a universally recognized architectural structure from one of those four cultures (see image).

Mayan Temple - Mexico, Sphinx - Egypt, Taj Mahal - India, Pagoda - Thailand

My group was very excited about this idea. However, after getting some feedback from Professor Anderson, we realized that our concept was too complicated. She suggested either picking one culture and committing ourselves to it, or abstracting the entire concept and focus more on the "diversity" of the peppers and less on representing four different cultures. We realized that our entire idea was becoming more about showcasing exotic cultures and less about spicy peppers. 

Our next idea was to showcase the Indian culture and their peppers. We thought we could build a tent-like structure with an opening in the shape of the Taj Mahal (similar to the image above). We would then design the interior to resemble an indian food market with lavish Indian fabrics and decorations. After exploring this idea, we realized that this idea was more of a theme than an actual concept. What do Indian decorations have to do with their native peppers? Unfortunately for us, nothing. 

Back to the drawing board! I hope to have good news to report next week!

Final Display

As much as I praised the process of model-making in last week's blog post, I am sorry to report I have developed love/hate feelings toward it now. While I still recognize it is the best way to present a design solution to a client, I have also experienced the torture (both physical and mental) of making that solution a reality.


When it came down to making my final display model I completely underestimated the amount of time it would take. I constructed the chipboard frame of my model relatively quickly but then came the dreaded small-scale orange packages. 28 to be exact. A lot of trial and error went into constructing these mini cubes. Constructing them first out of chipboard with a balsa wood facade was a failure # 1. I realized that bristol board was much easier to work with at such a small scale (each package is 1-1/4" x 1-1/4"). I also attempted to adhere the balsa wood with double sided tape - failure # 2. In the end I glued together each bristol board frame then glued a balsa wood facade to each cube. 

While making the miniature packages was extremely time consuming, my main concern was clearly conveying my heart-healthy message with my display. Prior to gluing a balsa wood facade to the shelving frame, I carefully glued orange paper squares to the chipboard, creating a heart shape. 


Overall, I struggled with the small scale of my models. There are slight imperfections with the models that keep me from being completely satisfied with my final product however I still believe that my purpose and intent are clear. I am also proud of the continuity between my work this semester. I believe this design is a successful way to display my heart healthy orange and it's crate packaging. 

Display Continued.

This week I buckled down and made some models. I am beginning to love the process of making models. They immediately show the strengths and weaknesses of a design. I am beginning the model-making-process much sooner on this project than the last. I feel as if my time-management skills have improved with this assignment.
Here are a couple of my sketches made into reality:




This group of sketches were made at a 1" = 1'-0" scale. It was beneficial to start my process here. This scale was very manageable.




This model is at a 2" = 1'-0" scale. This is the scale I will be working with for my final model. I plan to cover the chipboard with a balsa wood facade to create a crate-like cubby shelf. I plan to use orange paper (see model above) to block out the cubes that form a heart. I will then need to make 28 models of my orange packaging (see product below). I have a busy week ahead of me but I am feeling confident on the strength of my design's purpose and intent. I believe my display directly relates to my former designs. I am striving to create a cohesive message throughout the semester.

Project Four. Display.

Onward and Upward!


The next assignment in our series of projects is to create a display for our packaging. I have included a couple sketches to show my process of discovering the most appropriate and inventive display design. 

I started my process with a sketch and model of a basic cube-shaped crate. It is essentially a large version of my package. 

After seeing the pitfalls of sketch # 1 I moved onto drawing crate-like shelves that would contain one of my packages on each tier of the shelf. I want my display to appeal to an audience who is willing to spend more on their oranges than at a normal grocery store. The audience is similar to a Harry and David customer. I liked the idea of this design but I realized I was going in a different direction that I wanted. My display still needs to support my heart-healthy branding and package. It needs to convey my message. This display idea doesn't do that. 

My current design is a large (7' x 6') crate shelf that has cubby holes open to both sides. I plan to block off some squares of the grid with orange paper to form a heart shape. All of the other cubby holes will hold one of my orange packages. This design is a little daunting because of the number of small-scale crate packages I will need to recreate but I believe the design has a purpose and intent that coincides with my heart-healthy orange. 

Now onto models!

Project Three. Recap.

Sketch Model A

Sketch Model B

After circling around several different design ideas (Sketch Models A&B), I decided to go back to step one and define the purpose and intent of my package. I then created several models of differently shaped crates. The models were extremely effective in ruling out impracticalities or insufficiencies in my designs.

Sketch Model C

I settled on a cube-shaped crate with handles and open sides (Sketch Model C). I wanted the customer to be able to easily handle it, be able to fit it in a grocery bag, and see the oranges they were purchasing. I remade the cube with more exact dimensions and then glued a balsa wood facade onto it. I printed my brand image and text onto clear label sheets and stuck them to the sides and lid. I chose a text style that resembled real branding that you find on old shipping crates.

Overall, I believe my design was successful and practical. I do believe I could have pushed the boundaries of conventional food packaging further. This was my ongoing inner struggle throughout the assignment. I desired to create something new and inspiring yet, first and foremost, it had to be practical. 

Interior

Final Package