Craft PPJ

Greg Smith Self Initiated - Reclaiming Craft Product Design Year 4

Contents:

Brief Plan Why Craft Types of Craft Initial Research Interviews Choosing A Craft Wood Working Define Advantages of Making External Input User Journeys (So Far) Desktop Craft Concepts Chosen Concept Develop Joint Tests Form Tests User Testing Tool Tests The System User Testing Users Moodboard Deliver Ethics Final Product Branding Packaging Final Delivery Reflection

1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14 15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-35 36-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49 50-51 52-59 60-61 62-63 64-65 66-67

Brief:

Is design losing the benefit of craft due to digitalization?

As design moves closer to becoming more and more digital, is there still a way to connect designer and material. After researching this subject for my extended essay I want to address the lack of making and material understanding by finding a method that allows for designer to reconnect with material. Having a good basis for understanidng material allows designers and makers to better judge what they are making and how it may look in the end. To reconnect designer and maker to material I aim to look at craft practices and reserach their techniques and possibilities. Once I have identified a form of craft I will try and reinvent it to be a desktop craft solution.

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Plan:

DISCOVER

Addressing the loss of craft in design, through digitalization as my dissertation subject. Taking forward issues raised in this subject to address in my final project.

Week: 2.

DEFINE

DISCOVER:

DEFINE:

Explore and research possible forms of craftsmanship that benefit design. Research techniques and current future possibilities capable with each practice and material.

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Select a form of craft that may be reintroduced as a design tool. Explain how it may be done through experimenting and making whilst still maintaining the benefits of craftsmanship.

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DEVELOP

DELIVER

Exhibition and final delivery of project.

DEVELOP:

DELIVER:

Choose a concept that allows for user to be more in contact with material. Develop the design through testing with users and understanding the interaction between material and craftsman.

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Develop a product and brand that shows the appeal to working with material through your hands and highlight what can be possible with a dekstop craft.

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Why Craft:

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Whilst writing my extended essay I looked at the digitalization of design and its effects on craftsmanship. I believe that modern design is losing an important practice as we further seperate ourselves from craft. Modern techniques have taken us away from material and due to this I aim in my project to allow for designers to have a new way of making that’s inspired by original craft tecniques.

maker to better judge what an object will be like by having a better understanding of how the material will behave.

Craftsmanship benefits the designer through a deeper understanding of material. Allowing for the designer or

Finally it also connects those who practice the craft with those tactile skills that so many are losing today.

Although crafts benefits do go further than just what it can offer designers, it allows for individuals to make for themselves, it has theraputic benefits commonly associated with the process of making.

“Beauty, in our view, is not found by design, rather it is discovered through craft in the fullest sense of the term. Beauty is in the making of it, through engagement with material and process and through craft’s sensibility and sensitivities.

Craft finds beauty and design puts that beauty to work.”

-Jayne Wallace & Mike Press, All this Useless Beauty: the Case for Craft Practice in Design for a Digital Age, The Design Journal, Volume 7, Issue 2. Page 44

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Types of Craft:

To begin researching craftsmanship I identified four different types that allowed for manipulation of material commonly found around us.

Wood-working, metal-smithing, textiles, and ceramics all offer different ways to make, and each has its own techniques and traits to craft their respective materials.

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To decide on a form of craft to re-create in a desktop format I would have to thoroughly research not only what is possibe with each material but also what each craft would allow to be possible with the material.

I then took these four crafts forward to begin gathering reasearch.

Wood Working

“The activity or skill of making things from wood.”

Metal Smithing

“A metalsmith or simply, smith is a craftsman fashioning useful items out of various metals. “

Textiles

Ceramics

“Any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting.”

“Pots and other articles made from clay hardened by heat.”

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1. DISCOVER

Desk Research:

Initial desk research into each craft allowed me to gain a base knowledge across all the forms of craft I had already identified. Gathering images for each craft displayed what is needed for each to be capable of manipulating the material.

My initial desk research also began identifying which tools are needed and which each offered its craft. The types of tools needed offered information on wether not a desktop craft would be achievable with this form of making.

By gathering these images I was able to begin identifying what was needed for each process, things such as wether or not a workshop was necessary, did any of the processes need a form of specific tool and which kind of interaction with the material was needed to perfrom the crafts process on the material.

The final aspect I was able to identify was the different styles of end product that were achievable through each craft. This would inform wether or not it would offer any benefit to what makers could do with each craft.

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Interviews: To gain further insight I spoke to people involved in the practice of each. This did not only show me the good and bad with each craft but also showed another aspect of why each has its benefits in practising. The value the maker gets from making is a reward in itself. My interviews identified for me the feeling of value a maker puts in each piece they make, giving the piece more significance than something bought prefabricated. Also the process of most crafts are theraputic allowing who ever is making to not only enjoy the final outcome but benefit from the process of making it.

From my interviews I was also able to start gathering research to take out certain crafts that would not be possible in a desktop format. Also getting research from people practising these allowed me to gauge what may be posible with these materials and modern technology.

One resource that was really useful was the workshop. The workshop staff all had experience in different crafts and this allowed me to cover a wide range of questions with them whilst also finding out what is possible outside of the workshop with each material.

Irene Bell Ceramacist Having little knowledge in what was possible with ceramics I interviewed Irene Bell on what the craft has to offer. I was able to find out about ceramics need for a workshop as the material needs to be heated and fired for it to be manipulated.

Also this interview highlighted to me the theraputic side to making.

“Pottery can’t be manipulated beyond the wheel”

“interacting with material and watching it form is very theraputic”

Beth Furini Textiles Student To gain insight into what is possible with textiles I interviewed a fellow student on what she believed was possible for textiles. Again a secondary aspect of making away from the just the final outcome is the time spent making it. This allowed me to see that another value in making was that there was more value placed in items that people had actually made compared to items just purchased.

“but machine does offer possibilities that hand work doesn’t”

“seeing a final piece that you’ve spent time on is rewarding” 11.

Choosing A Craft:

Although metal working was a relevant form of craft it is mostly industrialised due to the difficulty involved in manipulating the material. This made the decision to not pursue metal-working easy as I wanted to get people to reconnect with material which would be difficult to do with a practice that required a workshop.

Ceramics was another practice that required the material to be treated before it was able to be considered finished. This again knocked the material from being in a desktop format as there was no way of facilitating the ability to heat the material.

Although ceramics did offer new opportunities with technologies like 3D printing this wouldn’t actually achieve my goal of getting designers to interact with the material.

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Although textiles was a good craft in terms of getting the user to be hands on, it lacked the ability of creating solid prototypes that allow you to feel out the design. The technologies needed to create something of structure again detached the user from the material and were not possible in a desktop version interpretation.

The image below shows what is possible with a combination of textile techniques and wood but again this involves, technical accuracy to produce. Maybe future desktop craft systems will be able to utilise this kind of advancement.

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WoodWorking:

I chose wood working as my research had identified that the craft could be pursued through hand tools. This allowed for an individual to manipulate the material without having to have access to machiney or a workshop environment. Wood-working also allows for an individual to gain a better understanding of how the common material wood behaves. This covers what I set out to do in the first place as I wanted to allow for a better connection between designer or maker with the material they are creating with.

An interesting project by IKEA that needs no tools for it to be assembled. IKEA justified this decision through the fact that they believe the modern generation of home owners do not know how to use tools. I’ve included this project as I believe this further supports the idea that I am trying to combat. Hopefully by re-introducing wood-working as a practice I can allow for makers to create for themselves.

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2. DEFINE

As I had chose wood working my object now was to find a way of presenting this craft practice that allowed for a designer or maker to appreciate the material and its behaviours and also educate them on the craft’s process.

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The Advantages of Making:

As I had already identified in my initial research craft offered more than just the ability to make.

The theraputic benefits were evident through my interviews as makers put value in the process of making and this then added more value to the end result.

To gain insight into these secondary values of craftsmanship I looked at current projects where the goal was to use the task of cafting past just what was being made and using these process and environments to give something back to the maker.

GalGael offers opportunities in becoming skilled in a craft. They use boat building as an opportunity for those less fortunate to develop skills that will allow for them to apply these elsewhere in life. By helping teach the craft skills needed they are also gaining from the added values of craft such as getting to see the achievement they helped build in the end.

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Fine Cell Work is also an organisation that takes advantage of the theraputic aspects of craftsmanship. Although I am focusing on woodworking this prison textiles program teaches inmates how to sew and knit. Allowing them to move on after prison with valued skills. This program also takes the benefits of valuing the end product, as this program also runs a shop where the inmate’s work can be purchased.

Mens sheds is a program that uses the social aspect of making to bring together retired and older ex-makers and tradesman alike to combat loneliness. This added a social dimension to the activity of craft.

As it is benefiting the users who take part this again can be seen as another theraputic benefit related to the prctice of making.

Identifying these other aspects of craft allowed me to further gauge what I was trying to re-connect makers and designers to. Not only does craft have an important process for the end outcome and how it connects the craftsman and the material. Now it also had benefits that were apparent due to participating in these practices. This added a new aspect to my project as to really capture what craft is, just in a new way my design would have to also offer atleast one of these theraputic benefits.

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External Input: The external input session allowed for me to gain outside insights on my project so far. This opened up new viewpoints for me on why craft was useful and how other projects were using it for good.

This nomadic funriture project used the bare materials and tools needed to allow for an individual to construct their own furniture. I liked this aspect of using craft as it put control back in the hands of an individual.

The idea of allowing for someone to create for themselves whilst just facilitating the making process without any expensive necessities, was a substantial concept as it gave craft back to people who had forgotten how to do it.

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UNESCO allow for craft to be identified with those who began the practice. The way they paid homage to the heritage of each I believe is important. I wanted to use this idea throughout my project somehow.

Either by giving credit to craftsman or the material itself.

Again more project simply identified the good in creating things for yourself by hand. Something else I wanted my project to appreciate was if someone builds something for themselves they would have to spend time with these pieces. I felt like this would allow for a more rewarding experience as the idea was not to give people finished, crafted products but more to teach them how to build for themselves and appreciate what the material is good for.

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User Journeys:

Beginner “I donʼt know what Iʼm doing”

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MATERIAL

MATERIAL

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Expert

MATERIAL

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I created two user journeys based off of what I had discovered in my research. Looking at both the possible expert user and beginner user.

The beginner user dealt with the lack of a workshop or the feeling of judgement some may feel when approaching that kind of environment. I mapped out how this may go until they reach the desktop.

If I could facilitate a space for a beginner user to learn and practice for themselves, this would hopefully get that maker/ designer in touch with a material that they would have felt too uneasy to do before.

“I donʼt know what Iʼm doing”

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RK HS MATERIAL

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The expert user was based off the idea that they could experiment with a new means of material practice. This allowed me to see that to reach the expert user my design would have to be modular or have to be capable of being modular so that it could be implemented into their current work.

I realised later in the project that it would have been better for me to identify specific possible users early. I generalised my users to just makers and designers, although this wasn’t innacurate, if I had been more specific it would have allowed for a more accurate user journey where I could have seen more causes for design.

MATERIAL

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Lego has been becoming a more popular, serious making tool. It allows for users to quickly understand the pieces and how they function. Although lego does not offer complete freedom to build what you want, you are restricted to the constraints of what the lego pieces will allow.

K’Nex has similar issues to Lego. It allows for users to create a wire frame, this is a benefit as the user can then understand and see how something may be constructed. Although like Lego with these pieces you are limited to what the pieces will allow for.

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‘Desktop Craft’ Looking at current methods of ‘desktop craft’ allowed me to see different reasons on what each offered and why they existed.

I found that they allowed for quick prototyping and appearance models but only within the constraints the system allowed for.

Looking at current forms of ‘desktop craft’ or making allowed me to see the issues with what they allow in making. For making concepts I would consider how I can allow a user to interact with the material, to hopefully allow them more freedom to create. Beyond the usual constraints found in similar systems.

I liked the little bits system as it was trying to do something similar to what I was aiming for, just in a different context. There objective was to facilitate learning programming and computing through their interactive pieces.

All of these little pieces had a function and you could learn from the pieces as you figured out how to use each of them whilst creating.

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Concepts: I created 4 concepts all looking at different ways of approaching how to reconnect the user with material.

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A concept taking an approach where I hoped to inform individuals on how to make with wood working. A graphics project where I would take the opinions of experts and display them in a manual that would allow for a designer or maker to pick up and show how they may create using wood-working skills.

I felt like this though would not actually get users to interact with the material, it wouldn’t promote the actual interaction between maker and wood. Therefore this concept would not fulfill what I set out to do in the project.

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My second concpet was an attempt at bringing a community of makers together, allowing each of them to make and share. This was in response to how I was learning from experts at their craft. I believed that a community of makers would allow for new craftsmen to learn from what experts were making.

After looking at all my conceps though I again realised I was not doing what I had planned to. I was not actually allowing someone to interact with the material and this then again would only be a stepping stone to making.

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My last concpet was an idea on bringing the workshop to the desktop. After properly thinking about this concept though it was apparent that the desktop environment could not facilitate the demands of a workshop.

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Chosen Concept:

My chosen concept was done by appoaching the material. An idea that would put the material directly in the hands of the maker. I chose to make ‘building blocks’ so that a potential user could understand better the qualities of wood whilst making.

This was in response to my aim which was to get the maker or designer to actually get hands on with the material. Once I had selected wood-working though the option to manipulate the material by hand allowed me to navigate the constraints of being limited to the possibilities of only what a single piece can allow for. This would then allow for the user to start crafting the material by hand using woodworking techniques.

I felt this concept best delivered what I set out to do in my brief.

To develop the design I had to focus on 2 different aspects of the concept:

Material

Craft

The material aspect would cover how the user would interact with the building blocks.

I would have to test and develop different forms to see what best allowed for the user to create.

The craft aspect would be making wood-working techniques and tools accessible for the user. This would have to work along side the building blocks. I would have to design some form of manual or instructions to facilitate this.

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3. DEVELOP

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To create the concept I had to figure out which style of joint would work best in terms of being easy to place the pieces together and would still be strong enough to be manipulated using tools.

The second concept I took inspiration from jigsaw pieces and thought this would allow for a more recognisable interaction between the blocks. After discussing with Andy in the workshop though I learned it would be difficult to produce many blocks with this style of cut in the wood.

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The first joint would allow for pieces to sit flush. This though would put the stress of tool manipulation on a weak part of the joint and made this concept too weak.

My third concept again had issues with production and strength in terms of buiding. Although it would have allowed for a simple interaction.

Joint Tests: My last concept was to use a dovetail joint. I got this idea from workshop staff as it allowed for many to be produced whilst also supporting a system of insert and base pieces. The pieces can also stay together due to how the joint widens at the end. This made for a strong joint without much weakness.

My initial builds proved that I would have to use machinery to build the actual pieces more accurately. Although at this stage I felt my final model would have to be considered a proposal more than a finished product as I don’t have the skill to produce these perfectly accurate.

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Form Tests: To create the concept I would have to create a form that would allow for the dovetail piece to be inserted whilst also keeping the experience of handling the bricks enjoyable.

The first concept I created allowed for a panel system to build up a structure.

Inserting these panels together would allow for a stucture to be formed.

Once I built a test piece though I realised that this shape did not really allow for much substance in the build.

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My second concept was just to test different pieces instead of just assuming they wouldn’t work.

As expected though this piece was too small for any constructive capabilities.

The blocks I had first thought about with my concept allowed for the best building opportunities.

After creating tests they allowed for the most substance and the best platform for crafting with hand tools.

My third concept was looking at what thinner pieces may offer but again didn’t allow for much substance while building.

I also prototyped different scales of the block and looked at what might fit best into the concept.

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Build Testing:

“Getting them to slide together is kind of theraputic” I tested my early concepts by just allowing possible users to interact with the blocks. I wanted to see if the experience of simply handling them allowed for anything close to what the actual process of wood-working was like. What I liked in my feedback was that people were getting those theraputic benefits that I have identified earlier in my research. I feel like this showed that the concept was somehow mimicking the real practice.

This allowed me to take forward both the dovetail and block pieces as my testing showed they were capable of allowing for a craft experience.

“The sides make me feel like I should still be building.”

As the blocks that I had given to the testers did not originally make any shape or form, I think they felt that the project was unfinished. This began informing my decision on how I should present further tests or even the final thing.

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Tool Tests: To include the craft side to wood-working I tested what was already capable with their practice on early blocks to allow me to see what kind of manipulation they offered.

I decided to test with hand tools as I felt they offered the ability to work hands-on with the material and didn’t need a workshop environment to be used.

By documenting the effect each had on a block it allowed for me to envision what kind of manipulation would be possible if they were used on my current concept blocks.

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I took an initial block as a reference point and used this to compare the effect of each tool.

I used each tool in the most simple way to judge its most basic effects on the wood.

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Using the chisel I created a channel out the wood.

This demonstrated it as a useful tool in creating spaces on the wood.

Using a planer to shave the edges of the cube off allowed me to create the cube with no sharp edges. Again identiying another useful handtool.

The rasp allowed me to mold a section of the wood by grinding it down using the teeth.

The tool proved useful on the block as it let me shape it precisely.

Sand-paper allowed for curved, smooth surfaces on the wood. It took a while but if connected with other tools this would be useful for building models.

The saw proved useful as it allowed me to quickly remove sections of the block. This may help with bigger projects and more blocks to narrow a form down to what is needed.

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The System:

To create the concept I would have to create a form that would allow for the dovetail pieces to be inserted and create atleast a square. I used cheaper wood and spent time in the workshop developing and testing this system. I mapped out two seperate ways that the system could be done and tested both.

I found that with the dovetail pieces the first system would allow me to create a solid pieces that still had some structure. Whilst the second system, once it has the dovetail pieces cut into it were too thin to build with.

After these experiments this gave me an initial system to take forward.

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User Testing:

To test the pieces in the system I built 2 different variations of it. One block I sanded the edges and the pieces had more round feel in the hand. Whilst with the second test still had sharper edges and allowed for a more flush square shape to be built.

The test gave me a scope of feedback that allowed me to start defining what the final blocks should be like.

“Pushing the blocks together offers a satisfying result” Again something I liked about these prototypes was that they were still offering what original craft did in terms of the theraputic and rewarding aspects of the process. I decided to stick with this system as it was delivering these aspects.

The feedback on handling the final blocks proved that I had to aim for somewhere in the middle of these 2 tests. Most of the positive feedback came toward the second example as the flush pieces had more of a satisfying end achievement once they made the square whilst number one didn’t allow for much of a refined model. Due to its curved edges not all pieces lined up perfectly but the curved edges fitted more comfortably in the user’s hand making for a more enjoyable experience of interacting with the material.

Due to the fact I was building the pieces by hand I realised that my final outcome would be more of a proposal to what it could look like as I had no option to get the machine accuracy that would be required to have every piece sitting flush.

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Users: To rate my concepts use to actual makers I discussed the concept with potential users identified in my research. Taking note of the feedback received from both a professional woodworker and a beginner who could benefit from the capabilities of the craft.

I took jamie as a potential user as he is already a professional woodworker. Mostly crafting commissioned work for different events such as horseshoes and display stands. His opinion would allow me to see how my concept may benefit an expert user.

Jamie Professional Wood Worker.

Opportunity

Benefit As jamie worked with a specfic type of saw known as a scroll saw, by block building he would be able to quickly produce model prototypes to show a range in the products he can produce to his cutomers.

This speed in production would also allow for him to work more effeciently as he could be faster in delivering products to clients. This was due to how the concept allowed him to work in a new way with a material he already knew.

The benefit for the expert allowed for me think of the project as universal. Could this concept in theory be modular to allow for a user to incorporate it into current wood-working projects.

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Nathan is a model making gamer meaning that he makes the pieces by hand for different landscapes. Although a lot of these come pre-fabricated he also builds his own props.

Nathan does struggle though in a workshop environemnt as he has little experience with wood-working. This makes the experience of going to an environment like this stressful.

Nathan Model Making Gamer.

Opportunity

Benefit The system allowed for Jamie to introduce himself to the material and the wood-working practices away from the pressure of learning in an experienced workshop.

Combining both the building blocks and tool cards it allows for a user to begin building confidence in their abilities. Being able to do this away from a workshop takes away the notion of the pressure that someone may feel away, as they are able to work in their own space.

This aspect will allow a user like Nathan to develop with the product, hopefully he can get better with time until he is confident enough in how own abilities to experiment or work outside the manual to woodworking.

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Moodboard: To begin designing the style of how I would present my final idea I created a mood board of images. These images were taken from similar projects to mine and other projects within similar contexts to mine.

The images marked in orange support the physical side of my project. Interacting with the material and how I should maybe convey this idea.

The images in green allow for me to take inspiration from these graphic styles. I would have to however create my own interpretation as I wanted them to have a playful feel but be an informative technical style as well.

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4. DELIVER

For delivering the project I would have to create a brand that supported the feel of the project and also displayed what the product had to offer.

I also aimed to work alongside makers to deliver the correct feel to appeal to the right audience.

Material My finally delivery of the material aspect of my design would be to build the final product out of good quality and ethically sourced hardwoods.

Tool Cards The final tool cards would have to be designed to a graphical style that suited the projects feel. Also I would have to work along side people that knew the tools to produce accurate information cards for users.

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Ethics:

The ethics side of the project mostly covered where the wood is sourced from. I spoke to a local seller at Reid Timber who was able to point out to me which woods were ethically sourced and why they were.

For the project I had wanted to support local craft and to do this I aimed to use local wood.

After interviewing Alistair at Reid Timber though he explained how almost all local wood that he could source was not from ethical timber plants. Most timber in and around Glasgow are simply dead trees cut down with no plan of replanting or regrowing on the land.

The woods that I could use allowed for a range of different aesthetics and all were sourced from different regiosn around the world. I decided to use these as I felt it would put more worth into the material the individuals were using as they may look more unique or allow for more range in aesthetics when it comes to creating a pack.

As I had seen earlier in UNESCO’s project where they had paid homage to who and created a particular form of craft and gave them ownership over their practice, I wanted to recreate this and communicate it somehow so that users could identify and respect where the wood they were using had came from.

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To achieve a vertical building system I created a set of 3 sizes that would allow for the pieces to interlink and fit together to make a cube. I felt a vertical aspect had to be added for potentially more buiding possibilities. After initial testing though I found that the smallest pieces were too delicate and the dovetail extracts were breaking whilst fitting these together.

I decided to take the smaller pieces away as I felt they did not have a major role in constructing different shapes and had already proven to be too fragile. Narrowing the cube down to just 2 different block sizes and 3 different block shapes.

The final system is made up of 3 different styles of piece. To incorporate the vertical building these 3 pieces are across 14 actual pieces to make up 1 cube. The cube can then be taken apart and the pieces used to create and build a new form. Once these pieces have been used to make a form then it is possible to craft the blocks into what you want using hand tools and the tools cards provided in the kit.

As I had identified in early testing, I wanted the wood product to come in a solid shape so that there was no feeling toward the piece of it being unfinished. The cube shape offered a solution as whne users would see it, it was a nice piece in itself and also its easier to imagine your desired form being cut out of it. This woul dhopefully make the building experience more fluent and enjoyable.

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The Final Product:

Although my final blocks were capable of making the cube I still consider this final model a proposal. If the object was to be built for selling the best way I’m sure would be to machine the pieces to achieve complete accuracy.

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For the tool cards design I used a co-design approach to work along side the expert to give a proper definition of what each tool is capable of. Whilst building my final models I used the time with technicians to ask about how I should present each tool and what it was good for.

What this opened up though was an ability to show which tools to use alongside what in order to achieve common finishes. I decided to include these combinations on my tool cards too as it allowed for the user to learn wood-working techniques that can benefit what they want to do.

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The first type of tool card addressed the uses of the physical hand tools and the effects that they would have on the block.

This would allow for users to be able to manipulate the material and craft it to what they want.

I created a second time of tool card and used a different colour in order to seperate each. The second type of card is for finishing tools or useful tips that don’t have a direct physcial impact on the blocks. I took these tips from notes I had taken whilst interviewing expert makers and based the information on the cards off of what they had told me. The aim is to allow my design to help projects or builds through not just the prototype phase but also be useful when it comes to finishing a model.

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I took my original measurements for the cards from standard sized playing cards and experimented with the size to see what would best fit with my design. I also had to have them fit in a form of packaging alongside the cube. I then tested these cut outs with potential users to inform my decision of what would possible feel the best size whilst allowing me to include all of the information I wanted to: The tool

How the tool works

SAW The saw offers the ability to quickly remove ‘chunks’ of material. By grinding the teeth against the material it seperates the wood allowing for you to break down early forms to get closer to your desired shape.

It’s effect

The technique

Use the saw to remove sections of your blocks by dragging the teeth through the wood. Use a push-and-pull motion to porgress the cut through the blocks.

A combination with another tool Use the saw with sand-paper to remove sections and create curved planes.

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Physical Tool Cards

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Finishing Tool Cards

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Branding:

KUBOS KUBOS KUBOS

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KUBOS KUBOS KUBOS

For branding my project I wanted to convey the idea of ‘constructive play’. I did not want for the product to be taken too seriously as it was supposed to be a kind of informative learning tool. The point of this project was to get maker and designers to interact with the material and if it looked like a fun activity then hopefully this would make the experience more enjoyable.

I chose a bold font with just slightly rounded corners as it conveyed a rigid but not sharp feel.

Also the letter’s shapes were still structured even though playful. I felt like this font allowed for the ‘constructive play’ image I was trying to achieve.

I also wanted a simple logo that very quickly showed what the project was about. Using a plan view of each piece I narrowed it down to four pieces to make a square as it matched up well with the final form. This would match up nicely with the packaging of the final form also as it would have to be square to fit in my proposal.

I chose the colours for the project based on what feeling I could relate them to. I did not want to choose any kind of clean white as this would be too clean an image for a hands on project.

The orange I chose was a more ‘earthy energy’ and I felt like this suited the theme of the project well.

KUBOS

KUBOS 61.

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Packaging:

To package my project I used craft card. I think this gave off the right aesthetic and allows for the brand colour to really work well against the material. I will display the box itself in a cube creating a neat packaging for the kit.

On the packaging I will also include what each kit contains.

To pay homage to where the wood comes from I have illustrated each tree the wood is from.

This is to allow the user to both get an understanding of what they are buying whilst also promoting respect for each region the wood has came from.

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Final Delivery:

For my final delivery of the project I aim to show my exhibition stand with 1 full kit and also an exmaple project completed with one of the kits.

I will also include my video prototype to show the journey of a user and also cover a range of contexts in which the project can be used. To show how an individual may interact over time I will show a project from start to finish. Also including how they will interact and shape the project for themselves.

My final design task will be to show 3 seperate posters. One to show the product as if I was selling it. One to show how someone may interact with the project (most likely drawings). And the final poster to show what each kit included and a system of how the blocks work.

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Reflection:

To reflect on the project, I felt like I did achieve what I set out to do at the start. My design does allow for a user to interact and gain a better understanding of a craft practice and the material it uses. However I would hope that it is considered a proposal as I do not have the means or help to produce a very accurate representation of what I planned to design. As everything had to be hand built it does have some issues. Also on execution of delivery the print quality I was able to achieve was not perfect either, if the project was actually in circulation I hope that it would allow for the tool cards to be printed on an actual high quality and accurate printer.

I also feel I had to create my project on a smaller scale due to budget. The pieces of higher quality wood available outside of the university facilities were expensive but I believe necessary. I think that justifies the smaller scale of my final models compared to cheaper wood, development models.

I believe that there would be opportunity for different sized kits. If I was continuing with this project I would develop different sizes to allow for different scales in building.

A lot of my time was taken up gaining access to the workshop, although the staff were experts in making themselves, I felt this restricted me from being able to go out and interview more people involved in the craft scene locally.

Apart from the quality of the build and printing I am happy with my final outcome. It does what I set out to do in a way I have not seen it done before.

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