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OBDF 310 / VSCM 221 COLLABORATION PROJECT
Process Book
Contents PROBLEM DEFINITION.........................3 TIMELINE..............................................4 BRAINSTORMING.................................5 INITIAL RESEARCH...............................6 THUMBNAILS + SCHEMATICS...........10 PROTOTYPES.......................................12 BRANDING...........................................14 PACKAGING.........................................16 FINAL PRODUCT.................................18 USER EXPERIENCE..............................19 RATIONALE.........................................20
GROUP MEMBERS: Jonathan Blitt OBJECT DESIGN, RESEARCH
Francesca Flaskay OBJECT DESIGN, RESEARCH
Katrina Guinto PACKAGING, PROCESS, RESEARCH
Benjamin Herrick BRANDING, PRESENTATION, RESEARCH
Ashley Van Spengen BRANDING, PRESENTATION, RESEARCH
PROJECT INFORMATION: Communication Design II Project 2: Collaboration Suzanne Lemermeyer April 10, 2018
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Problem Definition
VSCM 221 Communication Design II
VSCM221 Project 2 Description
Communications Design II OBDF 310 / VSCM 221 Collaboration The coming together of different perspectives, knowledges, and efforts culminates in design that empathizes with the specific context for those people we design, leading to effective and authentic design solutions. As such, multi-disciplinary collaborations between designers, between designer and client, and designers and other specialists, are common in daily professional practice. Necessity is the mother of all invention If you think to your daily life, you often improvise solutions to problems. For example, you may have a set of annoying tangled computer cords. You could buy a task-specific gadget for $15. But as a student, this may be pricey, and you may reach for a cheaper solution such as a sturdy rubber band or twist tie. It may not look as good, but you have come up with a solution that works to a design problem. Whether it is for a daily annoyance in your life as a Canadian student, or as a villager in rural India, design problems are found everywhere. This project is a collaborative group project between Object Design and Visual Communication Design students that allows individuals from the two disciplines to come together to develop a 3-dimensional solution for a problem. You will be required to work as a group across the two classes, and check in weekly on your class days with your course instructor to report your progress.
Outcomes
Collaboration How will you determine responsibilities? What strengths do people have? Use on ore more collaboration tools e.g. Google Docs, Hangout, Dropbox, Slack, Realtime Board Research To come up with a problem to work on, you have been provided with an exercise to come up with possible problems to tackle. What may seem to be mundane problems are a treasure chest of possibilities. Your collaborative group will decide on the one problem you will tackle together. Once you have decided on the problem to solve, research the problem to understand it. You will be required to familiarize yourself with and use appropriate methods and tools to research problem. Think about questions such as What is the current situation? What is the problem we are trying to solve? Who is affected and how? How do they think? How do they feel? What would be an ideal situation? https://www.lynda.com/Design-Foundations-tutorials/Foundations-Design-Research/182890-2. html Critical Thinking What are the obstacles? What are the opportunities? Are there any parallels you can think of in other contexts? How will you solve this problem? Critical Making 2D to 3D Iteration and testing
Deliverables
Product Group Presentation (10 minutes) Group Process (one document per group)
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Timeline PROJECT IDEAS + POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Start: Wednesday, March 7th Due: Tuesday, March 13th
RESEARCH + SCHEMATICS Start: Tuesday, March 13th Due: Tuesday, March 20th
Start: Tuesday, March 20th Due: Tuesday, April 3rd
Start: Tuesday, March 27th Due: Tuesday, April 10th
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SUPPLIES Start: Tuesday, March 20th Due: Friday, March 23rd
RATIONALE + PRESENTATION
Start: Tuesday, March 13th Due: Monday, March 19th
BRANDING + PACKAGING
THUMBNAILS
PRODUCT CREATION + TESTING Start: Tuesday, March 20th Due: Friday, April 6th
Brainstorming PROBLEM: Mugs/cups that spill POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: ¾¾ A spring loaded cover with a gyroscopic sensor PROBLEM:
MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS: ¾¾ Hats that fly off your head ¾¾ Bad drivers ¾¾ People steal food without asking
Getting dehydrated in your room
¾¾ When your skirt goes up
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
¾¾ Left handed writers smudging their notes
¾¾ Jug of water that connects to the wall PROBLEM: Sleeping through your alarm clock POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: ¾¾ A device you hang above your bed that activates a speaker, a bright light, and a mini showerhead that will spray you with water if you don’t turn it off at a certain time PROBLEM: Making beds POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: ¾¾ Air mattress tubes ¾¾ Drawstring ¾¾ Blanket comb ¾¾ Air Bladders PROBLEM: Tea/coffee gets cold too fast POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: ¾¾ Cup cozy that wraps around the cup and heats it ¾¾ Cup coaster ¾¾ Combine the two, and have a thing that wraps around the bottom of the cup and heats the mug, keeping the liquid inside warm ¾¾ Something that you could put in the cup to heat it (heat cube) – magnet on the side to keep cube on the side; best way to keep a drink hot; stick it in the microwave; absorbs heat from drink
¾¾ Plant dying ¾¾ When phones accidentally are hit ¾¾ Portfolios being hard to carry – weight, backpack, hard plastic, have to carry on transit MISCELLANEOUS SOLUTIONS: ¾¾ Enlarged polaroid printer – for conventions/Art Hall/ Artist Alley; when artists have commissions they can draw on their iPad/tablet and then they can be connected through WiFi/Bluetooth/USB to this printer that gives a larger polaroid of the artwork. ¾¾ Device that helps with tasks you forget to do (e.g. forget to take a pill, feed your pet, water your plants, etc.) ¾¾ Device for breaking bad habits – reward/punishment system ¾¾ Chairs for better posture ¾¾ Skateboard that can be used in snow – hybrid; longboard trucks; spherical; only ride in this instead of wheels ¾¾ Mental health apps – ADHD, Alzheimer’s, dementia ¾¾ Optometrist checks – app and/or camera ¾¾ What would third world countries need? ¾¾ Lunch container with utensils attached – handle with the utensils; audience would be ACAD students
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Research: Target Audience DEMOGRAPHICS
WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO USE THE PRODUCT?
SPECIFIC TARGET AUDIENCE:
¾¾ Students
¾¾ University students and young professionals
¾¾ Professionals
¾¾ Age: 18-27
¾¾ People who drink tea, coffee, or hot chocolate
¾¾ Gender: Any
¾¾ Ranging in age from 15-50
¾¾ Economic status: Middle-class
¾¾ Possible careers: students, office jobs, entrepreneurs
¾¾ Ethnicity: Any ¾¾ Relationship/marital status: Single or in a relationship ¾¾ Location: Urban areas
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
DESCRIPTION: They are constantly forgetting their tea/coffee/hot chocolate when it’s half done, or even when the cup is full due to other commitments such as work, chores, and other projects. Cold drinks do not work for these people, unless it’s a specific occasion, due to their already cold body temperatures. This can be due to genetics, tiredness, and/or poor circulation within the body itself. This person is constantly trying to keep their body warm and is tired of having to get up when they remember their tea and then being deeply disappointed once the cold liquid touches their lips. These people aren’t the Elsa’s (even if they’re cold all the time); the cold bothers them everyday and, goddamnit, I want to be warm for once in my life, thank you!!! WHAT ARE THEIR IDEALS? ¾¾ Hard work ¾¾ Dedication ¾¾ Patience ¾¾ Loyalty ¾¾ Fair play ¾¾ Friendly ¾¾ Honest ¾¾ Strong moral code ¾¾ A sense of right and wrong WHAT IS THEIR RELIGION? All, any, none. Many religions have the same basics, even if the story isn’t the same. WHAT IS THEIR MORAL ALIGNMENT? Lawful Neutral - Neutral Good
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STRENGTHS: ¾¾ Idealistic ¾¾ Seek/value harmony ¾¾ Open-minded/flexible ¾¾ Creative ¾¾ Passionate/energetic ¾¾ Dedicated/hard-working WEAKNESSES: ¾¾ Too idealistic ¾¾ Too altruistic ¾¾ Impractical ¾¾ Takes things personally ¾¾ Difficult to get to know
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Research: Competitors COMPETITORS: ¾¾ Electric cups
¾¾ Amazon
¾¾ Electric coasters
¾¾ Staples
¾¾ Electric immersible heater
¾¾ Bed Bath & Beyond
BRANDS: ¾¾ Road Pro ¾¾ Cooltron ¾¾ AliExpress ¾¾ Salton ¾¾ Jura ¾¾ Mr. Coffee ¾¾ Kebley
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PLACES TO PURCHASE ITEMS:
¾¾ Ebay PRICE POINT: ¾¾ $15 to $40 depending on size, which ranges from ~9 to 16 oz.
Research: Supplies/Materials
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Thumbnails + Schematics
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Prototypes
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Branding NAME IDEAS: ¾¾ Hotties ¾¾ Cinder ¾¾ Scott’s – name ¾¾ Heath’s – name, silent heat, heats inside ¾¾ Eldr – old Norse word that means fire
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¾¾ Vesta – meaning altar, hearth, and fireside; Roman goddess of the hearth and home
#F9BC00
#EA7535
#383A44
#F4E8C9
¾¾ Kent – comely, finely made; born of fire ¾¾ Fino – Italian name meaning fire
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Packaging
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¾¾ Product comes in a coffee/tea tin ¾¾ In addition to the product, the package includes hand warmers and small resealable bags ¾¾ Full logo appears on the front of the label ¾¾ The back of the label includes instructions for using the product ¾¾ The top cover of the tin is clear in order to see the product inside
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Final Product
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User Experience This product is made to be used at home, at a desk, or in a studio like environment. This is due to the lack of affordable ways of heating up one’s—supposed to be— warm beverage, besides a microwave of course. The issue with using the microwave though is that it heats every part of the cup, not just the beverage itself. Taking an almost scolding hot cup, when the handle itself is just as hot, is the absolute worst. You could drop your favourite cup, and have it shatter, which can cause a severe amount of damage due to burns, cuts, and more. With this product, you’ll be able to drink your delicious warm beverage while it’s still hot! The product is fairly simple to use, once your tea/coffee/hot chocolate becomes a less than satisfactory temperature, you open your handy dandy hand warmer (the ones included can last up to TEN HOURS!), shake it, slip it into the little baggies and clasp the bag in our Fino clamp. Put the clamp about half an inch/two centimetres into your cup. Use the flame magnet to hold the clamp in place and lower to your desired drink, wait a few moments, and you should have a delicious cup of warmth once again.
WHY DOES THE USER NEED IT? ¾¾ Easy to use ¾¾ Portable ¾¾ Fits in most mugs, thermoses, and to-go cups HOW OFTEN WILL THEY USE IT? ¾¾ Once or twice a day ¾¾ While working/studying HOW WILL THEY FIND OUT ABOUT IT? ¾¾ Word of mouth ¾¾ See it in a store WHERE WILL THEY BUY IT? ¾¾ Online ¾¾ Malls ¾¾ Knick knacks section in Chapters ¾¾ Staples usually has an aisle of accessories and snacks to bring to your office ¾¾ Hardware stores (Lowe’s, Rona, Home Hardware, Home Depot, Canadian Tire) ¾¾ Art supply stores (Michaels, Sunnyside Art Supplies, etc.) ¾¾ General stores (Wal-Mart, London Drugs etc) ¾¾ Grocery Stores (Sobeys, Super Store, Co-op) $12 - 15 PRICE RANGE COVERS: ¾¾ Bag would be about $0.35 on the high end. ¾¾ Magnets about $2-3, without bulk buying straight from the manufacturer. ¾¾ Fabricated object is roughly $3.50 to make 5000 ¾¾ Packaging, tin cans are about $0.35 - $1.50 for 5000 containers. ¾¾ Labor and transport as 12% ¾¾ Mark-up
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Rationale PRODUCT NAME by Ashley Van Spengen
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When looking for a name for our project, we had a fairly lengthy list of possibilities, but none felt right. Until we came up with having the product name, as someone’s name. But then we had to figure out, do we work with a last name, or a first name? This was drastically decreased, as only two last names had given that were reasonable with the product. Eldr was one, but this name was based off of old Norse, and didn’t have much of a visual connection to our product. So quickly we switched gears and began looking at first names that meant heat, flame, or fire. This gave us a whole list of names, so then we needed to think about the pronunciation of each. From this deduction we had three names, Fino, Vesta, and Kent. Vesta meaning Altar, Hearth, and fireside, but in regards to the logo, which has more of a masculine feel to it, Vesta didn’t seem to work. Kent, in the English translation had two meanings; one being comely, and finely made, meaning two is born of fire. The meaning for the name would have fit so nicely, unfortunately if you say Kent out loud, it sounds like something not so appealing. This left us with Fino, the name meaning fire in Italian, which ran off the tongue like a crush’s name or a beloved item. It was simple, strong, sounding like a nickname of a friend you’d go camping with during the summers, or go to see a film with during the winters. That was it, Fino. And with that, our search was finito, but supremely infinite.
LOGO by Ben Herrick
When making the logo for Fino Drink Warmer I wanted to have it really relate to the target audience. The stylistic choices I made are reminiscent of “traditional Hipster” style logos and those are becoming increasingly popular in the branding world. Marrying that aesthetic style with an icon that is derived from the name itself, Fino, I decided on a flame. This flame had to be friendlier, without sharp edges to communicate its approachability. I decided to make the flame an organic shape so that it fits as a cozy little flame that someone would want in their drink to reheat it. In terms of the colours, I chose a generally warm colour palette with a cool accent for cohesiveness. The orange and yellow are reflective of the cozy warmth that this product will give you when it heats up your drink as well as tying literally into what colour fire is. When creating this logo I wanted to create a brand identity that has a very particular style to it and can be transferred across platforms. As long as the flame is placed correctly other graphics elements I include only complement it, fitting in the overall style. Overall this logo serves to be a cozy, warm, and welcoming visual element to invite customers to be interested in our product.
OBJECT DESIGN by Francesca Flaskay
As the object design and fabrication student, it was my responsibility to come up with design solutions that we could actualize within the time frame and under the twenty-dollar limit. As I knew this object is going to be put in cups with different hot liquids, the materials I chose had to adhere to the FDA code of conduct and have a higher melting temperature. I used the ABS filament to 3D print the clamp as it has one of the highest melting temperatures to ensure there would not be an issue having it in a cup of hot liquid. This material also is the safest to fuse all the pieces together and allows for the material to flex which was vital due to the object’s clamping mechanism. It is coated in food safe resin to make sure the object is easy to clean and doesn’t foster an environment that encourages bacterial growth. The object has been designed to be compact, versatile, and reusable. As this is a design intended to be inside cups, the arc was measured to fit inside the size and shape of the average coffee cup while being as small and sturdy as possible. The clamping mechanism is meant to hold the bag with the exothermic materials air tight. The earth magnets hold the object up and against the cup and the height of it can be manipulated by the fire emblem on the outside. The object can be used on any cup as the earth magnets are very strong and can work through various materials like ceramics and plastics of varying thicknesses.
PACKAGING by Katrina Guinto
The product comes in a metallic container that resembles a coffee or tea tin, which relates to the product’s purpose and the context it will be used in. The label’s background is dark, allowing the bright colours of the logo to stand out. Instead of just being black, however, the background uses the same black-blue shade found within the logo, unifying the logo and the label together. The design itself is sleek and minimalistic, much like the product. On the back of the label, there are simple instructions for using the product, as well as photographs, which clearly explain what the product is and how it works. The cover of the container is made out of tin with a circular section in the middle made out of clear plastic, allowing the viewer to see the product inside. In addition to the product, the container also includes a small supply of hand warmers and resealable bags.
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