Think & Make

Beautiful Solutions Project Reflection: 

Although this project was not my favorite of the projects we have done so far in this class, I still enjoyed it a little bit. I was not my favorite mainly because it focused on Industrial Design. However, I did like how this project taught me more about brainstorming techniques and how to act in a group brainstorming setting. This project, way more than the others, taught me how to think creatively , critically, analytically and how to focus on the main task at hand. I learned that I found it hard at first to keep my criticisms of ideas in. This was particularly difficult to do in the second exercise, Deep Dive. I think it was hard mainly because I was having a hard time grasping the idea that our desk redesign did not have any limits. The limits that would normally exist in real world applications had no place in this exercise.

    This project has set up a solid foundation of critical and creative thinking processes. I learned more about brainstorming techniques in this project than I ever have before in my life. The brainstorming techniques I learned will help me in my future career and the group brainstorming sessions I will partake in the future. I actually really excited for the opportunities in the future where I can discuss my ideas in a proper manner and express myself and my ideas.

Inside/Out of the Box Prototype and Final Design

First photo: This prototype used Canson gray paper, wire and our light bulb.

Second photo: This is a photo of the prototype we created to show our general idea to our classmates.

Third photo: This photo shows how the light bulb looks when the tin can is lifted up, exposing the light bulb.

Fourth photo: This shows, ideally, how this light bulb packaging would hang on a shelf in Home Depot or a specialty lighting store.

Fifth photo: This is the final prototype we created with a metal tin can, twine and our light bulb. We used a vintage-looking logo because our light bulb was kind of retro.

Inside/Out of the Box Exercise Reflection: 

I enjoyed this exercise more than any of the other exercises because it incorporated all of the little exercises’ goals that we did before this one. Maybe it was because I really enjoyed working with Josie and Madison or maybe it was because of the idea of designing packaging seemed really cool. The mind maps that we made in the beginning of this exercise were a lot more fun than the mind maps we did for the Desk Redesign exercise. At first, the thought of completing a prototype of light bulb packaging seemed daunting and hard to complete on time, but in the end, it all worked out. I think the limited time frame forced us to go with a simple design but because we incorporated unique and different materials in our packaging, it made up for the simplicity of the prototype. I think, as an additional section of this exercise, completing a brand profile for the light bulb prototype would have been really cool. I have a fascination with branding so maybe that part of the assignment would have only appealed to me. I don’t know. I think that when I have a group that I enjoy working with and the group dynamic is flowing and clear, projects have a much better chance of succeeding to their fullest extent. This exercise taught me that mind maps and word lists have a really deserving place in the creative process because they really do bring all kinds of ideas to light and offer up so many options.

First photo: We created this mind map by first focusing on the physical attributes of the light bulb and then going to the metaphorical meanings of a light bulb.

Second photo: This is the sketch of the final idea we went with. At first we thought about using a plastic tub but e quickly decided to use a metal tin instead.

Third photo: I sketched this after hearing someone say that this type of light bulb is dying out. This kind of reflect s coffin for the light bulb with the silk lining.

Improvised Drawing Tools Photos

First photo: This shows Sarah, me and Madison using four dowel rods, four rubber bands and a Sharpie to draw a perfect rectangle.

Second photo: This shows the tool that Madison and I created to draw jagged lines. The movement of our arms mirrors that of using a saw.

Improvised Drawing Tools Exercise Reflection

This exercise really helped me expand my thinking and my creativity and was my favorite exercise that we did during this project. It helped me think creatively and also analyze different situations and the solutions to those situations. This practice of thinking creatively and analytically will definitely help when I move into the future and my career because there are always going to be situations where I have some limitations on what I can do and I will be forced to think outside of the box. This exercise also taught me that normal dowel rods, rubber bands and pens can be much more than just dowel rods, rubber bands and pens. By combining the dowel rods and rubber bands they joined to form a useful tool that helped me and my group complete this daily project. Also, by working in a group, I learned how to talk through ideas and how to quickly brainstorm by just trying different things out. Sometimes, drawing a concept map and writing down a word list just is not the same as using trial and error to discern solutions to certain problems. Now, concept maps and word lists have their place in some situations and they definitely have positive attributes, but just diving into the problem and trying lots of different things out definitely has its place too.

Final Wire Model

First photo: This is a planner support made of wire. The construction of it was quite basic but there are some troubles I encountered with the wire.