Cardboard Carriers-Cupcakes
9/29/20-Sketch Models
Starting the sketch model and building process was very challenging for me. I am very very out of my element which makes it hard to know where to start. I chose to begin the process by writing and drawing out a few of the “knowns” like the dimensions of the cupcakes, and the holes that I knew I wanted to use in order to best protect the object. Because I really didn’t know where to start, I felt like this let me just jot down some ideas without completely
Unfortunately, I ran out of cardboard, so I couldn’t keep my interim models and had to re-use some of the cardboard(I need to start taking in process pictures, not just finals), however I did draw sketches of what I built. I started with this folded model where the inside would look like a “5" and then the flaps would circle around it so it would be one continuous piece of cardboard. This one just simply did not stand up or maintain its shape so I moved on. I then tried this model that would have two cupcakes above two others, and I wanted to get the top cupcakes to somehow move down to the bottom. I did this multiple times, but I realized that I was biased and that anyone else wouldn’t know to move the cupcakes in that way. Then from these two, I landed at the final sketch models. The first one relies on drawers to hold the cupcakes and the second uses shelving.
But, I don’t know if I really like my carriers. I had such a difficult time actually supporting the object that I realized I lost a lot of the beauty I saw in my first design. I tried the more complex designs that just wouldn’t work, so I simplified them, but I think I simplified them too much. Right now, Im finding this all very challenging. I’ve never really worked with models before and the one time I did, it was a lot more experimental than this. I think that I need to keep on refining but also exploring different things because right now I feel like my carriers are very very basic. I think this project is definitely going to be a big challenge for me.
10/1/20-Sketch Models 2
When we had class on Tuesday, I realized that my approach to the assignment was not the most productive. When I usually work, I go through a bunch of ideas one after the other, and thats how I approached this project at the beginning. When one didn’t work, I would think of a completely new idea and when that didn’t work I would redo again, it just wasn’t worth the time. However after hearing how others completed their assignment, I decided to take a more planned approach.
I started with one of the ideas that I rejected over the weekend, where I was trying to make the cupcakes have a movable element. Instead of making the whole thing, I only made a small part of the carrier where the cup cake would sit and move. After a while I got it to be stable and have a little bit of moment to it.
How it works is that there are little shelves on the inside that are able to compress and contract when the box is opened and closed. The exposed corrugation on the shelves makes it more malleable, but still supportive to the weight of the cupcake. This makes the presentation a little bit more engaging and kinetic, even though it is a smaller movement.
I had a difficult time thinking of ways that the angles could converge on the outside of my box, but I then thought of panettone boxes and how they just have very slight angles in them (not a specific one, we have a lot of them at my house so its just from memory I think the ones we buy are the D’Onofrio brand but I might be wrong I will check with my mom). This idea helped me make a sturdier structure for the outside.
The outside of the box is where I am having a little trouble. I don’t think I like the square nature of the box, because it seems a little awkward to hold at your side. You would have to carry it in front of you with maybe a hand on the bottom of it. I would really like to explore thinner options where it is more of a rectangle. I do, however, really like where the inside of the box is going. I think that it requires A LOT more work, but I can see it getting there. The outside will be the tough part. I really like this idea, and where it could go, a lot more than the ones from the weekend.
Here are some more in process pictures:
10/5/20-Initial Prototype
At the end of last class, Stacie said how it would work to keep maybe the inside or presentational elements, but refine the outside look on all of ours. For this initial prototype, I mainly kept to trying out different exteriors. The first one I was going to do was tall and thin, however, the movable element inside of the carrier was to large to make it tall and thin. After a while, I settled on this one since it can be a good jumping point to add on to and evolve. In my last one, I remebered how in our small groups, we talked about excess cardboard use and how that can be distracting. So, for this prototype, I tried to use as little on the exterior as I could. This dosn;t seem very protective, but I just wanted to go to the extreme of it being a lot more open, so I can figure out how open is too open.
The next thing I focused on was the movement in the presentation. Before, the cupcake “shelves” were a lot smaller and only performed a micro movement. So, I made the bases a lot taller and added angles to allow for more compact design in the shelves. They are still a little weak so I have to adjust a lot more.
Right now, I think my next moves are to get out as many ideas for exteriors. This may be a little late in the game for that, but I feel like I just became comfortable with developing the shelving further, so I need to find an exterior that best complements it (and protects it). For this design, I used a bit of math and some very basic sketching, but for the most part, it was just working through idea after idea. I don’t think I like this method of working, so for next class, Im going to try and sketch out all the different ones I want to try beforehand, instead of doing them as they pop into my mind. Im still finding this project very challenging, but Im a little bit more comfortable since I have one part of the carrier that I like.
10/8/20-Prototype for Peer Review
After talking in small groups, and with Stacie and Steve, I affirmed that I needed to rethink most of my design. The movement aspect which I liked before now seems too risky. Something as fragile as a cupcake, with very soft icing, doesn’t seem like it need to have movement (it also really shouldn't have movement). However, I did like the idea of having some sort of movement so I thought about how to have movement but have the cupcakes stationary. With this, I thought of the angles used in Ricardo Bofills architecture. In one of his buildings, the staircases are all at an angle, following the movement of someone walking. You can still get a sense of this movement without having to see a person move up and down them. So, I decided to apply this suspended “motion” to my carrier
I then sketched out a few different models. Also I saw how Susan did a lot of her sketched digitally which I thought was a great idea since it allows you to work with many ideas at once, and even make some smaller than others after you have finished. After sketching, I landed on one where the two flaps covering the cupcakes open in opposite directions. This is a very large motion which makes the presentation a little more special. Its also only three different pieces of cardboard, which makes it a lot more simplified and easier to interact with.
I did have some trouble with the angled inserts. It took a few tries to get them comfortably situated to the point where they wouldn’t distort the whole box. I think that these parts are still a little difficult to insert, so I want to work with it a bit more to try and find how to make the process go a little smoother.
What I also liked about this one a lot more than my previous ones is that I felt a lot more comfortable carrying it. It is slimmer in the width so it easily fits next to your side. It doesn’t really bulge out or anything, you can comfortably drop it by your side.
I really like this design and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. I think that it would maybe be nice to expose some parts of the cupcakes, but after the last prototype, I’m more cautious of doing that. Also, the lids that come up and down are a little wonky right now. The tabs I did for them are a little too loose, so they aren’t that tight anymore.
10/13/20-Refining Prototype
Going into the weekend, I had some good criticism to work from. The main points that the reviewers touched on were that the size is a bit misleading, the handles are small and difficult to interact with, the holes for the cupcakes lack support for smaller cupcakes, and you cant really tell that the box is meant for cupcakes. I agreed with every piece of the review, but I found it extremely hard to work on the part of making the carrier look like its for cupcakes.
Since cupcakes are so delicate, its hard to expose them in just the right way. I have definitely not found the perfect fit of exposure and protection, but I think I am on my way to a better fit. I just added these litter diagonal slits into the sides, and it didn’t really help since the box is so dark. I might need to play around with cuts on the little flaps. This was definitely the hardest part of this week’s refinement process, and one that I couldn’t quite get yet.
The other issues were a bit easier to work on since they were more technical. For the handle, I made the shape simpler than before and gave more room for grip. I also added a bottom to the cupcake holder part of the design, and maintained it in one piece of cardboard. I then made the entirety of the carrier a lot shorter. I think that this kind of bridged the disconnection between the number of cupcakes and the size of the carrier. All of these are refined, but I would like to work on them all a bit more and maybe even start over on some specific parts of it.
The issues I still see is that it is very boxy. This makes it seem like its just an average box, without anything really making it special. Maybe I should experiment with the shape a bit more or try to create a similar yet more intricate form. This is something to consider going into Thursday and the weekend. Maybe its because I’ve been sitting with it for too long, but its become very quotidian. I don’t find it as special anymore, and I want to change it up so that it is more special.
10/19-Final Review: The “Ta-da!” Box
For my final carrier, I decided to refine some of the parts, and also figure out what made my carrier special and effective. I struggled with the idea that it would be see as “just an average box” before it was opened, and instead of completely redoing the shape, I figured out that that fact was something that actually worked for the box. Something amazing about gift giving is the idea of surprise. Its always a joke when someone wraps a gift to the exact shape of the object since it gets rid of the “surprise factor”. The fact that it only has a small window showing the contents of the carrier, makes the opening of the box more special.
The tops also add to the presentation of the cupcakes, and make the opening special! When I decided to do the angled approach, an unexpected movement happened where the two flaps would move opposite to one another. I really enjoyed this movement and I always thought it added to the presentation, but I couldn’t quite figure out why. This weekend, I sat down with the object, talking through what made the object unique and found out that the reason I liked it so much was because the two movements of the tops resemble the movement of arms when someone says “ta-da!” or “surprise!”. This reference of the human motion announces and presents the contents of the carrier with excitement!
I think that something I mainly tried to do with this carrier is walk through the different moments a person would interact this carrier. The first is when someone is walking towards the person with the carrier in hand. From far away, this looks like any ordinary box, maybe even a takeout box. As they get closer and they put the box in front of the person, they now see that it has angles and has a different way of opening than an average box. The shape still looks very square, and it is very closed off (not showing a lot of what is inside). Finally, when they open the box, the movement of the two “lids” bring enchantment to opening up the box. What started as interacting with this ordinary, structured, slightly brutalist box turned into a memory of a grand gestured presentation!
In terms of changes I made, I kept to small refinements. The first thing I changed was making the carrier out of a singular sheet of cardboard. This helped a lot to make the assembly process a lot smoother and more simple. I had to start over a few times to really get the right cuts. In our small groups last class, Steve also brought up how I had a lot of room for a handle. In my refinements, I added a larger handle with a larger hole to accommodate more room for the person carrying the box.
Steve and Stacie also pointed out another project (I think it was Tara’s) and how they used slices in their circle cutout to accomodate for different apple sizes. Since cupcakes are more delicate, I did a smaller variation of this. I added about four little slices on the inside of my cupcake holders to make sure that smaller sizes could still have support. The final thing I changed was the tab for the top of the carrier. I was having the hardest time getting this part right. I tried a threading method and a push tab, but those weren't strong enough. I then settled on a tab that reached around to the front of the carrier, and went through a slit on the front. This was a lot stronger and added structure to the carrier.
I think the biggest thing I learned in this project is the idea of medium and process. With medium, we were given the criteria of the material we could use and we had to work backwards from that to build our design. This was something I have never had the opportunity of doing before! Usually, if I had an idea for a design, I would tailor pick what materials I would use to make the design work. This process helped me understand how the limiting nature of a certain medium can drive the design. This also showed me a lot about process. I ended up with a completely different object than I thought I would make at the begging. When I work with graphics, this change and progression usually occurs, however I have never experienced this same drastic progression with a tangible object I designed. I found this very rewarding, even though moving from idea to idea was stressful in the moment.
