I wanted to create something that people use every day, not something that is put on a mantel piece and is used once a year at Christmas. I randomly came up with the idea of doing the wallet within 5 minutes of the last class we had to work on this assignment. The initial idea was to make it very simple with the user able to just fold a couple of lines and then have a wallet, not have to use glue or staples or anything of the sort.
My original idea was to create the product out of polypropylene plastic, to score the edges which would be folded, but the problem I encountered was that every time I tried to make the bends, one of the scored lines would crack end I would have to discard the whole thing. I realised I needed to get a different material that would be able to take the strains of bending, but also have strength to hold itself together. I toyed with other plastics and ideas of using layers but all turned up to be dead ends. Then I remembered Andrew saying something about how he likes d the idea of using magazines in creating new products. This gave me the idea of layering several pages of magazines together to make the material of which it would be made.
In the using of magazines for the making of the material for the product I found that it was a very good way to recycle something that would usually be thrown out after it was needed or finished being read or used. The second thing that I found about fixing several of the pages together was that after a while they became more like plastic than paper in the sense that the material had become quite hard to rip and it held its shape well. The third thing that I found was that the material bent really well and was able to have a very tight fold which was great for the overall size of the wallet not making it bulky and heavy in the pocket.
Andrew said I should think about adding more folds to the net of the product so I could have more little pockets and such. I tried doing that but I found that not only was it going to take a lot more material than was allowed for use but it also became much too bulky when holding and it caused a lot of the folds to not fold properly and then I was faced with the problem of a very think product and on that was unnecessarily thick.
Yes I think there is still room for my idea to be developed in different ways, but I am happy with the simple design and material that I have been able to come up with. Although the material I wanted to use has been deviated away from quite a lot I still like the feel and the qualities of the magazine pages.
I think I have been able to complete my goal in trying to design something that is used every day and is not just left on a desk, mantle piece or in the cupboard. The wallet although when thought about without seeing is a hard thing to imagine, a magazine wallet, it is very sturdy, strong and surprisingly durable compared to its pre-recycled state.
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This was by far one of my favourite designs purely for the simplicity and the use of magazine pages as the sheet material. My only criticism would be to have more pockets but other than that it works well as a flat pack product and i'd be happy to send this to someone as a present.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this concept, although I was disappointed when I saw you had changed the proposed material. I think this would be a great product to sell as a range of recycled materials similar to having 8 available colours of ipods. I wonder if the thin plastic bags that many magazine subscriptions are delivered in would work? Newspaper? Cloth?
ReplyDeleteI did notice that the layers would tend to separate at the folds, perhaps you could try laminating them together?
Overall this is a really great and original idea and I think it was a shame that you didn't have more time to develop it further.
This was my favourite idea in the class in concept form. Imagine getting a fold up wallet in the mail! This idea is very simple and without the use of fasteners, it uses clean lines very well. Although I do like the usage of magazines as the material, I think it would have been more effective if made with the original proposed material of polypropylene or something similar. Nice work though!
ReplyDeleteNice idea steve! just a little problem walets are generally leather so they can stay water resistant. As for a wallet made from magazines if dropped in a puddle its could easily be ruined alond with the contents inside of it. The idea was sweet though if you made it out of say polypropylene it would be more interesting in that regard aswell as waterproof and more durable. nice concept though steve
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea with so much potential. I like the scale of the product. I can see it being sent as a personal gift to someone, with the prints of the wallet relevant to the persons interests or hobbies. I have a whole stack of old magazines in my room and they honestly do nothing but take up space, so this is a great way to upcycle (shame you can't use this in the new assignment) these products. I actually prefer the use of magazines as opposed to a plastic such as polypropylene. I believe it gives the wallet a bigger visual impact and a sense of mystery as to how the material is being utilized. "surely magazines can't be used in this way" an upmarket gentleman may remark. The only thing I can comment on is the strong glue smell and some inconsistencies with the laminating. Maybe you can use a different type of adhesive? Other than that, its an awesome product
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