Design school open house gift
In collaboration with Phyllis GAN, Cheng Cheng LI
Project Duration: 15 Weeks
Type: User Experience / Product Design
Project Goals: To design a door gift for the new design school building's opening night; in line with the themes "growth" and "nurturing".
ideation
The team looked into common door gifts and shortlisted a few ideas, that would make the gift both interactive as well as informative; such as photographs, origami and brochures.
Taking into account the need for elegance and sophistication in the gift, the team also looked into the idea of creating a 2D kaleidoscope; where users would be able to play and interact with the patterns.
Below are some of the patterns and designs the team experimented and played with.
The team also played with the idea of layering the patterns.
The team decided on the double layered design as it created the optical illusion of growth. The 2D kaleidoscopes were made by laser cutting patterns onto two separate acrylic discs, then fitting them together with an acrylic rod through the middle of the discs. Recipients of this gift are able to interact with the discs by twisting the discs in opposite directions, creating the kaleidoscopic effect. This product radiated elegance and fun at the same time, for guests who were attending the opening ceremony.
learning points
Through this project, I learnt the importance of design research and the processes of ideation and experimentation. I was also able to try out patterns and designs for laser cutting.
