I started with some rough doodles of the planter. At this stage, the process was kept casual and subjective. I tried coming up with shapes that I haven't seen before, and filled out a page with them. To narrow these down for the next step, I asked a friend to pick their favourites, and I did the same on my own. The common picks were then sketched out in more detail.
Adding more detail to the shapes helped me pick an obvious winner - the unique handmade-looking silhouette boldly stood out amongst the other two designs.
To preserve this handmade look of the planter, I tried to retain the imperfections from my sketches in the next step, CAD.
Using continuous curves and smooth surfacing, I tried to give the planter a handmade, pebble-like look. The challenge here was to not overdo the organic shapes. For example, the top profile of the planter was a careful balancing act between a mathematical pill and an organic oblong shape.
Soon, I grew a few different plants in the 3D printed planters. Satisfied with the shape, I started thinking of a different object that I could develop out of this design.
For this new object, I had to adjust the shape of the original planter. This tweak involved just two steps - increasing the height and decreasing the width. This resulted in a taller, sleeker, object - a vase.
Just changing two dimensions of the initial design produced an entirely new object with a different use. Besides, this also ensured that the vase kept the design cues from the initial design.
The led me to think of what other shapes and functions I could create by simply changing the height and width of the original planter. To test this out, I used blender to stretch and squeeze the original planter. Messy process, but with some interesting results!
This produced a variety of different shapes that could all belong in the same family of products. Though these results were interesting, I found the exact function of some of these shapes unclear. I stuck with just 3 shapes as part of the main family - the planter, the pot and the vase.
It is important to mention that I left out the exact scale and dimensions of the planters on purpose. My personal intention was to have something small for my tabletop, but when I showed my designs to my peers, they could see it being used in very different ways, with one person even suggesting a meter wide planter made of concrete. Hence, I made a conscious choice to leave the decision to the viewer.
By this stage, I was working with a family of objects under the same design language, rather than a standalone product. To grow this design language, I wanted to add more shapes and complexity into the mix. More shapes allows for more functionality, which in turn allows more objects to join the family. Back to sketches, I explored some accessories that goes in hand with the planters, pots and vases.
By adding this additional layer around the design language, I was able to design accessories that supports the use of the 3 initial products. Watering trays and drainage holes help the plant soak up water slowly over the course of a few days. Hooks allows the pot to be hung onto a wall, lights help the plant grow in dark environments, and so on.
Legato
music
In a smooth, flowing manner, without breaks between notes.
For the final stretch of my exploration, I tried out move away from the original use of the design. Instead of planters, what if these shapes were containers, or lamps? Will a common design language unify these products with various uses?
Adding lids to the initial shapes (and of course, removing the drainage holes) not just added a lot more use cases to these shapes, but also complemented the original designs surprisingly well.
Early in the process, I picked a 5-colour palette that can be used in multiple combinations. While this made it easier to pick colours for future explorations, it also strengthened the design language in another dimension.
I took the shapes I originally intended to be planters and translated them into lamps - yet another object I would like to have on my tabletop!
I wrapped up my exploration with something that could bring all the objects I designed and their different functions together. While the tray holds the planters and containers snugly, it could also be used to hold keys and coins. The diffused light lights up your items in the tray, or provides light to your small indoor plant.
Maybe the tray could have a wireless charger. Or magnetic key holders. Or it could be a holder for incense sticks. But then, the planter could also be a meter wide and made of concrete. I leave those decisions up to you, the viewer.
Legato started out as a quick sketch session one afternoon to make a small tabletop planter. But over the course of a year, I gradually added more elements, functions and colours; which all added up to tell a visual story of a harmonious family of objects.
Thank you!
