Art Portfolio Project: Foldable products

In my previous posts, I did not specify what products I will be designing for my project. Before the project sign off, it is important to specify what exactly I am creating and why.

My main theme will be conservation of space. I will target people that have small apartments or houses (e.g. university students) and aim to provide them with a set of foldable products that are necessities in an apartment. 

One of my products will be a cupboard which will also act as a storage area to store the foldable products inside. I need to take into consideration how the products will fold and how much space they need to be stored before I consider the size of the cupboard. In my accommodation, I do not have sufficient space to store all my clothes and art supplies. Therefore, I thought it was necessary to include one cupboard that might be used to store extra supplies or clothes. 

Regarding seating products, I am planning on designing one small couch, one chair and one stool. It is necessary to have at least one chair in the set as they will be utilising it to study or to sit and eat. I feel like seating in an apartment is one of the most important aspects. Especially with covid, people spend most of their time inside their apartments. Therefore, I thought it was necessary to provide them with 3 different seating options. Having comfortable and multiple places to sit will also benefit the user when he has guests over. In my apartment, I have cupboards really high up that I can not reach, therefore, I though that a stool might also be beneficial to use when you want to reach something. You can also combine it with a chair as a means of resting your feet on it. The couch will not be big of size and can be used for relaxing or when people are visiting. The use of the foldable products is that they can easily be folded and unfolded when not in use, therefore, a couch would be a great addition to the set.

More over, a table will be designed as they will need an area to study or eat on. I have to consider and test the precise measurements of the table in order to ensure that there will be enough space provided to the user. For many years, I would struggle with my own desk as it was too small to fit my materials, sketchbooks and laptop. I would have to constantly take things off the desk to ensure that I had enough space to work on. Carefully designing a suitable sized desk that takes everything into consideration would be very beneficial, especially to art students that need sufficient work space.

Further to that, I will also be designing a bin. Surprisingly, when I moved into a new accommodation last year, I struggled finding a bin that combines both functionality and aesthetics. Most of the bins I would come across were either too big or too small. I want to create a bin that will be suitable for apartments and that also combines functionality. The bin will also have a lid to ensure that it contains the smell of everything placed inside. 

I was planning on designing one lamp as I feel like good lighting is a crucial part in an apartment where you spend hours studying or working. However, it would be very challenging to make the lamp foldable as it has wires. Folding and unfolding a lamp might be considered a safety hazard. Additionally, I feel like the items I listed previously are more important than a lamp. 

I decided to create products that I have experience with but want to improve. Moving into a small accommodation by myself helped me realise what I can include in this set to make it more efficient and effective for students or people with small apartments. I will take advantage of this opportunity and try to create products that suit my target market as a means of improving quality of life. In the next blog posts, I will start researching and developing my ideas for this project.

I also completed a form that was sent to us via email by our tutor to ensure that I have a clear idea before the project sign off.