what i did not originally consider

Some things I learned throughout the process of just sketching and gathering ideas about the “glue pen” were what seemed to be a few tiny issues. Firstly the issue of if the glue would be liquid or solid, if solid...could one replace it to keep the efficiency of only buying one pen? The angled tips posed a challenge to design as well, I found myself “seeing it in my head” but having a very difficult time translating it to paper. Another thing was designing lids to keep the glue air-tight and resistant to drying out. The clicker button was also another thing that took a lot of refinement. The list seemed to drag on with things we could do, do again, and do again to result with a better product...but it wouldn’t be design without this I suppose, right?!

THE GLUE STICK

This is the object my group decided was most in need of a totally fresh design. We wanted a new, innovative approach at something everyone knows and is familiar with. But do people love it? Not necessarily. That’s because it lacks aesthetic beauty, proper function, and overall good design. That’s where we come in. Our fun, fresh, and funky approach on the old and outdated glue stick would surely be a hit with today’s ever-changing design and craft world. With our three minds and creative juices combined, we took the glue stick, to the glue pen.

understanding comics

These comic chapters were very interesting for me to read. As the tile says, I never really took the time to understand them, or pick a comic up and read one. I really enjoyed reading this because it brought to my attention how much little detail goes into the making of a comic book. I never realized everything from the text font, to the pictures, to the words are planned down to the tiniest detail, all to engage the viewers attention further. This really applies to not only this project, but also all of my future projects, to remind me to think as a comic book illustrator would...to think about what every element of my design and how it will pull a viewer in and entice their full attention. This was a great read and I am very glad it was a class assignment. 

the {writers} toolbox

This article made me realize to think more critically about the writing, thinking, and designing process. Its main theme was that a mind map is the visual that forms all ideas. It is good to start all projects like this, which is exactly what my group did. This article really stressed the importance of how this applies to visual thinkers (me!) and how much it can get your brain thinking even more creatively. This method is to be used quickly, so the brain keeps thinking more and more. It basically was an article for the visual learners to realize how useful and important it really is to lay out your ideas and SEE them before hand. I found this to be very true in making our mind map, and it is a strategy I know I will regularly use in future projects to come.

I D E O

This short segment taught me to think of my product in term of a verb, rather than an noun. It opened my eyes to stay focused and concentrate on one thing at a time. It preached to strive for quality design, visual design, and build on the ideas of others.

the glue stick.

This was my final item under five dollars I found to study, sketch, and prepare to make better. Ultimately, my group agreed there was large room for improvement, and thus we started re-designing the glue stick.

make it better.

For this project our group looked at poorly designed objects and explored ways to make them better. To begin this project we gathered objects that cost less than five dollars to evaluate for redesign. We brought these objects as well as five sketches of each to class, and chose our object of interest from those chosen. 

We chose the glue stick as our object, and got right to work breaking down what we liked and disliked about the item. Our mind map, pictured right, depicts our thougts. Basically we came to the conclusion that the glue stick can be too wide, thus producing too much excess glue, it is not aesthetically pleasing, and there is only one thickness. Through this process book you will discover my group’s new design for the glue stick, and you will never think of it the same again.