The Fragile shoehorn
Design language is key to all design practices.
It could be manifested through visual forms,
colors, finishes, materials (CMF),
and interactions with the designed objects
in the semantics of industrial design.
We were randomly given
a descriptive word + a product to design with.
Thus, Fragile + shoehorn = a fragile shoehorn.
Define fragile
We collected images online and created an image board,
looking for inspirations for visual definition of ‘fragile’.
To me, ‘fragile’ means unstable and easily breakable.
The fragility lies in the easily breakable glass material and the unstable state of the physical form,
and that you have to be extra careful, focus and present when engaging with the ‘fragility’.
Market research on shoehorns
sketches
prototypes
I cut out a foam core board to make the shoehorn,
and used paper board and a bottle of water to make the base.
The first iteration of the fragile shoehorn base is try to
convey the idea that unstable state on a tipping point.
But it seems like it “screams” too much of “balance” more than “fragile.”
The second iteration I decided to slice the cone shaped base.
So that there’s less focus on the tipping point and thus less subjective feeling on the idea of “balance.”
I made the appearance model out of a foam core board
and the functional prototype out of a stainless steel ruler to test with.
Testing the height of the base so that users could
effortlessly pick up and put back the shoehorn without bending over.
Interact with a fragile shoehorn
RENDERINGS
