Connecting toys to my discipline/Evaluatuion

Complimentary studies has allowed me to create a simple product for a consumer market. The brief discusses the connection between Resin design and my discipline, to make this evident I used package design to finish the product and created posters for advertising purposes.
To make the most of the project as I intend to take some of the ideas forward into my discipline I tried to make use  of all the different resins and create a perfect cast, although the perfect eludes me. Colour was an important factor of this project I was interested to see how colour effected the dynamics and desirability of the product and although the cheaper resins worked well the Bi Resin created a clean matte finish and vibrant colour which is more effective in this style of market. If I did this project again I would look into design shape for molding purposes to minimise air bubbles. Although I am very happy with my design outcomes there is always room for improvement when I take the project further in my own time.

light experiments

To further my models aesthetics and  developing my model for the consumer I thought about the idea of adding lights (LED) to my model this would make the model more eye catching and increase the fetishisation of the product.

Packaging vacuum forming

Vacuum forming the product was the most effective way to design the packaging, this way I was able to produce a clear sheet to reveal the backboard and also hold the product in two parts.
I used a stapler to attach the backboard to the plastic as this was the cleanest way to attach the two. If I had the money I would have put a hanging hole in the product and also curved the corners for aesthetic purposes.

Poster/backboard design

As in my design research I used simple shape to design my backboard using texture to develop a whithered look but using a transparent effect to enable me to keep the vibrant colour.
The shape of the arms and the flash of the fire are intentional as they will boarder and house the product and also draw the eye to it.

Toy Box research

 Toy design box ideas although I'm looking at vacuum forming my box I wanted to discuss box illustration ideas connecting to my artists research.

 All these designs have simple shape and colour designs they are all bright to attract the consumers eye and to compete with other toys on the market.

 In this case the colour of the object in the box is what leads the eye rather than the box as in other examples.

Inspiration for Poster/backboard

 Mikkel Sommer

I’m a large domain of single-celled, prokaryote microorganisms, who was born in 1987 in Copenhagen. Typically a few micrometres in length, I have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals, but mostly quite oblong. I’m ubiquitous in every habitat on Earth, growing in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, water, and deep in the Earth’s crust, but at the moment I reside in Berlin with my girlfriend. I also draw comics. 

Jack Teagle

I divide my time between painting, comics and zines, and commercial design and illustration work. I work from an old shipping container that I have converted into a studio on my parent’s farm in Cornwall. I collect action figures and old comics. I have to pile everything into boxes that are stacked everywhere.I’ve shown my paintings worldwide including San Francisco, Portland, Aberdeen, London, Porto, and Bristol.

 Stuart Kolakovic

I’m 25 and live in the Midlands; home to Black Sabbath and Industrial pollution. I find Illustration can be quite confining; having to adhere to quick turnarounds or very specific briefs. So I try to indulge myself as much as possible with other, more personal projects in my spare time.

http://www.nobrow.net/4347

3D Cast

Mt first successful casts of my model although they still have air bubbles in some places they turned out really well. The only way to get rid of the air bubbles will be to use milliput and then paint them. I like the design with the imperfection due to the fact that model is hand made and adds character. My next process is to develop some packaging this will allow me to connect the piece to my discipline 'Graphic Design' to tie in with the brief.

To do this I intend to :

• Develop a Poster for advertising 
• Design a Backboard  from the poster
• Mold the model in clear plastic

Casting process

 The silicon molding process allows multiple resin casts. Mixing the silicon to develop a two part mold. Allow a 24 hr drying period. (remember 10% hardener and butter to lubricate the two parts.)

Model for casting (prototype melvin)

 Developed shape using a multitude of tools to manipulate the sculpy polished edges using water. (always lie model down as the clay sweats when being baked)..

3D Design ideas

To get an idea of form I used Photoshop techniques to inflate my objects to get an impression of form in the character. Although I I will be interested to see how these images change in the 3D mold process.














I used the same technique to see if the head would work
as a 3D object.

Illustrator sketches

A simple design was needed to get a general idea of shape thinking about my sketches I had drawn for my first ideas. As my idea was based around a robot it was good to draw it in a block format.  










Using Adobe Illustrator I began to re-drawn my ideas concentrating with my ideas of a KAWAII feel as my design was to be a two part piece I wanted to design both the head and the body as I can use this as a colour sheet later.

 Adding colour to the design, using childish colours adds to the cute 'KAWAII' theme although I think block colour will be used in the final design enabling individual artistic freedom .

intial sketches

To start my design process it seemed important to play with shape as many of the toys designed for the market are made up of simple shapes. Using simple shapes means the molding process will be less complex resulting in a more concise final product.

Adding character to the product. These outline sketches enabled me to manipulate line to add emotion to hte piece also reusing techniques on the market eventually leading to my own developments of ideas.

Adding these ideas together has created some different ideas tying in with my proposal although I have not found my final design at this point. Further manipulation of shape are need hopefully to create a more simple design with a kawaii effect. Moving into Illustrator and designing with shape my help this process.

Intial moodboard

Looking at shape and colour to help design ideas. Clean round lines are trends I have found through research simple shape is important as the product needs to be held, touch will add to the aesthetics of the piece. A lot of ideas seem to be based on bulky imposing shapes alongside childlike use of colour achieving eye catching results. 

Proposal

My aim in this project is to design a resin toy for mass production the toy will be designed for a collector market. The product must suit the contemporary market as well as add new ideas to an already flooded arena. It is important to create character to the toy through packaging and background imagination, to create a desirability for the product achievable through research processes and process development. My initial ideas are to create a hybrid creature amalgamating animals to create an evolving mutant. Moreover the creature my have a Kawaii feel to co inside with the dynamics of the market today.