Traffic Cream & Sugar
Inspired from the observations of habits in everyday life, these objects allow the user to be playful and creative on the tabletop. The form signaling a reference to traffic cones, the half & half packets assure some playfulness action to be taken on the tabletop. The sugar packets are in appearance referencing sandbags to go along with the traffic cones.
JURY COMMENTS
Traffic Cream & Sugar
1. The Nutshell: In plain language, tell us what your project is, what it does, and what it’s comprised of.Inspired from the observations of habits in everyday life, these objects allow the user to be playful and creative on the tabletop. The form signaling a reference to traffic cones, the half & half packets assure some playfulness action to be taken on the tabletop. The sugar packets are in appearance referencing sandbags to go along with the traffic cones.2. The Brief: Summarize the problem you set out to solve. What was the context for the project, and what was the challenge posed to you? What makes adults different from children? What actions must we take to be considered an adult? Are there things we feel missing in our life because of it? The context of this project was to create objects that subtly pull out the hidden playfulness as such from within adults in an everyday scene, and to provide an environment where one can experience a subtle sense of childhood creativity through the interaction with everyday objects. The challenge was to understand what is considered permissible, and what is not - the balance between playful behaviors and bad manners. 3. The Intent: What point of view did you bring to the project, and were there additional criteria that you added to the brief?There are many actions one takes that are unconscious and yet end up leaving a unique result to others. Most often these actions are known as a habits, and they are personal rituals since childhood. I attempted to take a fun approach to be found within habits.4. The Process: Describe the rigor that informed your project. (Research, ethnography, subject matter experts, materials exploration, technology, iteration, testing, etc., as applicable.) What stakeholder interests did you consider? (Audience, business, organization, labor, manufacturing, distribution, etc., as applicable) A thorough observation and research on habits were taken, then habits that seemed to be better suited as a material for the concept were selected. Investigation on color and scale were performed as well. Mockups were set on tables for people to test, and the bright colors in contrast to the regular packaging (often white) seemed to catch the eye more, bringing the visual attention downwards to the table top. 5. The Value: How does your project earn its keep in the world? What is its value? What is its impact? (Social, educational, economic, paradigm-shifting, sustainable, environmental, cultural, gladdening, etc.)No matter how one may try to live life at a slower pace, in reality we are constantly running out of time. One who designs for the everyday life may choose whether to force a proposal to change the lifestyles of the users, or either to find a possibility for development within the existing lifestyle. The traffic crèmes and sandbag sugar packets suggest the latter- to take existing situations and slipping them into a playful environment.
Whimsical