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For this project, we were tasked to create a tool that would allow the user to reconnect with nature while also encompassing the idea of “Found Object”. At first, I thought about what nature meant to me and to those around me. I started the project by having narrow-minded thinking. This proved to be disadvantageous at the beginning because I did not see many different ideas which could have proved useful at that stage or later on in the development. I dismissed any weird ideas and failed to write them down.

I later researched a designer, Sebastian ErraZuriz. After watching his TED talk and looking at his work, it inspired me to think in a broader way. It gave me an idea. Instead of making a product which brings nature to the user or brings the user to nature, I wanted to make a product in which the user brings nature with them.

I started to look into my city life, my experience with nature and the fact that both cities in which I lived in have a lack of nature in my opinion. I started having ideas for the project and finally felt motivated after a week of unmotivation.

After looking at another designer, Lalique and looking at my artefact I finally got an idea which I liked and decided to expand on it. Throughout the development of my necklace, I asked some of my peers and my flatmate for opinions and pieces of advice as they provided great insight into how my final product would look.

Around half-way through the project, I had to decide which type of product it would be, whether it would be a mass manufactured product, a one-off, a small business making it. I decided to go with the idea that the product is sold online by small companies on websites such as Etsy as that fits the manufacture of the product best and the target market since the product has a niche market.

With that in mind, I tasked myself to create a logo and a brand name for the company which would sell my product. I spent relatively a lot of time on the logo design as I believed it would be a focal point in the product. I had the idea of making to logo affect the way the instruction booklet looked liked by using the same colour scheme, thus it was, in my opinion, an important part of the project.

I first tried to find a suitable name for my fictitious company, I brainstormed 27 different names then chose the one which was most popular using a survey in the class. I then looked at different colour schemes which could look nice and chose one which I like and believed would look the nicest. After that I looked at different fonts ans sketched multiple logos ideas.

I then made my logos on InDesign and Illustrator and made multiple drafts of them until I found one which I liked more than the others.

I then made the instruction booklet following the same colour scheme as the logo as it would look nice and would integrate my project together.

I then made a display for the model,  I wanted my table on the day to look minimalistic and easy to look at. With that clear idea in mind, I then sketched and made the necklace stand using second-hand wood from the workshop and the bins. I then made a box using the same scraps of woods on which the instruction booklet would be taped unto. I then got given the idea by one of my classmates (Robert Harper) to make a wax seal on the box to tie the end of the tape. I thought it was a great idea and proceeded to do it.

Overall I am very happy how my project turned out. I feel like the product works successfully at integrating the “Found Object” idea. I also believe that it works well as a tool to reconnect it’s user to nature as the user can remind themselves of nature when at work or at home. I do though feel like some aspect of the work could have been done better such as the instruction booklet in my opinion was done to hastily. The 100 words descrbing my items are riddled with gramatical errors and the box was not done entirelly as I wanted it wo as I did not have time to apply wax to it.

To conclude, I am happy with the work I have and I did more than I anticipated but I could have improved on some aspects.