Envelope Holder Design Project
The Project:
The goal of this project was to design an aesthetically pleasing device that would hold ten business envelopes on a desktop. In addition, the only materials to be used were one metal coat hanger, hot glue, or another suitable adhesive, and masking tape. The criteria for the design was simple, the design had to hold ten business envelopes (both when it is sitting on the desk, and when it is picked up off of it) and the design has to be able to stand by itself
The design:
Initially, four designs were synthesized, each using a simple, continuous, bending technique. The first design would have held the envelopes loosely, and would not have been secure. The second design's major flaw was that it required more materials than were allowed. The third design was the most promising, but it's dimensions were larger than that of an envelope, and therefore would not have been a secure design. The fourth design (shown above) was selected because of it's functional ability and simple construction.
To construct this design, a wire hanger was broken down into one piece. The next step was to mark down the point of the bends taken from measurements off of the sketches. Then, using a pair of needle nose pliers and a vice to hold the wire in place, the two ends of the device were bended first. The main arc was carefully bended to form a half-circle between the two end-structures. Finally, a wax coating was removed from the outside of the wire, which had been an ugly green-yellow color, in favor of the plain silver metal underneath.
The results:
The design met all criteria exactly; the design stood by itself and worked both on a desktop and when it was picked up. The Grading process for the aesthetic portion of the grade was based on a vote from members of other classes. The other students simply chose which ever project they thought looked the best. This design received one vote, however, this placed it as the 5th most aesthetically pleasing design and 37 points out of a possible 45 were earned. The total grade for the project was 91 points out of 100.
Experience, What was learned:
One of the lessons learned was that a simple design has its place, although the more recognizable designs (for example: the ones shaped like brand logos) will typically come out on top in a popularity contest. Another lesson was that the right knowledge of tools can greatly assist in the construction of the design. Needle nose pliers were used to bend the shape, while a vise was used to hold it in place, before, I would have bent it entirely by hand, which would have taken a greater amount of time and results that were not as good.
The goal of this project was to design an aesthetically pleasing device that would hold ten business envelopes on a desktop. In addition, the only materials to be used were one metal coat hanger, hot glue, or another suitable adhesive, and masking tape. The criteria for the design was simple, the design had to hold ten business envelopes (both when it is sitting on the desk, and when it is picked up off of it) and the design has to be able to stand by itself
The design:
Initially, four designs were synthesized, each using a simple, continuous, bending technique. The first design would have held the envelopes loosely, and would not have been secure. The second design's major flaw was that it required more materials than were allowed. The third design was the most promising, but it's dimensions were larger than that of an envelope, and therefore would not have been a secure design. The fourth design (shown above) was selected because of it's functional ability and simple construction.
To construct this design, a wire hanger was broken down into one piece. The next step was to mark down the point of the bends taken from measurements off of the sketches. Then, using a pair of needle nose pliers and a vice to hold the wire in place, the two ends of the device were bended first. The main arc was carefully bended to form a half-circle between the two end-structures. Finally, a wax coating was removed from the outside of the wire, which had been an ugly green-yellow color, in favor of the plain silver metal underneath.
The results:
The design met all criteria exactly; the design stood by itself and worked both on a desktop and when it was picked up. The Grading process for the aesthetic portion of the grade was based on a vote from members of other classes. The other students simply chose which ever project they thought looked the best. This design received one vote, however, this placed it as the 5th most aesthetically pleasing design and 37 points out of a possible 45 were earned. The total grade for the project was 91 points out of 100.
Experience, What was learned:
One of the lessons learned was that a simple design has its place, although the more recognizable designs (for example: the ones shaped like brand logos) will typically come out on top in a popularity contest. Another lesson was that the right knowledge of tools can greatly assist in the construction of the design. Needle nose pliers were used to bend the shape, while a vise was used to hold it in place, before, I would have bent it entirely by hand, which would have taken a greater amount of time and results that were not as good.