Slight Rethink

After a chat with my tutors I’ve decided that rethinking the shape and design of the bin is the way to go. As I said in my last post, I wasn’t happy with it being such a literal translation of a post box – I was essentially going to make a mini wooden version of a post box.
So I’ve decided to make the overall shape of the object as simple as possible – I don’t want the design to become over complicated which I think it was becoming. The new shape will simply be a cylinder with the slot cut out.
One thing that really interested me that my tutors said was that the simple shape of a slot with a rectangle below displaying some sort of information instantly brings to mind a post box which kind of makes any other post box related elements of the design quite tacky and gimmicky.

Above are some sketches I’ve done playing with the idea of these two shapes instantly bringing to mind a post box. I was considering if changing the shape slightly from two standard rectangles but I think this would again just be over complicating things.

So the next big decision is what will be displayed in the rectangle below the slot? I’ve been considering a few things such as something which the user would be able to keep once they have filled the bin an disposed of it (what could this be?) or maybe simply a piece explaining the project and the concept behind it. I’ve not made any firm decisions yet but I will update when I have.

Mark 2 – Part 3

Today I’ve been clamping and cutting the base and top of the bin and joining it all together.

After this one of the technicians added that I should probably try and sand down some of the angles on the main body as they may catch whilst turning and gouge out chunks of wood.

So now that’s pretty much it ready to go onto the lathe and be turned.

However, I have been having some second thoughts on the overall design. I feel that having the domed top and wider base as well as the slot is taking inspiration too literally from a post box. It just feels a bit heavy handed and obvious so I’ve been doing some sketches and trying to rethink the design slightly.

I think keeping it as simple as possible is probably the way to go – the slot should be enough to evoke the idea of post box and communicate the same things. It may seem late in the day to be rethinking it but I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about my original plans and I’m glad I’ve decided this before I put it on the lathe!

Post box

I’ve decided that the final design for my food waste bin will take inspiration from post boxes. I feel that this is a good starting point as it’s something that pretty much everyone recognises. I feel it also quickly communicates the idea that you are allowed to put things in but not take them out – similar to my food waste bin.

The bin will still be made in the same style as my mark 1 prototype – using traditional woodworking techniques to give a sort of ‘beautifully crafted’ feel and look to the product. The bin will be sealed at both ends and have a slot near the top (similar to the post box slot) where plates can be scraped straight in. I like interaction that the user would have with this – semi inserting a plate and scraping their leftovers into the bin. I think this would again remind the user of the effort of producing the food since a meal would have just been cooked.

I’ve been doing some sketches and this is the sort of thing I’m thinking about. Trying to keep the form simple yet still communicate the post box idea as I feel adding too many details would detract from the crafted feel.