Food For Thought Project.
(Glass
Holder & Cheese Board Serving Board Theme)
This project was an interesting
process as I began with a wide range of ideas of Tableware meanings. The first thing I researched was the meaning
of table, time period of tableware, different cultures serving settings, why we
use tableware and compiled a list of products to do with tableware before narrowing
it down to one or two products. I responded to the project by researching
target audience, type of product functions. I then produced a mind map of first
thoughts and ideas, themes, functions and shapes.
After one of the morning lectures
I discovered a product designer called Normal Copenhagen which I found
extremely inspiring. The glasses he designed showed innovation as the balance,
function and shape were magnificent and the way the liquid was held in the
glass helped me to explode ideas of shapes of glasses onto the paper. I looked
for Secondary Research via Instagram and found some amazing ridged heavy
organic products from Jeff Mack Designs which showed the simplicity of the design
and the Hard Woods defined all the detail with the grain rather than designing
the detail for the product. For my Primary Research I went to Red Brick Mills
which is in Batley and found a number of tableware products, for example the
most functional useable product was the Wine Bottle Holder as it showed space
saver as the structure of the shape was fantastic and showed the function
instantly. It was produced from a metal material spray painted red and it could
hold x9 wine bottles.
Wine Bottle Holders From Scrap Wood from Other Products.
I researched the audience 1% rich
and this created an idea of a serving board product and I found on Instagram
some serving board designs by Contemporary Eco Wood, for example the Wine Glass
Serving Board, Cheese Serving Boards in different hardwoods showing different
ways of serving. This research re-expanded my ideas into a broad way of
thinking. I then had an induction on the Router Tool in the Wood Work Shop and
this created a whole new set of drawings and ideas around the serving boards
including glasses and different functions, for example cheese is eaten with
wine. I had taken one of my ideas from the drawing page which was the Coiled
Cheese Board added different dimensions including making a model out of
cardboard. I then drew perspectives drawings and wrote notes before entering
the Wood Work Shop and making the product out of Hard Wood such as Re-Claimed
Pitch Pine Wood as it is helping the environment as I am re-using material. The
feedback during the tutorials was not all positive as one person said the
Champagne Glass Holder for serving at events “won’t the glasses just slide out
and fall?” The solution to this was to drill a 30mm hole for the glasses to sit
in with a 10mm grove for the glass to slide out. After testing it was proved
the glass would not fall out as the movement action requires lifting and
sliding. A second person said “why is the wood going to be so thick?” It made
me realise the product needs to be light and easy to carry so I changed the
thickness to 12mm rather than keeping it at 35-40mm.
I had chosen the Wood Work Shop
as the ideas and drawings were more suited to a traditional material rather
than any other materials such as man-made glass or plastic and at the start of
the project I researched what type of materials tableware is normally made out.
The second choice was metal because I thought
metal and wood would complement each other in a design as it would show
different textures and tones. A problem was that the induction did not have
anything to do with tableware as it was about making jewellery and wasn’t showing
any type of techniques or processes to help in making tableware.
During the project I had to carry
out a more extensive research on finishing for wood as some oils, waxes and
vanishes where poisonous towards food and my product was a Glass Holder and
Cheese Serving Board theme. I came to the conclusion of Beewax was best for
my product as it is food safe unlike Teak Oil. As the project processed my
developments between each prototype became a small change and all the designs
started to link and flow together as each product showed a development of
different ways of serving glasses, for example the un-sharp rectangular serving
boards that sit on the table. .jpg)
During the project I looked at
the glasses dimensions and sketched designs which then brought me to the stand-up
serving board for events. I drew all different perspective angles of glass
serving boards followed by multi-functional cheese boards and glass holders for
my final 3 dimensional functional product. The developments were carried
throughout the project as different types of wood were used such as Walnut and
Re-Claimed Pitch Pine Wood and finally showing natural rough and finished wood
together. Thick and thin wood was layered together to show stability and
structure and together creating depth and giving a different perspective. I
looked at all different types of glasses like champagne, cocktail and wine
Glasses. Maquettes helped me to understand the sizes of the product I was going
to make and also the design was expanded and new ideas were added as I then
made other models out of different materials, for example MDF and Plywood which
showed a small change between each other, for example the Wine Glass Cheese Board
design gave a masculine effect until adding the curves into the design making
it a much more feminine smooth design idea.
I am very happy with the project
I had chosen as it was within my interest, skills and I enjoy working with
wood. I believe I achieved everything in this project as my sketch book flows
and had a theme of Glasses and Cheese Serving Boards.
One of my key successes was the
Event Champagne Glass Holder as it functions to perfection and is a simple
design which could be mass produced in the future. I could have looked at more
Primary Research by visiting shops which sell serving boards and feel I could
have organised my time better during the whole length of the project. I have
advanced my knowledge on finishes for woods. I have learned that sketching
ideas on a piece of paper is very important as it allows to explain what you
are thinking and shows how you have developed your ideas from an initial
thought into a potential final functional product. The most important lesson I
have learned is to not jump head first into an idea and just make it, think
design, problem solve and develop! 
By Samuel Ellis
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