The Faux Shaux

During our first class, we were asked to criticize ourselves in the realm of a designer.  My answer was reduction.  I have a tendency to complicate my design process by interjecting new ideas.    Instead of working on perfecting the one feature, I move on to develop new features.

My challenge was to design something simple.

I designed a cup holder for the subway.  Not as a permanent addition.  As a small, carried item. I left them attached to poles for the duration of my commute to school. No one utilized one. It was 2 PM, so the number of carried beverages were significantly less. My new goal is to document strangers using the cupholders.

I originally sketched the design for a subway cup.  Said design included a telescoping body to flatten into concentric rings.  It also included a collapsable rail clip. I realized that it was not a simple object. It was simple in use but not in design.

I reinterpreted simple to apply to the ease at which it could be reproduced by another.

After speaking with Digital Noah & Angela Chen about my design, they both mentioned a similar project called “pop-up lunch.”