Project Make | Hunt and Gather

Equipment

Computer/device with internet
Digital portfolio/workbook

Guiding questions

Think about these questions as you work your way through the lesson:

What inspires me personally?
Where should I go to find existing examples from NZ designers?
What is the difference between being inspired and copying something?
How much inspiration is enough?
What is my personal aesthetic - and is it appropriate for this brief?

Lesson content

Now it’s time to hunt and gather inspiration to challenge your thinking and expand your mind. We are suggesting three areas to focus on - BUT - the key to this stage is to collate as much ‘relevant goodness’ as possible. Anything that aligns and resonates with your project and your own thinking/aesthetic. So by all means, deviate from the list below!

Weird and wonderful storage examples: You're looking for the best (and most wild) examples from the world of storage design
Pasifika Style: How Pasifika creative heritage, objects, or cultural traditions could be presented and included in your design
Mass Produced vs Custom Made: Seeing how others approach similar projects will be great in broadening your approach. Do you like custom pieces or do you prefer uniformed mass produced items?

This stage is all about finding interesting 'stuff'. Try not to consciously filter too much; just keep it simple. If you like it, gather it.

Once you have a diverse range of imagery, of both storage examples and your own personal design style, you will be ready to 'unpack' what you have gathered and then come up with some of your own ideas.

Instructions

1
Weird + Wonderful Examples
Find examples of weird and wonderful storage using every possible material/shape/form. Evaluate each image in relation to what you could steal + what you should avoid. No two examples should look alike - you need to spend TIME selecting things that appeal to YOU.

Aim for a range of:
- Materials - traditional (wood, metal, plastic, etc.) through to different (wool, cardboard, bottles, recycled materials, etc.)
- Shape and form - curvy and organic, strange looking, traditional from specific cultures, geometric etc.
- Price point/cost - super cheap through to really expensive designer
- Manufacture - hand made, CNC, laser cut, 3D printed, injection molded, cast etc.
- Colour and texture - neutral and simple through to wild
If working digitally, paste your images into your portfolio and add the URL. If you're working by hand, you may want to do your hunting and gathering as an A3 Google Doc. If you're working by hand, don't forget to note where your images have come from.
Hollie's weird + wonderful examples
2
Pasifika Style
What does it mean to be a designer from Aotearoa? How does being an Island Nation influence our design ideas and outcomes? What do YOU think expresses Pasifika Style, and how does this connect to your own culture?

Use the following prompts to help you gather examples of what ‘Pasifika style' looks like:
Hollie's Pasifika style examples
3
Mass Produced VS Bespoke
What are the major differences between something that is designed for general purpose VS something that is for a custom job? Find at least 5 examples of storage solutions that are ‘mass-produced’ and 5 which are ‘bespoke’.

Compare and contrast your examples and add general notes.

Consider:
- Price
- Lifespan
- Materials
- Construction techniques
- Users
- Intended location
- How well it stores objects
- Style
- Durability
Summarise (in your opinion) what the MAIN differences between something that is mass-produced (shelving from Bunnings) and something that is bespoke (custom made to suit a specific person/environment).
Hollie's mass produced VS bespoke examples