Overall I am happy with the design proposal we have created. Though I probably would have developed a system solution and not necessarily an object solution I am still pleased with what we have come up with. I think the ‘Boxshelf’ if made for purchase would definitely not be painted with water based acrylic paint. A glossy hard coating such as a tupuc polyurethane finish would make the shelving much more appealing and have the ‘Ikea’ compact storage unit appeal which I think would provide a much more profitable outcome.
The shelving unit as an idea is good too, though I found a few problems with it, when analysing from a more practical perspective. Using a very fragile material, in a sense, in polystyrene, to hold items that can quite often be fairly rigid and heavy seems a little difficult. The polystyrene can break down easily and one scrape of its edge would most likely cause some of it to break apart which i’m sure would not be desirable for consumers. The recommended finish would keep the object protected although what may need to happen is if you put a white painted tupuc polyurethane finish on the insides of the box it will be held together.
The advantageous aspect of the ‘Boxshelf’ is, besides the sustainable and waste management features, it’s flexibility. The shelving unit is able to be changed and mixed around to the owners discretion. The consumer can even take some boxes away if necessary so the Boxshelf can be for everyone, as it can fit in basically any interior.
Over the process of developing the Boxshelf, visual maps and other waste solutions, I believe our group worked exceptionally well together. Even at times where some students abilities were needed more then others. As well as being in charge of the wiki site I was also able to work well with all the members of the group at all times during the process. I felt really comfortable to communicate with all the students and I think we were all willing and happy to work as a collective which is of major importance in group tasks. When working on the visual maps I felt as if I was still included as I was developing the look and ideas and then the viscom students (Rainie and Queena) were able to put these ideas down and actually produce some really effective visuals. I helped with the wording of many parts of the assignment and made sure everything flowed together smoothly as I felt this was one of my strengths I could provide to the group. Our group worked well both as a collection of individuals and as a collective. At times we had individual tasks however we still would be talking and working well together. When Rainie and Queena were developing the revised visual map and poster template, Courtney and myself were able to paint the boxes and Vanessa was able to make the acrylic clips (which unfortunately I was unable to help her with because I wasn’t allowed in the room). Even when we were painting I still stopped many times to see if Rainie and Queena were fine and sometimes they would ask questions and we would then converse and create what we wanted. Courtney and I also then went home and worked on the business solution visuals used in the template and sent those to the viscom girls to tweak and apply to the template. We were able to work well both together at uni or separately at home and at no point in the whole eight weeks were there fights or arguments and I’m exceptionally happy with both the positive group dynamic and the final waste solution product.
