Introduction to Design Studies

• What aspects of your chosen design will you pursue in your final paper?

One aspect I definitely want to focus on is the versatility of my object, the mason jar. How the simplicity of the design allows one to do so many different things to it and completely transform the object. Aside from just aesthetics, the utility of the object as well is almost undefined, even though its original purpose was for kitchen use to store food, the space in the container allows for the storage of almost anything. Another aspect I want to look into is the popularity, how did this banal jar become such a trend?

• How will you research your topic (i.e., what types of sources will you need to use to answer the questions you are asking)?

I’ll have to look into the art of simple design; the thought process behind that, and specifically the design of containers. I’ll definitely need to look into some sources that help me understand the point of view from a product designer perspective. Hopefully I’ll find some articles or interviews. I could look into the mason jar manufacturer specifically, the history of the company to get a timeline on when the mason jar became popular. I will also look into some DIY videos and blog posts, just to see how it all started and how creative people get with transforming the jar.

• One or two key questions?

I mentioned it above but I can state it again here.

How did this simple jar become such a trend?

What about the jar makes it smart product design? In what ways is the simplicity effective?

Was the design intended to be used for just one purpose?

The object I have decided to explore a mason jar. It is a molded glass jar specifically soda-lime glass originally created to store food. The lid is made out of stamped steel. There is a rubber ring at the back of the lid which creates that perfect seal.The bands are apparently reusable. They come in two sizes,2 ³⁄₈ in (60 mm) inner and 2 ³⁄₄ in (70 mm) outer diameter, and wide mouth, 3 in (76 mm) inner and3 ³⁄₈ in (86 mm) outer diameter. It is designed to have some “head space” between the food and the top of the jar. When you hold a mason jar you can feel the thickness of the glass, there is also an engraving of the producer who made the glass. The ring of the lid and the center part are two separate pieces, you can choose to just have the ring on and remove the center part if you would like to make the item inside the jar easily accessible.

I want to understand how such a normal everyday object got transformed for so many other usages. It’s almost more of an aesthetic appeal now-days. You can see mason jars being used as cups for beverages in so called “Hipster cafes” and its not even just coffee now, people use it as a holder for juices and smoothies and fruit-infused water. People also use it for other craft purposes, there are many DIY ideas with the mason jar such as painting and decorating your mason jars, using it to make/store cute gifts or as a vase for flowers or put fairy lights inside. The design of it is so simple it allows for all these creative measures to be taken. A jar thats original purpose was to simply store food in a household has been taken into the artistic field with not just crafty projects but for presenting aesthetically pleasing food and beverages.

Citations:

Image Credits: Nicky Corbishley All Rights Reserved Copyright 2011

Library of Congress. PreservedFood1. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

Says, Mae, Linda Says, Kareen Says, Su Says, Samantha Says Kurek, Lyndsay Says, Gloria Says Perez, and Katie Says. “Mason Jar Projects.” It All Started With Paint. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.