Beginning Information: The product I decide to make for my partner in this assignment, Jaden, was an organized carrying bag for her spray paints. The needs that I had to address were for the bag to be inconspicuous, accessible, and easy to carry, even when climbing. It also needed to be able to carry a fair number of cans without being bulky.
Primary Design: My initial solution was to create a backpack with a specific design on the back. It would have a large slit/hole in the backing of it for the wearer to reach back and get cans without having to put the bag down and open the zipper. It would also have a keyring of sorts to keep the caps on for easy access. Netting would be put as well to ensure nothing would fall out, but could be zipped up away for later use.
1st Design
Primary Research: In terms of primary research, I noticed that Jaden likes to keep all of her belongings close to her and to keep her hands free of stuff. Her bags are almost always compact and she doesn’t keep anything that isn’t necessary. She also showed me the differentiation between spray paint caps and how the ability to have everything accessible was important.
Secondary Research: Currently, there are multitudes of backpacks out there for many different purposes. Of the ones made specifically out there for spray paint, there seems to be constant in terms of needing to lay the bag down on the ground. A customer complaint was that the cans rattled a lot and it was annoying to put them back in the sleeves. As for the materials, I chose nylon luggage-type of material, for its durability and water resistance.
THE FIVE “WHY” QUESTIONS
- Why do you paint? Because I like graffiti.
- Why do you like graffiti? Because it’s a different and unique art form.
- Why do you feel that it’s so unique? Because it goes against what society and people tell you is right or art.
- Why do you choose to go against what people tell you is right? Because I don’t see it that way.
- Why don’t you see it the same way? Because I see graffiti as as a way for people to have a voice and convey a message. It isn’t like advertisement; it’s not trying to sell you anything.
Secondary & Final Design: After asking these questions and receiving class feedback, I looked deeper into my design and decided to start over. I looked at bags that I had purchased myself and examined each one for their uses. My camera’s bag design had a few useful elements that I implemented into my own, such as the opening on the top and box-like shape. A suggestion that was made by classmates was to add a holding system for the cans to not rattle against each other. I then added a strap that can be worn across the body while painting, and can be easily worn as a backpack when traveling. There are pockets on the straps to store little items, such as caps, and there is a handle on the top to carry by hand. The inside has elastic lined pockets, holding the cans in place against the sides of the bag. There are velcro-attached foam dividers lined in between them, giving more storage space in the middle. The bag clasp closes using one clip buckle.
Size: 12 x 12 x 18 in.
Final Design
