The Emotional Object Project
Overview:
One of the most important goals of successful packaging is to attract attention to the product by appealing to the consumers instincts on an emotional as well as informational level. Market researchers are constantly testing what shapes, colours and textures have the most impact on a consumer’s decision to choose a product. This message is picked up by the consumer even before any of the type on the package is read.
The assignment is to create an abstract object using a combination of colour(s), shape(s) and texture(s) that suggest a mood or feeling, e.g., joy, fear, anger, sadness, excitement, tranquility, claustrophobia, loneliness, love, nurturing, anxiety, anticipation, refreshment, heat, cold, etc. It should be placed in an outer container that helps to support this feeling. This outer container can be hard or soft; square, round, cylindrical, conical, tubular or pyramidal; clear, translucent or opaque. Consider how it does or does not reveal the object inside in order to further the experience. How does opening it affect the experience?
Object:
Object and Container:
Description:
The object above is targeted at evoking feelings of calmness, tranquility, introspection and honesty. The shape is a basic icosahedron made out of acrylic. The cool green and turquoise colours are strategically chosen to symbolise calmness and the iridescent pieces to create a magical introspective feeling. The plastic is translucent as a way of showing honesty and creating a multidimensional effect so that the user can look through the different faces of the object and see how light refracts differently at each angle. The texture is smooth and reflective so that light bounces of the surface to create an interesting play between colour and light. The viewer is encouraged to rotate the object to see how the light and colours change. The container is a transparent plastic box so that the viewer can get an unhindered view of the object, and it further emphasises the feeling of honesty. It has a flap on the top to allow the user to open it and take the object out. The juxtaposition between cube shape of the container as opposed to the icosahedron object establishes a highly geometric space where the viewer is given a chance to see how one shape interacts with the other. Another feature to this object is that the viewer can insert a tea light through one of the hollow spaces in object to allow reflections to spill onto the surrounding atmosphere of the object.
Process:
Conceptualising Sketches:
Maquette:
Trial:
I got the acrylic pieces laser cut, and the first time I tried assembling the piece with acrylic solvent weld, I used too much of it and damaged the surface. Hence I had to make it again with more care.
Final Object:
