Blog Comments

Here are the blog I have commented on:

1. Camille Kordek: Project One, Hero Shot
2. Kirstie Cocokios: Experience Enrichment
3. Ping Song: Project 1
4. Luke Messina: Project 1, Experience Enrichment: The Water Wiper
5. Jackson Walker: Experience Enrichment, Storyboard

Technical Drawings - incognito

Rationale

Rationale

The ‘incognito’ is a ceramic grater intended to grate horseradish, ginger and/or other root vegetables. It can be used as a presentation centerpiece or on the bench top of any household kitchen. The design was inspired by the Japanese culture with its beautifully manicured 'Zen gardens' where a feeling of tranquility and calm fill the atmosphere. This sense of ease is what I attempted to recreate through the grater; through texture, colour and proportion the user feels a sense of peace and calm when using the tool.

My piece attempts to push the boundaries of how one interacts and views the grater in their everyday. ‘Incognito’ presents itself as though a piece of art, a sculptural item not intended for functional use. This idea encourages discussion and thoughts about what it does and its purpose. In turn, this forces the users to pick it up, feel the smoothness of the wood, the texture of the pebbles contours, run their hand over the ripples on the plinth and experience the coolness of the ceramic grater on its base. This curiosity and desire to learn makes for an enjoyable product.  Once its true purpose is discovered, a sense of accomplishment and understanding is gratifying for the user.

The ergonomic pebble shape, made from Yakka wood, makes the user feel comfortable as its smoothing texture enriches the user experience and enables them to pick up their root vegetable of choice and grate it. With its shape comfortably fitting the users hands, ensuring fingers are kept away from the grater, makes using this grater a pleasurable experience. The wooden plinth is made from Black Wood, a highly intricate and textural wood that further emphasizes the Japanese ‘Zen garden’ feel. Carved into the surface of the plinth are ripples radiating in the shape of the ceramic grater on the underside of the pebble. This tactile feature is a physical and emotional link to the Japanese garden theme while also adding an alternate dimension to a flat surface. Similarly, in Japanese design history, designers have used the cold rigidity of ceramic with the warmth and natural beauty in wood to make evocative and highly personal hand tools. This is an ideology that I believe makes the experience of using hand tools enriching in peoples lives. The ceramic grater comprises of small sharp triangular pyramids that when rubbed against the vegetable cause it to break apart into smaller pieces. Ceramic as a cooking material is food safe and easy to clean. Also, with the advancements in ceramic manufacturing technologies the blades rarely become blunt. This is a user benefit, as the grater would not need to be replaced for a long time., thus reducing waste and encouraging families to keep heirlooms. 

Product Poster storyboard

This is my storyboard... Hopefully it is clear how my grater works!

Hero Shot

Here is my hero shot for my 'incognito' grater.