å September 2015

My Experience 

Overall I was a bit challenged by this project, but in a positive way. I’ve never really done thumbnails before, I’m still new to my graphic design learning, I have found I enjoy creating them. This activity has helped me exercise my brain in a different way creatively. When I’m creating a concept in photography I have to center in on one main concept and elaborate off of it. I was not used to having to create multiple different ideas at once. Again, I saw this as a learning activity and I warmed up to this assignment. It was nice to work with a group with the mind maps and seeing how everyone else thinks and processes information. All in all, I liked the challenge this assignment imposed on me, but I still need much more practice.

Mind Map

25 Possible Pairings

1. Rib +Vault
2. Horse + Faucet
3. Teeth + Armor
4. Trampoline + Alley
5. Fork + Anchor
6. Princess + Shampoo
7. UFO + Oil
8. Band Aid + Spatula
9. Computer + Cannon
10. Homework + Shield
11. Agriculture + Gun
12. Candy + Cart
13. Snake + Hula Hoop
14. Target + Fan
15. Chastity Belt + Suitcase
16. Lace + Cigarettes
17. Poison + Chalk
18. Toilet + Boat
19. Sleigh + Jelly
20. Feather + Hook
21. Meat + Desk
22. Sailor + Strap
23. Backpack + Tent
24. Mitten + Phone
25. Wild West + Skateboard

10 Choices

1. Anchor + Fork- I found these similar in ways, both have prongs and are used to dig into certain things. Forks ground themselves in food and anchors ground themselves in the ground of a body of water.
2. UFO + Oil- It has an almost whimsical tone to it. It makes one wonder what could be used as fuel for UFOs or what aliens possibly use to cook!
3. Snake + Hula Hoop- I just thought of a snake eating itself and creating a hula hoop. I thought of a dream where I had where I had a hula hoop turn into a snake, it was terrifying, but really interesting.
4. Target + Fan- Just think of trying to hit a bulls eye if it was on the blade of a fan or on the center of a windmill.
5. Agriculture + Gun- I though of how political these two could go together. I took a comedic look into the pairing. I though it would be funny having a pineapple coming out of a pistol or say a piece of broccoli being used in a bow for archery.
6. Homework + Shield- College students everywhere would be looking for a homework shield if it was only an actual tool.
7. Princess Shampoo- What exactly does Rapunzel use that makes her hair so strong and long? Princess shampoo would fly off the shelves and would be an excellent tool used, we wouldn’t ever need rope!
8. Candy + Cart – It would come in handy having a personal cart for candy. Perhaps if candy was personified, I see a lollipop using a cart for shopping.
9. Chastity Belt Suitcase- It sounded bizarre and I wanted to see what I could make with this pairing.
10. Mitten + Phone – Both require hands, and both seem to do very opposite jobs. I wanted to see if I could find a connection between the two.

Thumbnails

UFO + Oil

Agriculture + Gun

Homework + Shield

Princess + Shampoo

Snake + Hula Hoop

In the Tool Montage assignment, my group and I worked on finding forced connections with our listed tools. Mapping out the tools was enjoyable at times and it was fun to think about our crazy inventions!  This activity showed me how mapping works and how effective this technique can be in creating designs and projects.

Screwdriver + Wrench

Banana + Wrench

Hammer + Nail

Saw + Scissors

Interesting Combinations:

1. Tire + Mirrors- When you’re driving you can have a closer view on the road to help you see better.
2. Banana + Wrench- So you can hide your wrench in the banana to carry it on you at all times without people knowing.
3. Rubber + Wrench- You can drop the wrench without making a loud banging noise, and to comfort your hand more while using.
4. Water bottle + Hammer- Ever get thirsty while hammering? this invention will be a convenient way to hammer and hydrate all in one.
5. Wood + Nail- Metal nails are dangerous and can hurt bad, but if you had a wood nail it would be less dangerous and also the wood is a more stylish look to have. Also, if nailing into wood, it will look seamless, without having a metal grey colored nail stand out against the wood.
6. Wall + Branches- This is a stylish way of hanging your clothes or anything from. The branches would be coming out of the wall, giving you plenty of storage in your room or house.
7. Hammer + Screwdriver- This invention would be beneficial by combining two of the most commonly used tools together. being able to hammer and screw all in one will speed up the process of many projects using hammers and screwdrivers.
8. Fur + Toolbox- This will give your toolbox a fancy look, but also it will keeps your tools from moving around a lot and help avoid making a mess in your toolbox.
9. Monkey + Pliers- This invention will give monkeys an easier way to crack open that banana or any food they will have trouble opening.
10. Tree + Tires- This invention will be made with trees and leaves. It is much better for the environment and will provide an interesting new look for your car.

This project was interesting to me due to the fact that I have never done anything like it before. I enjoyed the “forced connections” because it is challenging in the sense that it doesn’t seem right and is difficult to do. I enjoyed this new way of thinking about one word and all of the possibilities it has. I feel as though my group worked very well together and managed to really make do and get it done. The only problem I had was following the directions; they at times seemed a little wish-washy and a bit hard to understand.

Thumbnails                                                                                   

Mind map

Forced Products

This assignment  I found to be enjoyable, I love using my imagination to create. This assignment allowed my to stretch my mind and come up with strange and unusual objects. I found it to be very relaxing, although it took a lot of work to figure what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to pair them together. I found it so interesting how we would start with one simple word “tool” and then we would end up on a complete other topic. This assignment was a great way to make the brain think.
Mind Map

25 Possible Combinations

1. Cardboard + House
2. Knife + Fork
3. Crayon + Marker
4. Bowl + Straw
5. Night + Sunglasses
6. Tooth Brush + Tooth Paste
7. Drill + Light
8. Spatula+ Fork
9. Brush + Paint
10. Wire + Fork
11. Camera + Lock
12. Light + Piano
13. Glove + Ball
14. Cellphone + Printer
15. Hammer + Screwdriver
16. Electricity + Pen
17. Leaf + Cup
18. Ice Cream + Eggs
19. Pills + Plants
20. Gas + Sneakers
21. Candy + Baseball Bat
22. Flashlight + Baseball Bat
23. Sink + Shapes
24. Toy + Building
25. Bowl + ShapeTop Ten

Cardboard House-This is a project I think could be fun to do for the homeless, this wouldn’t just be any ordinary cardboard box, it would be a place someone could call home.
Crayon Marker-It’s a double whammy, what is better than that.
Night Sunglasses-These would be night vision sunglasses, for people who want to wear sunglasses at night.
Tooth Brush and Tooth Paste-For people who are on the go.
Drill + Light-So workers can work in the light!
Brush + Paint-I just think this would be a cool new way to paint
Glove + Ball-So people can play catch by themselves
Cellphone + Printer-A convenient way to print right from your phone.
Leaf + Cup– a cup from nature
Flashlight + Bat– A way to protect yourself.

Thumbnails

For some reason they aren’t showing up when I click Add Media, but they are in my photos folder

Overall, this project was pretty fun. Though there were instances where my mind was drawing blanks and had to walk away for a few minutes, I enjoyed coming up with different ways to combine the two different tools.

Mind map

25 Pairings
car + watch
book + ladder
axe + zipper
paintbrush + pencil
bucket + axe
saw + rake
pliers + scale
razor + toothbrush
needle + gun
scale + needle
hair dryer + car
pencil + jackhammer
hammer + knife
shoe + ruler
tweezers + wrench
lightbulb + toothbrush
chair + hair dryer
chair + airplane
gun + screwdriver
scissors + needle
teeth + shovel
hand + teeth
computer + ruler
camera + pizza cutter
net + hanger

10 Pairings
book + ladder…………. I call it a metaphor for learning. Yeah, thats it.
paintbrush + pencil…. Who doesn’t want a paintbrush and pencil in one? Sold.
saw +rake……………. For when you’re trying to rake the leaves but there’s a pesky log in the way.
needle + gun……….. Because children don’t sit still to get their shots, doctors get target practice.
scale + needle………….. For weighing out the dosage.
pencil + jackhammer… When you have nothing else to do but scribble violently on everything.
hammer + knife……….. A pretty dangerous tool. Operate with caution.
chair + hairdryer……… Because no one wants to take the time to dry their own hair. Just sit.
scissors + needle…… In case you need to cut the packaging off of your meds, just grab one tool.
net + hanger……………. Your clothes will never fall on the floor again. The net catches everything.

Thumbnails

Review

Upon entering this project, I was skeptical as to how it was going to go. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this assignment was quite enjoyable. I have never heard of “forced connections” before, but it was fun to explore the endless possibilities. It is a different way to discover potentially innovative ideas that may not be able to be approached any other way than these “forced connections.” I am excited to possibly use this technique in future design projects, because not only is this a fantastic way to brainstorm, but I feel as though it is a great way to set myself away from the rest.

Mind Map

The following is a list of my 25 combinations, items in bold were used in the final product:

Hammer Folder – This could be useful for someone who wants to keep nails with their hammer.

Screw Driver Drill

Marker Chalk

Pencil Laces

Fire Hydrant Hose – A fire hydrant with a built in hose for convenience.

Paper Clip Keys

String Ruler – Very portable; easy to use.

Paint Brush Cup

Lawn Mower Scissors

Dust Pan Broom

Garbage Can Hooks

Wheelchair Crutches – Diverse use of both options for the walking impaired.

Toilet Phone – In case your handset is out of reach and you have to make your business call!

Headphone Earmuffs – Keep warm, and entertained!

Spoon Knife – Sometimes it’s a lot of work to grab another utensil, cut and eat any tough meat with one hand stroke.

Tissue Laces – Be prepared for any messy situation with these laces.

Wire Railings

Marker Ruler

Lawnmower Broom

Screwdriver Fork

Toilet Keys

Paper Clip Hose

Drill Knife – Sometimes its hard to cut the toughest meat, this heavy duty tool will help.

Wheelchair Lawnmower – Now even the handicapped can keep up with their yard work.

These are 3 of my favorite specimen:

Toilet Phone

Wheelchair Lawnmower

Hammer Folder

This project in general pushed my creative process. It required me to take ideas that I already had and combine them with other ideas. This would be a very time consuming project but all of the different things that need to be done where not individually time consuming. So spacing it out helped a lot. I’m a big fan of the mind map idea, I thought it was really great at just getting all of the ideas I had out. Then combing them wasn’t too hard. When I first went into this project I was thinking more about the images of these combined tools then actual concepts behind them. this gave me some weird ideas but not really practical ones

trumpet + legs – I feel like these can both be objects that in my mind relate but in all reality they don’t.
money + sail- one day people will be soo rich that they will just use there money as sails
pillow + nail- these two tools have almost nothing to do with one another
guns + stickers- I really like juxtaposition and i feel like these two things do just that.
wood + Skirt
mold + car
diamond + spoon- this is a combination of the every day with the rarely seen
waste + leaves
robot + queen
blood + hand
moon + lighter
land +boats
bull + saw
ring +ball
squid +knife
paradise + monster
hammer + chair – I liked this one because I thought about how often I step on nails and no i can hammer them in while sitting
beach + hospital
weights + cow- I am obsessed with bro culture and I think muscle milk is confusing
prom + apple
bulb + meth- I really like both of these images aesthetically
cyber + stars
room + balloons
pen + bus- both of these things are filled with either ink or people
table + backpack- I would really love a table that is also a backpack

This was certainly an interesting assignment. The best part was coming up with the pairs. It was liberating knowing that what I was doing didn’t have to make sense. Whatever was interesting to me was what I could use to come up with my pairs. I felt as though I were an inventor trying to come up with some new product or idea. After all creation is graphic design.

Mind Map

Our group rotated maps after we made an addition to keep new ideas in constant flow.

Pairs

Heres why I chose the 10 I did.

1 – Candle wax and jam have similar textures that I thought would be interesting to combine together.

2 – Cotton and brain can both be soft and mushy, why not combine them?

3 – College slavery seems to be something we can all relate to, are we learning to think for ourselves here?

4 – A plantation that harvests party paraphernalia seems like something everyone would be a fan of.

5 – Laptop and snowboard needed to go together that way you can surf the web while you surf the snow.

6 – People seem to ‘carry’ lots of debt lately so why not do it in style with a jacket.

7 – Poor and ant seem pretty far from each other so why not span the gap some how.

8 – Bug beer sounds pretty gross but there must be a clever way to make it appealing.

9 – Fence guitars have to go together that way you can play as you go for a stroll.

10 – Speakers with water that moves to the music exist so why not build one that you can drink from?

Thumbnails

Response
I enjoyed collaborating with my group (Neula & Gabby) on the tool montage project. It was interesting to see the different directions our thoughts would go in when we created the mind maps because some of my partners thoughts and ideas were things that I would never have thought of. As we each took turns creating thumbnails for our pairings it was interesting to see what they came up with for an image and it was fun testing my creativity when it was my turn to create an thumbnail.

Mind Map

25 Tool Combinations & 10 Choices

Thumbnail Examples