5 Tool Post

The Process
I found working on this project to be an experience of free thinking. It was hard not to criticize my own forced connections when it was important to just have fun with it. My group certainly was able to open their minds and collaborate on this madness. The minds maps were absolutely necessary for this process to unfold and I can see myself using them whenever I may have difficulty freeing my thoughts.

Mind Map

25 Combination Possibilities

1. Football + Remote
   
2. Money +Pipe
3. Razor + Farm
4. Toolbox + Cat
5. Moon + Pipe
6. Galaxy + Rust
7. Laundry + Belt
8. Button + Grill
9. Guitar + Bacon
10. Bird + Locker
11. Money + Book
12. Sheep + Pixel
13. Crash + Guitar
14. Car + Galaxy
15. Pig + Television
16. Bacon + Cave
17. Zombie + Dice
18. Burger + Bolt
19. Card + Pipe
20. Mosquito + Scissors
21. Dice + Motor
22. School + Box
23. Moon + Rust
24. Amplifier + Pig
25. Zombie + Guitar

Ten Chosen Combinations

1. Moon + Pipe: Here I first thought of an old crescent moon with a sherlock pipe.
2. Razor + Farm: Corn rows of your everyday body razor and a farmer to tend his metal crop.
3. Button + Grill: I pictured the button as the grill top as well as the buttons being patties on the grill.
4. Guitar + Bacon: I thought of replacing the neck of the guitar with sweet bacon, Hendrix playing with his teeth makes so much more sense now.
5. Money+ Book: I saw a phonebook full of money, who doesn’t want that?
6. Sheep + Pixel: Pretty much kept with a pixelized sheep, however my original idea was a sheep with pixel fur.
7. Zombie + Dice: A couple oozing, rotting dice or simply bones with teeth gnawing at them.
8. Burger + Bolt: I pictured a burger as the cloud with lightning shooting down.
9. Mosquito + Scissors: This one was my favorite; a pair of scissors with little eyes and legs to resemble a mosquito.
10. Pig + Amplifier: A pig with the body of an amp and the tail as the guitar jack.

Favorite Thumbnails

• Mosquito Scissors
• Sheep Pixel
• Button Grill

“Tool Montage”

This process of combining various tools into pairs was rather difficult, trying to create ones that would be easily followed and understood by my peers was challenging not only in the planning process but also through the creation of the thumbnails. Overall however I think the process was rather enlightening in terms of the graphic design process, due to the fact that we were all forced to create images and Ideas that had to be clear and legible.

MIND MAP

25 Pairings.

1. Brush – Keys
2. Flashlight – pen
3. Hammer – Bat
4. Baseball glove – Glasses
5. Pencil – Saw
6. Toilet – Lawnmower
7. Rope- Pen
8. Pots – Knife
9. Spatula – Nails
10. Mouse – Can opener
11. Printer – Toilet paper
12. Gas Pump – Tv
13. Level – Fork
14. Sledge Hammer – Spoon
15. Cell phone – Hand
16. Thumb – Teeth
17. Hammer – Screwdriver
18. Drill – Tooth Brush
19. Toolbox – Computer
20. Toilet – Speakers
21. Chain – Floss
22. Hand – Tape
23. Umbrella – Hammer
24. Can opener – Paint brush
25. Tooth brush – Spatula

top left: Toilet – Lawnmower

Overall Experience
The “Tool Montage” project was definitely a challenge and very time consuming.  Working in a group helped with the mind maps because it would have taken me a lot longer to come up with ideas. Everybody in the group had lots of great ideas and they allowed me to come up with unique object pairings.

Mind Map

25 Pairings

1. Card + Bub
2. Wings + Keys
3. Can + Clown
4. Sword + Ruler
5. Envelope + Lock
6. Shovel + Tree
7. Teeth + Door
8. Stairs + Hair
9. Worm + Shoe
10. Door + Teeth
11. Shower + Flower
12. Tree + Hands
13. Fish + Candy
14. Snake+ Stethoscope
15. Window + Candy
16. Spatula + Drill
17. Fish + Nest
18. Fork + Keys
19. Tracks + Apple
20. Pencil + Scissors
21. Leaf + Key
22. Propeller + Bug
23. Chain + Whip
24. Trunk + Planet
25. Wing+ Compass

10 Choices

1. Shovel + Tree- I pictured the shovel as being the trunk of the tree and the top of the shovel is the tree.
2. Worm + Shoe- The worms could replace shoes laces.
3. Door + Teeth- The doors could be the braces on the teeth.
4. Tree + Hands- The branches of the trees remind me of human hands reaching towards the sun.
5. Wings + Keys- Giving the keys different form of wings makes them look a little like interesting bugs.
6. Snake + Stethoscope- The tubing of the stethoscope would be the snakes body.
7. Spatula + Drill- Instead of having a drill bit I would put a spatula in its place.
8. Window + Candy- I pictured the architectural details of the window are replaced with candy such as candy cane.
9. Shower + Flower- The flower would be the shower head or the flowers would be the shower head.
10. Apple+ Tracks- I pictured the apple to be the tunnel where train track come out and than wrap around the apple.

Thumbnails 

Snake + Stethoscope

Tree + Hands

Shower + Flower

Tool Montage Thoughts

I had a good time working on the mind map with my groupmates. It was a lot of fun just seeing where certain words would lead us down and just seeing the interesting connections everybody would come up with. My favorite part was easily just doodling little models of the inventions and trying to decide what they’d look like.

Mind Map

All Combinations

Thermometer + Knife

Eyepatch + Telescope

UFO + Teapot

Toilet + Throne

Backpack + Toaster

Boots + Board

Bottle Hoop

Puzzle + Plate

Belt + Fan

Desk + Pool

Lion + Stapler

GPS + map

Fork + Tree

Toilet + Train

Motor + Shopping Cart

Ointment + Jeans

Camera + Gun

Braces + antenna

Banana + Bed

Tongue + Sword

Wing + Mittens

Chimney + Cannons

Leaf + watch

Controller + Armor

Whip + Stick

Selected Thumbnails

Chimney Cannon

Eyepatch Telescope

Toilet Train

Top 10 Combinations

Eyepatch Telescope: I like the idea of a big goofy telescope swinging around on someones eye.

UFO Teapot: Depiction of UFO’s in media tends to look a lot like teapots. I mainly chose this combination because i liked the idea of making space ship legs into pouring holes.

Boots Board: There’s too many practical modes of transportation out there. I thought it might be enjoyable to try to walk on human-like feet that aren’t your own.

Lion Stapler: Although the Native Americans were known to hunt animals, they made sure to not to let anything go to waste. We could learn a lot from the Native Americans.

Fork Tree: I wanted to think of a new way of eating. It’s basically a mace with forks for spikes that you mash against chunks of food. I would have called it the fork mace, but i don’t think we had mace on our maps, and it was close enough to looking like a tree, which is what we had. Thus, the fork tree.

Toilet Train: The toilet train was proposed to make bodily functions a pleasant, communal activity.

Camera Gun: Adds a little bit of style to snapping pictures.

Braces Antenna: Braces are nothing to be ashamed of, especially when your rocking out to the hippest bands on your braces antenna.

Banana Bed: The arced shape of a banana is conducive to one’s posture.

Chimney Cannons: The chimney cannon is our answer to the worlds energy crisis. Firing off to your destination is both cost and time efficient. Not too mention, it’s a real blast *wink*.

MIND MAP 

I enjoyed working with my group for the mind map because it helped me gather ideas that I would not have thought of without them. I chose Humans for the theme of the map because there is such a broad spectrum that comes along it and can lead to great/weird thumbnails.

1. Homeless + Banana*
2. Happy + Eyeballs*
3. Girl + Carrot
4. Cigarette + Fingers*
5. Tall + Teeth*
6. Volks Wagon + boy
7. Smile + Vegetables
8. Hairy + People*
9. Hands + Indians
10. Cowboy + Hedge Hog
11. Fruit + Glasses*
12. Ape + Overalls
13. Dog + Vampire
14. Cow + Ghost
15. Spy + Pig*
16. Beard + Gun
17. Straw Hat + Ruler
18. FBI + Nose
19. Toxic + Actor
20. Toe + Arrow*
21. Hammer + Mouth
22. House + Body
23. Hero + Leash*
24. Sonic + Skater
25. Turkey + Car

Homeless + Banana: I thought would be funny together so I had no choice to combine the two.
Happy + Eyeballs: Thought it would be cool to see eyeballs smiling; it shows one’s expression through eyes.
Cigarette + Fingers: I figured the two could have a lot of meaning and the words go well together since hands do hold cigarettes. But drew the two with a twist.
Tall + Teeth: Never seen tall teeth before so why not draw them.
Hairy + People: I regret making a thumbnail for this word; it sounded and looked a lot better in my head. But it reminded me of cartoon characters.
Fruit + Glasses: Thought this word montage was a silly one. Would be cool to have some fruit glasses.
Spy + Pig: Is one of my favorite pieces; I enjoyed drawing thumbnails for this one.
Toe + Arrow: Another one of my favorites, making the toe into an arrow.
Hero + Leash: With this word, I thought of different ways a “hero” can mean.
Turkey + Car: Not my favorite thumbnails as I would suspect it to be, but it helped my learn how important it is to draw something out because one thing could look great in your head but terrible on paper.

Homeless Banana

Spy Pig

Hero Leash

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