floro
tape gun redesign
BRIEF
Redesign a common stationery item or tool, focusing on form
PROJECT DIRECTION
Tape gun – opportunity to turn an often rugged looking tool into a decorative desk piece
TAPE GUN ANALYSIS
CONCLUSION: Combine functionality of heavy duty with the form of light duty.
MOOD BOARD
Statement of Intent: create a less cumbersome tape gun, focusing on comfort and revolutionizing the form. Take elements of functionality from both the heavy-duty and light-duty designs to create a new style of tape gun.
EXPLORATORY SKETCHES
FORM SKETCHES
Integrating the roller from a heavy-duty tape gun into a compact light-duty frame, playing with surface details and how the form could be altered.
SKETCH MODELS
These cardboard models exposed functionality issues missed in the sketches and allowed for a functional exploration of hand, and thumb, placements.
FORM SKETCHES
FOAM ITERATIONS
Increasing fidelity of the foam models to explore thumb placement, testing grip with the thickness of a standard tape roll.
DEFINITIVE DESIGN
FINAL DESIGN
A sleek and elegant revamp of existing solutions, doubling down on functionality and comfort. Organic cut-outs provide indication of hand placements while slowly fading out into harder surface transitions for added visual intrigue. The roller and tear away edge ensure easy dispensing with a tensioned lever holding the tape in place.
WHAT I LEARNED
In a project brief mostly focused on aesthetics, how to balance that with my want to prioritize functionality and making an improvement in an already saturated market.
A lot about Solidworks surfacing, getting the tiny surface transitions to fade from harsh bevel lines to soft curves.
Rapid iteration, with a short timeline how to make quick decisions and determine ways to test form ideas quickly and move on.