Initial process

When I was given the task of 40 ideation sketches, I was taken aback by the task as it seems quite huge. The difficulty of this assignment would be to think of different possibilities and shapes a hairdryer can venture into. Initially, I wanted to play it safe by experimenting with the same general shapes of a hairdryer, but, I then decided to challenge myself and so my first 20 sketches were all sorts of different shapes and sizes and patterns which I explored into. Some was then pointed out and evaluated by my prof as feasible or unrealistic. This led me into the idea of exploring into the archetype of a beer bottle as seen below.

Further development of ‘manly’ archetypes and ‘beer bottle’ idea

As suggested by my prof, this could be a project where I could go into the design of a hairdryer that was aesthetically “manly” as hairdryers were always viewed as a feminine product, but as man starts to care more about their image, this product could potentially attract more male customers in the hairdryer business.

Thus, I started to explore different manly archetypes (Boot, beer can, dumbbell, grenade etc.) as seen above. With the help of my prof, I started exploring into different shapes and forms and my beer bottle hairdryer can turn into. Of which, I came up with 15 different sketches.

Takeaways

initially, I was stuck at the idea of the beer bottle, but my prof showed me the possibilities of expanding into any forms and taking up different ideas. Through this assignment, I have learned to be open and accepting of different ideas and not be fixated upon a single idea. I have also learned to be more observant of my surroundings as anything we see around us could be a potential idea for a better design of a product.