Futures Project - SLAM

University Final Year Project
September 2015 - May 2016

During my final year of University we had three main projects, this project was a client orientated project, we were working with SLAM Design a giftware company to expand their range of products based on where we believed the giftware market was heading.

From research I believed that the "Giftware" market was becoming more high quality products that you would buy for yourself as well as a gift, it also seemed they were not a quirky product to be used a couple of times then forgotten about. Also from this research I gained an in depth knowledge on who SLAM designers competitors were, their markets, and their current range of products.

From my research i started to come up with ideas, I focused on kitchen and dining room based products, this seemed like a logical choice from my research.

The first product I pitched to George (from Slam Design) was a salt and pepper shaker set with stand, designed to look like a set of scales and was called Balance. Originally meant to adjust with changes in weight of the shakers, it became a stationary design after factoring the difference in density between salt and pepper. This product was designed with being sold in higher end shops such as John Lewis, the packaging was designed to reflect this, I wanted it to be something people would keep to store the product in when moving.

This design was turned down by George due to possible complexities in manufacturing the design, and wanting to aim for a slightly lower manufacturing and retail price. It was agreed between George, my lecturer Ilsa, and me to stay on the condiment side of things, with the theme staying with "a war between condiments".

After finding many already existing "war" based salt and pepper shakers, i decided to interpret "war" as competition, this is where my final design came from.

These products are salt and pepper grinders designed to look like trophies, with a gold and silver place trophy. The product aims to bring out the slightly competitive side in families by asking them to choose their house champion, sparking a conversation between them. They are also a way to show passion for sports in the kitchen and on the dining table, catching people's eyes and becoming a talking point.

To use The Victors all you need to do is pick which condiment is assigned to which trophy then unscrew the black grinder from the rest of the trophy to fill the container, re-screw the grinder back on then twist the bottom to season your food.

The Victors target market is a fairly broad one. The age range of this product is 18 and over, but more likely 25 and over due to this product is aimed at homeowners, this is because to have them as the centre piece of the table they need to be able to purchase them without debate, leadingon to the person most likely being the head of the household in charge of everything that goes on inside the house. Due to the shape and design of the victors they are aimed at people who are fans of at least one sport, or has even played a sport.

The Victors are each 165mm in height, 185mm in width, and 98mm in depth. The top decoration to the design is metal injection moulded aluminium which had been anodised giving it the desired gold or silver look, the central container is made from a transparent ABS that has been blow moulded to shape, finally the grinder section is made from 3 parts that are a injection moulded black glossy ABS.

The packaging for The Victors is designed so both grinders can be clearly seen from the front of the box so people know it's a two grinder set. The back explains the idea of the product. The sides have the two versions of the branding on it so no matter how the box is displayed there is some way to see the name and branding. The box will be card, with a clear plastic front, and the grinders will sit in vacuum moulded plastic with a faux velvet finish. The packaging will also include small amounts of salt and pepper to get started.