Final Deliverables:
5x7 Prints
Large Can Koozies
Thin Can Koozies
313 DET explores the intersection of design and entrepreneurship, focusing on how designers can play a key role in creating market-ready products. Over seven weeks, we collaborated with the Detroit Wood Type Company to develop, design, and produce a line of thoughtfully crafted paper goods. The goal was to take a product from concept to completion, making it ready to be showcased and sold at a student exhibition at the end of the semester. LANGUAGE
MAKING
During the production process, I created over 70 different variations of posters. All the ideas stemmed from the concept of a “man cave” and what someone might expect to see there. My inspiration came from combining the RISO printer and the letterpress printer to achieve a retro and imperfect feel in the prints. SECONDARY PRODUCT
For my secondary product, I designed a line of koozies specifically created for Detroit Lions fans to use while attending football games. These koozies feature the team’s signature Honolulu Blue with bold white typography, echoing the design aesthetic of the primary print piece. The goal was to create a practical yet visually appealing item that fans could use to show their team spirit while keeping their beverages cold.
DIE LINES
Working for my dad for the past five years has been a significant blessing for my education in the design world. Understanding how to create dielines while laying out artwork gave my secondary product the boost it needed.
The yellow lines represent perforated edges, allowing you to remove the top and bottom attachments from the center fold. The red line indicates a crease or fold line. The two squares fold in half to create a double-thick coaster.
I designed the product and worked collaboratively with our packaging designer to create a dieline. From there, I laid out the artwork onto the dieline.
INSIGHTS
Not completing enough research forced me to take steps back and restart my ideation process, causing me to fall behind in the production timeline.
I learned how to create a working printing plate and how to send out files. I also gained experience operating a letterpress while mixing my own ink colors.
I created my own dielines and laid out my own artwork. Although I am surrounded by these processes every day at work, it was a valuable learning experience to create them independently.