Working with Eastman this semester was a good learning experience. Meeting the project deadlines required many long hours and lots of hard work, but now it is all over I am very glad for this opportunity and was pleased with my two DVD displays.

Ending the semester with Eastman

The entire Eastman experience has been great. Being able to put our brains to the test was a trying and rewarding experience. Working with Spectar has been quite a challenge. The adapatability of this material is astounding and applying it to the retail environment has been fun. I took much away from this project in the sense of working with a great sponsor with a great material, as well as taking a great challenge and creating some fantastic and seemingly possible and realistic design solutions. Thanks again Eastman. It was a great experience.

Having an assignment from Eastman this past semester has definitely opened my eyes to real world work situations as far as deadlines and deliverables. I'm very privileged to have been able to have this type of experience while still in school so that it gives me a taste of what things will be like in a few years. I have definitely learned new things through this experience and will always be able to look at it and know what I have learned from it. This project has definitely shed new light on how I look at designing and how a different design can make any system better. Eastman has helped me to think out of the box and really try to think how to fix current design problems.

Eastman has been a very mind-stimulating sponsor and one that has given me a lot of portfolio material. My first design was manufactured to create a display that interacts with customers shopping for coffee. The reason for the rhyme is simple: display as much coffee as possible. Engineering a display that models that simple principle also generates a distinctly Hi-Viz experience, while serving the purpose dictated by our user research.

On my second concept, the idea to build a multi-Purpose display came as a solution to the problem of small cluttered coffee shops that do not have a lot of room. This innovation gives way to 3 Hi-Viz avenues. First, a display of coffee bags; Second, the center for coffee condiments with milk and sugar; Third, a coffee machine/espresso marketing tool. All of these traits achieves a valuable Hands-On affect.

In closing, I want to thank Eastman for their time and effort. I valued everyone's input especially Gaylon, Ron, Farrell, and Adia.

Project Wrap-Up

First things first, I'd like to thank Eastman for allowing us this great opportunity to work on this project with them. I have learned a lot and hope to someday apply this experience to my career as an Industrial Designer.
Now on to the project summary. During the research phase, I went to Pier One Imports and found the perimeter shelving and aisles to be ridiculously cluttered and unorganized. So I decided to use the clarity and hot-bending capabilities of Spectar to create two shelving ideas to help organize and better present merchandise. Both of my ideas incorporate the Hi-Viz and Striking themes that Spectar inspires, and would help keep Pier One or any other home furnishing store more organized.
Once again, thank you Eastman for the chance to use Spectar in some of my designs and the experience that came with working with your company.

The Final Product

Working with Eastman this Semester has been exciting and I have learned so much both about the corporate world and the way things change and unexpected turns occur more frequently than ever expected. I really believe that this experience has been a great one that i will remember for years to come. I enjoyed working with the team and i wish everyone success in the future. thanks once again Eastman.

In conclusion....

The following concept is the display I developed over the past 15 weeks, the SmartCard Kiosk. It is an attempt at solving the issues that come with shopping for greeting cards.

I incorporated Spectar as a way to make the cards become more visible to the customer. The system works with a touch screen computer database which features each card on display, using RFID chips. Spectar was also used as a way to help the customer visually understand that the computer is connected to the cards on display.

When you have found your card on the screen, there will be an LED light at the slot which directs you to it (see right). This system, I believe, provides a speedy, yet pleasant shopping experience for the customer, as well as a helpful organization tool for the employee stocking it.

During the semester I was challenged with the question, "Why not acrylic?" Fortunately, I was able to reseach and test in order to answer that question. It would be wise to note that acrylic did indeed crack on the very first heat-bend.

I would like to thank the entire Eastman team for giving our studio this unique opportunity. This semester has been a work load, but was very well worth the outcome.