After decideing on the design direction and creating a full-scale model by hand, I moved onto CAD drawing. I also considered how to attach the shade to the frame and how to refine the pattern produced by the shade.
At this point in my design process, the Napier University workshop was operating on a click-and-collect basis. Following this process, I emailed my files to the workshop technician. The technician cut out the pieces on the laser-cutter for me to pick up later. While in the workshop, I roughly assembled the lamp to check how the pieces worked together. I also asked about the availability of coloured card stock and paper and the technician cut some test pieces of yellow card for me to take home (see images below).
I took all the cut pieces home and put them together. I had slightly miscalculated the triangle shapes; nonetheless, the pieces fit together well. I used drawing pins to attach the paper to the inside of the frame and I practiced how the lamp would be assembled by the end-user to better understand how to write the assembly instructions.
Even though my design called for yellow paper, I decided to use the white card for a couple of reasons. First, the white card was readily available in the workshop, and second, the yellow card was less effective as a modelling tool due to its thickness and curl. While the white card does not create a warm-coloured glow, it stille creates an attractive shade. A thicker card, or deeper coloured material, might improve the sharpness of the pattern shown on the wall behind the lamp.
In the image above, you can see the black burnt marks from the lazer-cutter along the edges of the support pieces. These burn marks add to the design and create somewhat of a depth illustion. In the photograph, I arranged the lamp beside my yoga mat and block to give a sense of scale and ideal use of the light.
The process of assembling the prototype at this stage helped me learn a lot about refinement. For example, the joints needed to be glued to stay together, so ideally the pieces need a more snug fit to be assembled similar to Ikea-type products.
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