Joshua Cohen is a Principal at Fat Pencil Studio
At the beginning of the year we had a meeting to come up with ideas for branded swag to display and give away at conferences. New banners, brochures, and pens that look like fat pencils were all relatively easy to design and order from online vendors. Then Kenneth suggested a phone holder that looks like an evidence marker. Everyone liked the idea, but when we looked for vendors that could make them, we came up empty. We could have let it go, but it was a compelling challenge. How could we turn this rendering into reality?
As with most design projects, we started with prototypes: different sizes, different angles, different styles of branding. We also learned more about about our local print shop's capabilities to print onto and cut acrylic. The end result was a page layout that could squeeze about 140 markers on a 4'x8' sheet.
One thing our print shop wasn't equipped to do: bend the acrylic. This operation required purchasing a water cooled heat bar designed for tight radius bends. We also made a custom jig to ensure consistency in shape as the acrylic cooled to room temperature. The final touch was a strip of neoprene to prevent larger phones from sliding off.
The end result is a colorful addition to our conference displays, and if you pick one up next time you come visit, you can enjoy the utility of a phone stand that doubles as an interesting conversation starter!
Kenneth and Kalin represent at the OCDLA Annual Conference