We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Nantapoom Chumpengphan about their original and creative Drinks Can design work. Nantapoom Chumpengphan is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original drinks can works.
Nantapoom Chumpengphan ("NC") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Compression Can Drinks Can. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
NC : The goal was to create a fully recyclable product that also could reduce transportation and storage costs. A product that could be transported flat-packed and formed as and when needed.
NC : What I discovered was that ecological sustainability is not about materials alone, but also the systems created around them, such as logistics, transportation and user accessibility. I wanted to create a product that was equal to what was already available but was also truly easily and cheaply recyclable.
NC : I am sure as with all designers, it would be good to see our designs being used.
NC : It took about three weeks.
NC : This design was conceived as part of a university project.
NC : At this stage it is only a concept design and would require a lot more research and development to create a finished viable end-product.
NC : I usually try to design for "Need" and design to solve problems.
NC : I got my inspiration from old cask barrels which are formed from flat materials and home delivered milk bottles that are collected after use, washed and then refilled and sent out again for reuse.
NC : This design can be modified (materials, shape and size) to contain different contents; liquid or solid. So the target market is potentially everyone who shops for food and other goods.
NC : The design takes up minimal volume before it is filled when it is in its flat form, so more of these containers can be transported to a filling factory in fewer journeys. It is formed into a three dimensional container prior to filling so does not take up masses of warehouse space beforehand. And when the consumer (end-user) finishes with it, it can be disassembled/separated and crushed down and disposed of, taking up minimal space in a recycling bin. Traditional rigid bottles, jars, cans and tins take up the same volume whether they are full or not, and take up the same amount of space after they have been used.
NC : The "Compression Can" and its various components are held together using a compressive belt, so it was simply named after how it is constructed.
NC : The standard pen and paper, card, sticky tape, glue and CAD.
NC : The design wasn’t really created to be unique or intentionally different, but logical and useful.
NC : This was project for a university module; it was an individual assignment where I had to do all the research, designing and prototyping myself to create a concept.
NC : This would be a mass production product so CAD CAM would perform a vital role in its future.
NC : Research on plastics manufacturing and recycling and metal melting and reforming and transportation heavily influenced the structure of the design. Identification of the involved logistics, energy and resource intensive processes allowed some extraneous systems to be circumvented and designed out. But as this product was a drinks container the cosmetic appearance was derived from user test feedback and observation of the interaction during the design and basics shape prototyping stage. I ultimately didn’t want a product that would force an end-user to change their habits in order to use it, as any extra complication could be a major deterrent. It can be physically and practically used like any other drinks container, no extra effort required.
NC : This design was created at university and was created to be a mass production product. Mass produced products are put through intensive research and development that tests for durability and integrity. As a student while designing this concept I was unable to access industry expertise firsthand, so the design and its viability are still rooted in concept. Experts with actual in-field knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes were not directly available but would have helped immensely in developing and refining this design further.
NC : I felt that this was a useful design that had merit and offered a tangible benefit. I designed it to be an improvement over what was already available on the market and to not be just an incremental iteration or a restyling.
NC : In order to solve a problem I had to learn what the problem was to begin with. I have picked up a summary knowledge of new design and manufacturing processes inadvertently that I would not have discovered had it not been for this project.
