In the beginning… there was only a un-accessorized Trader Joe t-shirt.
As a Trader Joe employee in 2019 (not there anymore), I wanted to bring some spice to the outfits that we had. So, I decided to make some.
Inspo
For inspiration, I drew on the interests of my co-workers (Star Wars and music being some of them), the Trader Joe’s nautical-hawaiian theme, and my own obsession with Trader Joe’s version of oreos, the Joe-Joe.
I then made wood magnetic pin-ons that would attach to the shirt and thought of nametag covers.
After making wooden-magnatized versions of the above artwork, and getting feedback from co-workers, it was clear that the nametag cover was the most exciting to everyone.
Ideation
So, I came up with a bunch of different variations of the cover idea and created vector artwork versions of two of my favorites.
Prototype 1
Focusing on the flower design, I created the first prototype.
Wanting to get a 3 dimensional effect with the artwork, 2 layers of plywood were used. To paint it I used some spray paint and some stencils that I had made with wood.
But, I faced a few problems. First, the nametag kept falling while people were working. The other challenge was the aesthetic of the cover looked messy. The paint was messy and while there was a dimensionality to the art, it looked more clunky than it did look pleasing.
Problem # 1: Staying on the Shirt
As I started to brainstorm ideas, I wanted to have a few metrics to guide what solutions that I would choose. It had to be:
Securely Attached
Easy to Take Off
Elegant (Simple and has Good Aesthetic)
Next, step was to come up with ideas to adhere the cover to the nametag.
Ideation
Sticky
Fabric
Squeeze Fit
Boundary
Magnets
Velcro
Clamp
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Boundary Prototype
The Boundary Prototype works much like how the final puzzle piece fits into the whole puzzle. Once placed into the puzzle, the piece can not move. In this case the three attachments serve to orient the nametag so that it is centered. Once the nametag is slid into place, its detachable magnet fits into the “F” attachments, perfectly. Bounded by its “puzzle,” securing the nametag so that it holds the cover in place.
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Magnetic Prototype
For this prototype, the nametag slides underneath the magnetic attachment. With the three small magnets the nametag automatically orients itself so that i is centered in the cover.
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Fabric Prototype
With this prototype we have two different wooden pieces attached to the cover. The serve to both hold the fabric and to orient the namtag in place so that it is centered. Once the nametag is underneath the fabric the detachable magnetic piece that goes along with it can be attached on the search and the cover and the nametag are securely attached.
Assessing
Choosing to move forward the Fabric Prototype was the prototype that we chose to move forward with. It was extremely easy to make, extremely effective, and had a fairly good aesthetic. While the boundary prototype had a good aesthetic, it was very difficult to assemble and was more finicky. It stayed on, was more difficult to remove, and while simple in concept, it was a bit more complicated to remove. The magnetic prototype was very effective, but more difficult to assemble, especially with the tiny magnets.
Problem # 2: Beautifying the Cover
So far, all I had tried was spray paint. But even with a stencil, the artwork was messy.
Spray Paint
Acrylic
Next, I tried to paint the artwork onto the wood using the acrylic and a detailed paint brush, but my skills with the paint brush had something else to say.
But then, I tried something out. I burned out all the shapes on a single piece of plywood. This was to solve the clunkiness that came from the plants being cut out on a separate piece of plywood and glued onto the cover. But it had an unintended concequence. When I went to paint the acrylic onto the shapes, low and behold, there were crisp and clear lines.
Color Scheme
Finally, I played with colors to see what could look the best. Settling on a white, dark brown, with some warm tones
Final Product
Learning
Throughout this project I learned about the pain and frustration and labor that comes with making a good product. It was not fun to laser cut. There were headaches in the form of bad prints, things not fitting together, errors with the file, … The painting itself was very tedious and messy. Not to mention all the little tiny logistical things that had to be solved. Even though I pushed to the end of the project, I came away learning that I don’t enjoy that tedious work. I really enjoyed the idea and the final product. But the putting it together was not all that fun.