This is the first post about the actual product I created back in Uruguay, and sold for a few years. It started as a need for satisfying my curiosity, and it turned into a real product. What wasn't very real was the business, I was studying very hard and working at the same time, so it was more like a hobby, a few sells here and there, that would help me pay my bills.
The next is a TV show fragment showing my lamps. The story was funny. At the time I had a little drywall company, which gave advise to architects and built their projects. I was advertising my company, and a local TV station called me to sell me a space in their design program. It was a sort of long advertisement, where I would talk about the benefits of using drywall, blah blah. Anyway, the producers came to talk to me, and when they saw the lamps, were so amazed that they offer me to do a small shot for free, they were always looking for interesting things to show. I felt so flattered by their proposal, so we did it.
I was also invited to promote the lamps and tell my story in the radio, as part of a "local entrepreneurs" show. (never been more nervous in my life!)
I made lots of models, it was really fun. Some of them i'm using now in the new product i'm about to launch.
This first model was a combination of industrial production with hand craft. I would say it was more hand work. The basis and the lid were made of two square acrylic pieces, 18mm thick, in four different colours.
I used power tools and templates to make four holes in each of them, that would receive the aluminium columns (which i cut and polish myself too).
The skins were printed at home, with my beloved wide printer, which i used for every exercise at the university. They had a piece of magnet at one end and a very thin metallic piece at the other end. (again, I cut them by hand, at home.) Then it was laminated at the only store I found who were willing to pass the paper with the magnet through the machine.
I designed the packaging myself, and also cut it at home, with the help of acrylic templates. It was a lot of work, but worth every hour.
Here is Uma at the assembly line, making her round of quality control. For the look in her eyes, I think she was satisfied...
I learned a lot with this design process, mostly by myself, and asking for advice from my father and techers. It involved a lot of market research, to find the materials I wanted to use, then where to buy them... and also to know what materials/products exist, so I can get ideas from.
Every design process is complex, even when at last the product seems so simple. The final size of every piece would be dependent on the width of the printer, and the packaging would be more affordable if I used the standard sized sheets. It was a long process but again, a lot of fun.
Sushi night with friends... and the perfect "anime" skin. I don't have time (or patience) to prepare sushi like that anymore... :(
A few models I had in my bookshelves:
This is at one of the designer's fairs i've been, very proud of my production.
Over all, I had lots of fun and learned a lot from my hits and my mistakes. But the business was a little neglected. I'm a creative, ADHD-designer, what do I know about business? Well, it's a big part of the process, and it's very useful to learn something about it. I've read lots of books and attended a few courses, especially tailored for entrepreneurs like me, who want to do what we like, and have no idea about business. I still have lots to learn, but i'm on my way!!
In the next posts I'll tell you about my journey, my life in a new country, with a new language, new culture, new people, a different look at design, a new way of doing business... a new chapter in my life. Glow is about to be reborn again, with a new, improved and mostly industrialized product. I'm very excited!! Thank you for joining me in this journey!
Feel free to comment, share, subscribe, and even show me your own projects!
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The store will be opening soon!
