Sprout hits the shops!

In the shops!

The good news is that the first batch of Sprout are being sold at a real life shop in the heart of Shoreditch. The place is called Type East and is located on Sclater street off Bricklane. More importantly, it is quite close to the newly opened 'Cereal Killers' breakfast bar which has split the opinions of hip-stirs all over London. By working with Type East, the product can be tested on strangers and the shop staff, Rich and Robin. Asking price is £20.




 

Packaging

 
Packaging

Two companies in China produced the packaging (sleeve and soil packet) and laser cut parts (wooden and plastic pot pieces). There were quality issues with the logo and the glued sleeved. Other work included buying the soil and seeds from a local shop near Columbia Road and weighing out the stuff into bags and small envelopes. The seed packets were labelled by Aindri showing a selection of Water cress and Marigold.

Sticker instructions v2

Instruction labels

Instructions shown on the right were printed on white stickers and stuck to the packet. Stamps made from a lino screen print kit were made up to label the different sections. This was difficult! 


Website

Work has started on the website using a template from Squarespace.com and will support a Kickstarter campaign. The photos below were taken inside and then edited in Photoshop with a blue filter to cancel out the yellow light from the lamp. Help also provided by 'O'. Taking good photos is difficult!

It's Sprouting! Updates on the Sprout development project.

I have been working with Andy on a new planter pot product called Sprout, a flat pack planter which will come in a neat DVD-sized packet with seeds, soil, sowing instructions and a wooden pot that is assembled by the user. Kind of like the IKEA of the planter world. It has been in development for the last couple of months (as a break from the job search...) and is slowly but surely bearing fruit. 

The London Hack Space - my new home?

I used the laser cutter at the London Hack Space, probably the coolest space around with numerous tools, gadgets and stuff, all for £15 per month membership, open 24/7 and a good atmosphere.

Soil comes in a packet

Some changes need to be made to this prototype including changing the sprue arrangements, cutting some more windows in the packaging, adding instructions, removing twine from the soil packet and adding an inlay to prevent the wood from warping. We will print the instructions inside the soil packet to save on paper. I wanted to use a plastic packet for the soil so that it could be seen from the side but as I wanted to avoid using plastic and minimise packaging, I decided to go for a thin card packet.

Working on a Kickstarter too and business plan (Andy's expertise!) and are on track at keeping the sale cost at around £10 each.

Bidoooo - update

In the last post I was chatting about Bidoooo and soon I will be releasing it to the wild in order to check whether it will actually satisfy a need. Oisin sent this great article for inspiration; 'How To Validate Your Business Idea By Testing A Hypothesis!' I thought I would start now with you, so please check out the landing page and let me know what you think: Bidoooo app

Cheers,
Bryan
hello@suiledesign.com
uk.linkedin.com/in/bryanoregan/

P.S. Know of any product development jobs in London for a MSc in engineering design?! Let me know!

Some work needing some work

This is the first thing I have written since coming to London. The change of pace from Copenhagen has been difficult to adapt too. Every time I step outside the door, it's some new adventure. As I look for jobs, I have been trying to work on some projects.

Ceramic cutter arm on top

Bottle cutter

There is an abundance of material which is sitting around and could be used to create anything e.g. aluminium cans, newspaper, bottles, fag butts (?)...I thought I would start with wine and beer bottles. With a little help from Instructables, I built version 1.0 of the Bottle Cracker because right now the glass keeps cracking. From Youtube I found that to break the glass, you pour boiling water on the crack, followed by cold water (keep doing it until the crack propagates). So far the results have not been great but I think I need to secure the cutter section more and fix the wheels.

Laser wooden pots

TopPot

Currently working with Andy on a plant pot for kids which comes flat packed with all the 'ingredients' (soil, seeds) and instructions. The idea is to get the kids involved to the point where they connect with the pot (not physically). Hoping to make a prototype soon.

Chair and table/foot rest

Furniture

So I had an interesting experience with a furniture company here in Shoreditch. Sadly, I parted ways as the job description was not what I expected. But I really like furniture and it was a cool company. The idea of modular furniture that packs away neatly (especially when you have a small living space) gives me great pleasure and joy.

This app...OHHHH this app!

Android development

I am no programmer but over the last few weeks I have been dabbling in some code using the online training platform codecademy.com. Tried the Python course and now I am working on HTML/CSS in order to redesign the City Music Tours website. I am very excited about working on apps and as I have a shitty Samsung, I thought I would try Android OS by following the Android Developer training instructions. This has proved to be a headache and at this point I have re-installed the ADT (Android Developer Tools) around 4 times. The funny thing is, the app worked fine the first time round. Hopefully with the help of a very intelligent programmer, I can get this Bidoooo app working.

Tiling

Red lines on white tile

After walking past a gallery in Mayfair and seeing some abstract art, I decided to have a go at it. I found some tiles in the house and did some abstract stuff. As my friend pointed out, most of that abstract stuff seems to sell according to size of the piece. This piece is 7m x 7m...any takers?

Let the games begin!

Spanner

It's 2014, I am 29 and looking forward to a new adventure this year; I will be moving to London to start my career as a grown up. So what better way to spend my spare time (after job searching of course, A-Kasse!) than to write about some things I have been excited about in the last few weeks. I hope to write about different things including the following over the next few posts:

• Python and learning code with Codecademy
• Rendering 3D models using Google Sketchup and Indigo
• Open Innovation Collective and collective problem solving (with emphasis on biomimicry design methods)
• The job hunt - am I the hunter, am I being hunted or am I waiting to be served?

They will be short and to the point, I promise.

Nature Calls

Inspiration from nature...

Biomimicry is a word which deserves more buzz than it gets these days. Biomimicry is the discipline of applying nature’s principles to solve human problems in engineering, business, architecture and potentially any other area. Biomimicry can create links between different disciplines as the 'all rounder' science where biologists, designers, innovators and economists can all benefit hugely from a little thinking on the wild side and embrace over 3.8 billion years of evolution. However, a challenge for those interested in biomimicry is tackling the huge world of information out there relating to the field including biology and chemistry. But fear not, although it can be a daunting task, there are sources out there to assist the budding biomimicist.

In 1997, Janine Benyus authored the must-have novel on the subject called 'Biomimicry - Innovation Inspired by Nature'. Since then, she is seen by many as the poster child for the implementation of biomimicry in design practice today. Her book covers many different areas including agriculture and architecture and explores some of nature's masterpieces including photosynthesis in plants and natural materials and processes which engineers can only dream of creating. After this read, you will be left thinking about the world of ideas out there and why so much funding goes into research when potential solutions could be in your own back yard.


Once the seeds of inspiration have been sown, collecting data and facts could be next step. The Biomimicry Institute provides a great resource on www.AskNature.org called the Biomimicry Taxonomy; a database of over 1,500 organisms, animals and insects and how they have met different challenges in nature through different ingenious strategies. It is a great source of information and inspiration for designers but what are some examples of nature being used to inspire solutions in the world today?

Packaging material using mycelium

EcoCradle is a new material being developed by award winning design company, Ecovative, which could provide a substitute to polymer packaging like polystyrene. Mycelium is the active ingredient in the roots of mushrooms and when grown with the by-products of agricultural processes such as buckwheat husks, it can be shaped and formed into shapes. The process can take up to 7 days in a dark environment and requires no petrochemical inputs. Heat treatment is used to prevent any mushrooms from popping up unexpectedly . The result is a biodegradable and eco-friendly material which matches many packaging solutions in use today. Further development could mean greener material options for use in insulation and anywhere there is a need for foam-based products such as turbine blades and building materials.

Inspiration for self-cleaning glass

Work at MIT has resulted in a new process for creating surfaces which found its inspiration from the Lotus leaf and the complex nanoscopic architecture found on the eyes of moths and the bodies of certain insects such as desert-beetles. These multi-functioning natural materials are self-cleaning and it was this property that attracted scientists to investigate further. Through the application and careful etching away of nanoscopic material on a surface, patterns can be created which can prevent reflection and repel water. Further development of the process could lead to improvements in photovoltaic panels, video equipment, mobile phone applications and of course, windows.


If the above does not whet your appetite, why not check out some more examples below:
Examples of Biomimicry in Action – article by Jaymi Heimbuch for TreeHugger.co
Biomimicry Europa – non-profit organisation promoting biomimicry in Europe
The 15 Coolest Cases of Biomimicry – a list of current applications and development work in the field of biomimicry .

This article was previously published online on http://www.innovationpioneers.net/nature-calls