To Coaster or Not To Coaster


For this weeks blog I have 12 concept sketches of coasters that vary from fun useful ideas to pretty useless. 

I have a couple favourites! My first favourite is number 1, in the top left box of the photo above. I called her "coffee & cigarettes" because people say (not me, but people), that having a coffee and a cigarette in the morning is a great way to start your day. For this idea, I think it would be interesting to have the coaster and the ashtray be separates that fit together. The bottom most piece is a flat surface, with some small "railings" on the side - this would act as the coaster. The bottom would be larger than the ashtray portion, so when the coaster is not in use it could be a standalone ashtray, or you can pop off the bottom layer and have your coffee and cigarette. For the ashtray, building it up in layers would be the way I would set it up. Cutting another base layer that fits inside the coaster, then the following layer would have the central ashtray portion cut out to act as a guard ring, then the last layer would be pieces cut out for the corners, leaving gaps, acting as the notches you typically find in ashtrays. Feels like a playful adaption of the coaster. 

The next one I am excited about is number three, the top right box in the photo above. This one would use a similar layering technique as the previous to allow me to build out a hollow space. This coaster doubles as a tic tac toe game. The X's and O's would sit perfectly into the inset, so that it can be used as a coaster while not being in use as a game. I would do some (dreaded) math to figure out the sizes of the game pieces, so you are able to have enough pieces to play but not so many that you need a separate component to hold them. 



The last one that is a favourite is number 11, in the middle of the bottom row. This one has two versions, but I lean towards "would you love me if I was a worm". This one is playful, a little bit silly, but weirdly enough still totally functional as a coaster. I would design a worm in the shape of a heart, cut out in one piece. The worms design and facial features would be engraved into the surface so that it remains flat. 



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