Here's a good example of using design to address a humble but unmet need. Art Director Herb Bigelow has invented the Beehive Picture Hangers, which seem a much more intelligent way to hang photos—and hold them securely to the wall while you're dusting. The pitch video's too long by half, but give it a scan and you'll get the idea:
It's undoubtedly an improvement over the current system of miniature J-hooks and wire, or even worse those cheapie plastic brackets; but good design doesn't come cheap, and at five bucks per set, will the consumer bite?
Apparently the answer's yes, at least on Kickstarter. The Bigelows were looking for just $42,000 to tool up, and at press time they'd landed $56,000 with five days to go.
By the way, the price drops significantly if you buy in bulk; and if you buy the smaller, original iteration of the product, it's as low as two bucks a pop.
While Bigelow has patented the design, I still think he's nuts to throw the CAD drawings up onto the campaign page--in this day and age, I expect one pirate or another will try to dupe the design and 3D-print some.
A desktop CNC milling machine can be a practical addition to your prototyping or small-scale fabrication operations.
3D modeling has been a part of the profession of industrial design since before computers were even conceived.
With so many online learning platforms out there, it can be hard as a designer to decipher where to go...
We are building this list as a resource for designers who are looking for a starting point in picking a...
In the 1990s 3D printing was adopted by forward-looking design studios for prototyping – it was not widespread though for...
Community driven, engineering oriented, detailed and aesthetic, 3D printing oriented, royalty-free, paid, free.
Technology can be a great help when it comes to organizing your research on an ongoing project or in new...
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Comments
I recently discovered Command picture hanging strips on Amazon... Nail free no residue velcro style picture hanging, easy to reposition and remove. I've had large A1 picture frame hung on my wall for about a month now using them and no sign of it falling down. especially good for people who rent.
It's pretty neat. I do think the author's last comment is pretty redundant though, I don't think you'd really have needed the CAD drawings to pirate this design and anyone with 3D printing capabilities can probably draw what is essentially a rectangle with some hexagons in on Rhino or SolidWorks etc.
exactly, pirates will pirate wether or not you make it easy to them.