Consumers are demanding products that make a statement and still do what they’re supposed to do.
Think about the things you use around your home every day. Their purpose may be simple, but that does not mean their design has to be.
Throughout its Craft Reimagined series on social media (@jbdcjamaica), the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) has been exploring how everyday products can be approached differently through design, craftsmanship and product development.
This week, the team at JBDC’s Craft Incubator took on a rather ordinary household item: the napkin holder.
The result? A functional piece fashioned from metal, but with a little more personality than something designed simply to keep your napkins in place.
FUNCTION FIRST, BUT DON’T STOP THERE
Every functional product starts with a job to do.
A chair needs to support you. A lamp needs to provide light. A bag needs to carry your belongings. And yes, a napkin holder needs to hold napkins.
But once that basic requirement is met, there is room for the maker to ask: What else can this product offer?
Its shape, material, texture, colour and finish can all become part of the design. These are the details that can turn an object we barely notice into something a customer deliberately chooses to display in their home.
The challenge is ensuring creativity does not get in the way of usability. Innovation does not always have to mean inventing something that has never existed in any form.
Could a familiar household product be made using a different material? Could its shape be changed? Could a traditional craft technique be used in an unexpected way? Could something normally hidden away become part of the décor?
These questions open the door to product differentiation.
For the Craft Reimagined napkin holder, metal became the material through which the idea was explored. Working with the material allows the maker to consider form, construction and finishing while still keeping the intended function of the product at the centre.
The same thinking can be applied across craft.
A textile technique can move beyond clothing and become a pillowcase. Metalwork can move beyond jewellery and become a household accessory. An artisan’s skill does not necessarily have to be confined to the products they have always made.
At JBDC’s Craft Incubator, entrepreneurs can explore product ideas through experimentation and prototyping, with access to specialised equipment, tools and Product Development Support.
It creates room to test an idea, make adjustments and determine whether something that looked good on paper actually works when brought to life.
That is ultimately what Craft Reimagined is about.
Looking at familiar materials, techniques and products with fresh eyes and recognising that sometimes the next great product idea may already be sitting on your table.
Functional? Absolutely. But why not make it fabulous too?
Now that we’ve inspired you, take the next step and make your way to 76 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston or click here https://www.jbdc.net/services/incubators/.
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