I’ve found a few papers that are semi-relevant to packaging and mass customization, but every time I try to read them I find myself reading the same sentences over and over and getting absolutely nowhere with them. So to better jump start my project, I decided to approach it from a completely different perspective. I’ve been working on a mix cd for a friend and had already intended to make the cd case to put it in. I used that existing mix combined with these thoughts of having tools available to create my own box or packaging to design the case. Had I just designed and made the case, not thinking about this project, I would have sat at a table and thrown things together until I got something I liked and something that would hopefully be relevant to the mix. However, thinking in terms of mass customization, I intentionally used photoshop to design the case. Through this process I was able to start envisioning the kind of tools and technologies (the interface, printers, cutters, etc.) and materials (paper products, plastics, etc.) that are necessary to implement this type of system.
Unfortunately, I don’t have this wonderful technology to finish the project for me, so I have to now make what I designed by hand. It’s a bit of a daunting task, but I think I’ll pull through. As I was walking up King Street today to go to the art supply store to buy the materials, I passed some guys selling cardboard art (free by donation!) and the first one that caught my eye was so amusingly ironic that I had to buy it, especially since there was a pretentious couple standing over it discussing how they could put it on the wall over their stereo. So I grabbed it when they looked away and took it home with me.
I think there’s consumer demand for this technology, especially looking at it from the personalized mix cd perspective. But that’s just one way of combining mass customization and packaging.
