FULL CIRCLE
Box Fan
A box fan has been essential to keeping cool during the California summers and saving the AC from running all day.
My inspiration for this project came about when the fan blade broke on a box fan I’ve had for 10+ years and I, unfortunately, discovered that buying an entirely new fan was easier than replacing the single broken part.
I ended up repairing the fan blade myself, but this got me thinking about the number of personally valuable, yet underappreciated products we use every day. These types of products have the capacity to be a single-purchase product that lasts a lifetime.
DESIGN THINKING
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Design a box fan which considers the entire lifecycle of the product. Emphasize the ability and desire to repair or maintain this product for a lifetime, ultimately reducing the environmental impact of wasteful product design. A design emboding a perspective shift which prioritizes long-lasting quality and sustainability from our everyday products.
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This design aims to add additional value that is devoid from current products, while maintaining a genuine and highly functional product. This design is easily understood and assembled in a way which repairs are within the capacity of the average user, via common household tools. With this redesign, there is an opportunity to add aesthetic interest and value to a product that is often highly visible within the home. Functionally, this design provides adjustable angle louvers which help direct the outward airflow. This feature allows flexibility with where the product can be positioned and the overall effectiveness of the airflow.
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Embrace the beauty and imperfections of recycled plastics. This is ideologically in line with the subtle imperfections and patina of a long lasting product, as well as embracing the lasting nature of plastic as a material. The material transparency supports the effort of transparency in the product itself. The CMF also aims to communicate functionality of specific components to the user by categorizing functions to color applications. These categories include: user touchpoints in yellow, functional components in black, and assembly or structural components in the transparent material.
Adjustable Louvers
60 degree range of motion
Downward Angle
Upward Angle
Recessed Speed Dial
Minimal speed adjustment dial sits recessed within the exterior, reducing risk of damage and allows stacking.
DEVELOPING THE BRAND.
Develop a brand that reinforces the spirit of the product and vision.
The brand name, Full Circle, comes from a saying which means “after a long series of events or changes, the same situation that you started with still exists.” This perfectly represents the values and long-lasting approach to the product.
The louvers are used as inspiration for a visually interesting design element and as a basis of the overall structure to the logo. By striking a balance of whitespace and solid black forms, the branding creates both a structured and light look and feel. The rectilinear structure of the logomark and the logotype, reference the form and enforces the vision of the product being greater than the sum of its parts.
