This project was an exploration into flowforms with complex transitional surfaces. My goal was to design and fabricate a pair of salad tongs that were inviting to hold and beautiful to look at. The constraints were using a solid block of 2" x 3" x 12" for each salad tong and making only four cuts in each block.
Sketching out silhouettes of concepts based on inspiration from an image board helped me get started. I choose a few designs that I liked and sketched them in perspective to further develop and understand my intended form.
I then made foam prototypes of my favorite designs to get an idea for the way they would feel. My intention was to design the tongs so that the handle and scoop areas blended together seamlessly such that they feel like one coherent piece.
I realized that I needed to go back and address the way the tongs comfortably rest in the hand. So I studied the way hands grip objects and made a prototype of a handle that most comfortably fit my hands. Looking at my initial and latest designs I started exploring how I could bring the two together. I found that the relationships between the hard and curved edges of my initial idea were similar to my ergonomic form. This allowed me to retain my initial form language while making it pleasant to hold. The two forms came together well once I realized this and my next foam prototype was close to what I wanted in my final form. The final forms in wood met my expectations and felt great to hold and use.
