13 Litre Soft Cooler Prototype
Bag Design
Bag Design
Last year I had an opportunity to design the 2011 range of soft coolers for our FLY brand. Prior to this I only had very limited experience with textiles, mostly through projects where I did illustrations for kids lunch cooler bags.
It actually started with me first modelling a soft cooler design I had in mind as practice for my 3D skills - it's easy to model card packages, but anything made of cloth is really hard. The result wasn't that great, but the concept was liked enough to be put on development.
It actually started with me first modelling a soft cooler design I had in mind as practice for my 3D skills - it's easy to model card packages, but anything made of cloth is really hard. The result wasn't that great, but the concept was liked enough to be put on development.
Above is a concept render that demonstrates approximate volume distribution and possible decoration options like screen printing the lid and having an alternative colour for the body and strap.
The thing that always somewhat bothered me is how stale the soft cooler designs on the mainstream market are. While there is some variation in shape and material between brands, in general they all follow the same format - boxy shape, contrasting materials that are usually surrounded by piping or mesh, and so on. While at bulk sizes the typical boxy shape may work, when you go down to the more personal 5 to 15 litre range it's just not convenient to handle at all.
What I realized is that on a basic level, soft coolers aren't really different from traditional bags, other than having insulation. They still need to be convenient to actually carry and look presentable in public, and splintered into various categories (hand bag, laptop bag, backpack, duffel, etc), you ordinary bag is tailored to a specific purpose, at a specific capacity.
So I decided to apply this kind of thinking to soft coolers, and create a 13 litre Personal Cooler. At such a relatively small capacity, carrying a dedicated cooler just for a small snack for yourself or your family isn't really all that convenient when you're out and about at an event or a quick trip. So my solution is to combine the functionality of soft coolers with the convenience of messenger bags. Something you may even carry with you every day. A soft cooler you may not be embarrassed to carry in public. All that.
The main challenge here was cost. Through market research I identified the bracket where the majority of soft cooler brands sold in national chain stores are, and so being competitive in that bracket became my target.
The thing that always somewhat bothered me is how stale the soft cooler designs on the mainstream market are. While there is some variation in shape and material between brands, in general they all follow the same format - boxy shape, contrasting materials that are usually surrounded by piping or mesh, and so on. While at bulk sizes the typical boxy shape may work, when you go down to the more personal 5 to 15 litre range it's just not convenient to handle at all.
What I realized is that on a basic level, soft coolers aren't really different from traditional bags, other than having insulation. They still need to be convenient to actually carry and look presentable in public, and splintered into various categories (hand bag, laptop bag, backpack, duffel, etc), you ordinary bag is tailored to a specific purpose, at a specific capacity.
So I decided to apply this kind of thinking to soft coolers, and create a 13 litre Personal Cooler. At such a relatively small capacity, carrying a dedicated cooler just for a small snack for yourself or your family isn't really all that convenient when you're out and about at an event or a quick trip. So my solution is to combine the functionality of soft coolers with the convenience of messenger bags. Something you may even carry with you every day. A soft cooler you may not be embarrassed to carry in public. All that.
The main challenge here was cost. Through market research I identified the bracket where the majority of soft cooler brands sold in national chain stores are, and so being competitive in that bracket became my target.
Above is taken from the specification document. This is showing approximate target dimensions and how the space is distributed inside.
So, onto the mechanics. There are three storage spaces - pretty much all of the lid is a non-insulated pocket for items you may need a quick access to - papers, pens, keys, etc. Once you open the lid, you have another, larger non-insulated pocket for things your gadgets and notebooks. Finally, you have the big 13 litres of insulated space with a special holder for a bottle of wine (now you can carry one with you every day!) or a typical water bottle.
So, onto the mechanics. There are three storage spaces - pretty much all of the lid is a non-insulated pocket for items you may need a quick access to - papers, pens, keys, etc. Once you open the lid, you have another, larger non-insulated pocket for things your gadgets and notebooks. Finally, you have the big 13 litres of insulated space with a special holder for a bottle of wine (now you can carry one with you every day!) or a typical water bottle.
Both the bottle holder and the non-insulated pocket can be pushed in for extra cooler space when you need it, allowing for an even bigger capacity.
And here is the prototype:
And here is the prototype:
