Utility Rack

This project was one of the assignment from my second-year Industrial Design Metal/Wood Prototyping course.

I love this assignment because I had previously considered making a coat rack using the school's wood studio. Since I've just settled in Toronto this semester, I've been using my suitcase as my daily coat rack. I enjoyed having my suitcase next to my bed because it was easy to reach and could catch all the clothes I threw at it. However, upon quick critical thinking, several pain points became obvious: it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, it evoked a sense of travel which brought a bit of restlessness, and it was not tall enough. Since the suitcase was placed on the ground and opened, I had to bend over every time to pick up my clothes. It used my room’s vertical space poorly and clothes layered on top of each other created wrinkles easily. With these pain points identified, design concepts began to surface.