This project, sponsored by Mohawk Group, focused on conducting research to put together a trend forecast, and using this forecast to design an innovative carpet. Sustainability and new innovations for carpet design were also focal points of this project.
Beginning with trend forecasting, the trend I chose to hone in on was wellness and balance, and I used the nine dimensions of wellness to inform my research. Above is a visual positioning board representing the themes of my research: balance, empathy, self-care and interconnectedness were key points in my trend. People are more focused than ever on maintaining a balanced life between work and home, family and friends, health and fitness, and many other factors that shape our lives. Taking time to keep ourselves balanced helps us keep each other and the world in balance, so self-care and empathy are very important to our well-being, both as individuals and as a society.
When beginning to design my carpet, I wanted the design to reflect the idea of being a "well-rounded" person; this later became the title of my collection. I decided to make a collection of square carpet tiles that could be arranged in different patterns, much like how the different parts of our life come together to shape us into who we are. Above are some early iterations of my design.
end tile in community
wave tile in community
sound tile in community
rounds tile in community
end tile in planet
wave tile in planet
sound tile in planet
rounds tile in planet
end tile in self
wave tile in self
sound tile in self
rounds tile in self
I ended up continuing with the linear design, reminiscent of dew drops on blades of grass. The pattern was simple, relaxing, and versatile: it could be used to create wayfinding paths or arranged in a basket weave for a more complex pattern.
I had also come across another source of inspiration for my design: sanshengyixiang, or three rounds and a sound. The Chinese expression talks of the four necessities a couple needs for a happy marriage: the round of a bicycle tire, the round of a clock face, the round of a sewing spool, and the sound of a radio. These four items became the inspiration behind my sustainability mission, explained in the image below:
The carpet collection is intended for commercial use: I specifically had office environments in mind when designing the collection due to the fact that many people find their work life to be the most overwhelming and off-balance. Bringing some balance and relaxation into the office space is a crucial step in creating a more well-rounded work environment.
The collection comes in three colorways: self, community, and planet. These are the three spheres of our lives that can be most impacted by our wellness, and the three places we need to focus on balancing the most.
conference room in planet
semi-private workspace in self
open office in community
Aside from the trend forecast and carpet design presentations, the final deliverable for this project was a 1-minute video promoting our carpet designs. Since this project was interrupted by COVID-19, my video brings the perspective of the pandemic into my presentation. Our lives were thrown completely out of balance by the pandemic, and while offices might look a little different from now on, having balance in the work environment is still as important as ever.
Tools used in project: Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro.
