1. The Problem
Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design St
People tend to throw away their used disposable pens without a care.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the American population throws away 1.6 billion pens every year ( This results in a lot of wasted metal and plastic ending up on landfills. Take into account the rest of the world, it is apparent that this can be a serious problem for the environment.
In order to reduce pen waste, how can I make the humble pen something you would want to keep and cherish forever?

2. The Solution Context Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design
Sentiment
Different ideas
Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design St
Initial Ideas
Solution - To design a pen that is aesthetically beautiful in a way that the owner wouldn’t want to throw it away, they’d want to keep it and cherish it.
The pen needs to be durable as not only will it allow the owner to keep it for a long time, it will slightly reduce the number of pens wasted on our landfills every year.
People tend to cherish objects that are sentimental and personal to them which is why the pen will include a feature that is personal to the owner. This will increase the chances of the owner keeping the pen for a long period of time. This therefore gives the pen the potential to become a family heirloom, to be passed down from generation to generation. The pen would have such a deep meaning, that it’s story would be told through several generations. This in itself would make the pen beautiful in a personal way.

3. Questionnaire Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design
I created a questionnaire so I could gauge people’s attitudes to pens as well as to family heirlooms and personal objects. I also created this questionnaire to gauge what my target market would be as well as to guide the development of my ideas.
I asked 20 people these questions and I made sure to ask an equal number of Males and Females. Below are some notable results:
Participants over 30 years old responded positively to questionnaire more than participants 30 years old and under. Target Market is 30 – 60 years old.
All participants own at least one object that is personal and special to them.
Objects that are personal to the participants included photographs, jewellery and souvenirs.
11 out of 20 participants own a family heirloom. Shows family heirlooms are common.
Retractable tip, pen cap and correct colour of pen are important features participants look for when buying a pen.
All participants throw away used or broken pens.
Majority of participants would ‘somewhat likely’ keep a pen that is special to them. Need to strongly reinforce a personal connection between the pen and owner.
The Questionnaire

4. Idea Development – Soft Models
Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design St
‘Capsule Pen’
‘Photo Pen’
Sentiment can be reflected through physical objects in the ‘capsule’
I like the idea’s simple aesthetic. Perhaps it’s too simple.
It’s weight could easily be very balanced.
It’s quite an original idea for a pen.
Sentiment can reflected by a photograph or etching.
The aesthetic looks nice but I’m not sure if it would appeal to my target market as it’s quite grand.
It’s weight might be unbalanced. It might be slightly top heavy.
This idea is original though.

5. Idea Development – Marker Renderings & CAD Models
Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design St
Marker Rendering
CAD Model

6. Final Model & Context of Use
Mathew Griffin – Lv. 4 Ba(Hons) Product Design St
The pen’s unique selling point is that it has the potential to be something special and personal to the owner by means of putting a small object in the ‘capsule’. This concept and it’s aesthetic make it a unique object that is unlike any other pen.
Context of Use