Holder

Intention

The goal of this project was to create a holder for my iPhone that could allow it to rest in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. My phone has a case on the back that used to have a kick stand that allowed it to stand, but it broke off, and I needed a new holder. However, when looking at current stands, I realized many wouldn't support by phone, as it has an additional 5-6 mm in width from the case. I also wanted the stand to be portable and foldable, which influenced the creation of my design.

Aesthetic + Inspiration

Practicality influenced my design the most; I wanted it to be easy to carry around with specific dimensions for my phone. Aesthetically, the patterns on the outside were inspired by Japanese prints and minimalistic designs involving simple geometry like lines and circles. 

Process + Procedure

The first prototype I made on Fusion, I attempted to create a hinge mechanism for my phone stand. However, I wasn't sure how the parts would connect, or how sturdy it would be. For my second prototype, I first made a version out of illustration board, which allowed me to physically see and edit the dimensions that would stand. 

Once I had the dimensions on the illustration board, I created another version on Fusion. The difficulties that came with this were creating a hollow space that the phone would rest on that was parallel to the overall stand, but was at a different angle from the two sides. 

When creating the extrusions that would allow the two pieces to interlock, I had to make sure that the print would lock but not too tightly. In order to do that, I used press pull and offset the three sides on both pieces that would interlock. 

Reflection

I regret not making a model out of paper earlier, as it simplified the measurements of my print. However, attempting to model first on Fusion allowed me to play around with the interlocking angles without worrying too much on the exact dimensions of my final. I also forgot about certain tools/settings, and had I remembered them, I would have saved several hours worth of trying to figure out how to do certain things. In the future, I would like to create another iteration where there is more space to accommodate a charger, and I would increase the amount of offset, as locking the pieces together requires more effort than I would like.