Coda

To approach designing a new product for the live music environment, we interviewed concert professionals, musicians, and concertgoers. Hearing their concert habits, opinions on sustainability and merchandise, and personal goals at live music events built a foundational understanding of the problem space. These interviews were often looked back on while designing.

Compostable — Natural — Textured - Organic

Since the beginning materials mattered. We focused on minimizing the product's footprint and planning an intentional lifecycle. We conducted physical experiments to figure out which material was best. We gathered drink waste material from surrounding cafes and breweries to test. All materials had to be biodegradable in order to not leave a lasting mark on the planet and promote sustainable thinking. We ended up choosing a hardened fiber pulp, beeswax, cotton, and a combination of coffee grounds and natural thickening agents as our materials to work with.

We experimented with various methods for creating a wristband with a singular piece of fabric. Since we wanted the wristband to unfold into a banana, we were focused on utilizing twisting to create a cord-like texture that would compress the fabric. We also experimented with natural dye processes and researched screen-printing with coffee.

Coffee grounds were mixed in a recipe to create a material with a similar strength to reinforced concrete. The beads were polished with a coating of beeswax. To create the earplugs, both biofoam and beeswax were experimented with. The beeswax and cotton combination was more durable and allows users to shape their earplugs custom to their ears. We created a mold and paper pulp to create a shell for the earplugs, creating a removable bead.

Removable earplugs protect concertgoer's ears.

Personalized wristband code links to the app.

At home, the wristband untwists into a scarf and the coffee beads dissolve when soaked in water.