process manual
anty’s taffy
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It i sn’t a s t retch to say you’l l be k nead i ng mo re.
tab le of contents 0 1 int roduc tion Mission Statement Biomimicy Studies/Patterns Brainstorm/Research
02 lo go design Preliminary Sketches Iterations Final Design
03 graphic s tandard Logo Usage Business System
04 packaging Creative Brief Ideation & Mock Ups Final Product
05 f inal applicat ion Design Analysis
i nt roduction
m i s sion statement
Anty’s Taffy dives head on into carving the future of edible insects. Through branding honeypot ants creatively as a do-it-yourself taffy, it promotes visibility, convenience, sustainability, and an interactive food experience. Anty’s Taffy synthesizes the new with the old, the traditional with the modern, as it combines traditional food practices from diverse cultural backgrounds with new technologies, biomimicry, and most importantly: fun. This book documents this product’s process of bringing play back into food, alongside convenience. It documents its process of becoming, from ideations to logo design to the final packaging.
resea rch honeypot ants Over 34 species of honeypot ants exist around the globe. Camponotus Inflatus is the specific Australian honeypot ant species that have been eaten for thousands of years by the Walriri (aboriginal people in Australia). They have also served as a prominient origin story/“Dreaming� for many Aboriginal peoples of Australia, and have inspired much Indigenous art .
Honeypot ant repletes have abdomens swollen with honeydew/nectar delivered by worker ants; They are immobilized by their weight, and serves as an underground storage system.
Honeypot ants can be found up to 2 meters deep in tunnels underneath mulga trees in arid environments. During the wet season, worker ants tirelessly gather dew from nearby desert flowers for the repletes. Droplets of ant-honey can sometimes be found on the base of these trees. In exchange, the ants protect the mulga tree leaves from other leaf preying insects, thus sustaining these trees. Humans can also use the ants’ adapted storage methods and group sustenance as basis for our ecology/in developing sustainable systems.
sustainability
ant-honey properties The ant-honey is comprised of glutose and frutose (0.67 ratio), and has the composition of that of grape sugar. It is described as having a very aromatic sweet taste similar to bee honey, but having hydroscopic qualities and resists crystalization. With heat from steam, it becomes thicker and gummier. It has been eaten freely, fermented in drinks, and has also been used medicinally on wounds.
b ra i nsto r m
With this extensive research on honeypot ants, I began to brainstorm product/brand identity concepts that could market them in an appealing, intriguing, and appetizing way. Inspired by my parents’ stories of them eating maltose on chopsticks as candy growing up, I used this as the base concept for the product. From there, I used brainstorming strategies like mind mapping to create word banks and dictate brand direction.
biom i m icr y case stud ies: honeypot ant
Properties
Function
The honeypot ant (camponotus inflatus) is a specialized worker ant that operates within a caste system. There are 34 different species of honeypot ants located in the deserts and arid environments of Southwestern United States, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, and New Guinea. The queen of the colony lays 1500 eggs per day, with the majority being sterile females that become the worker ants of various sizes. These worker ants earnestly gather food during the rainy seasons to sustain the colony, and act as soldiers defending the colony from attacks, Surplus food is stored in the abdomen of larger workers, called repletes, until they swell up into the size of grapes.
As food is scarce within the ants’ dry environments, honeypot ants gorge on desert flower nectar, small insects, aphid honeydew, and dead animals/enemies during rainy seasons. During the dry season, the repletes of the colony act as advanced underground refridgerators that’ve converted the stored food into nutritious liquid. Immobilized by their weight, they hang upside down from tunnels’ ceilings deep inside their nests. To obtain food, worker ants stroke repletes’ antennae to signal them to regurgitate the liquid.
Application The repletes’ nutritious liquid has also been significant to humans, particularly to aboriginal/native Austrailians. The practice of picking repletes up by their abdomen and directly drinking the liquid has been ingrained in their diet for centuries, acting as a sweet treat. In the current mainstream narrative, it is considered a food delicacy in Australia. The liquid is described as having a very sweet taste similar to honey, acting as a natural sugar source. Currently, no other usages of their liquid have been described, but with its versatility and availability, that will soon change as we learn more about the ants’ liquid and haresting properties, transforming them into candy.
Sources: 1 Honey Pot Ant - Myrmecocystus Sp. Facts, Identification.” AntARK, 2. National Geographic Society. “Honey Ant Adaptations.” National Geographic Society, 2 Oct. 2013, 3. “Saint Louis Zoo.” Honey Pot Ant :: Saint Louis Zoo, 4. Strange Animals.” Honeypot Ants - Live Food Storage
biom i m icr y case stud ies: lotus flowe r
Properties
Function
The lotus flower (nelumbo nucifera) or simply known as lotus, can be found growing in shallow waters like ponds and water gardens. It has roots that grow through mud, long stems holding up its porous seed pod center, and leaves emerging outward. Its petals open under the sun in the morning, and fall back down when the sun starts to set. As a result, lotus flowers are incapable of blooming during the cold winter seasons. The lotus is notably known for its superhydrophobicity, also known as the “lotus effect” as its leaves have millions of protrusions that let water and dust roll off.
The flower holds much religious, cultural, and spirtual significance, representing purity, rebirth, and fertility. As a result, its form has been used as a basis for art, patterns, textiles, and mandalas for centuries. The flower in its entirety (petals and leaves) has been extensively used in biomimicy--the designing of products, systems, and structures based on biological processes.
Application Lotus biomimicry has been used in industrual design, textile, and paint industries. The German company ISPO spent four years researching the lotus effect, and developing “Lotusan,” a paint that mimiced the lotus leaves’ micro protrusive effect to repel water and dirt off outdoor walls. This cleaning method is now being adopted by other industries who seek to develop products with self cleaning capabilities, and even by NASA for space gear. In sustainble industrial design, students of British University in Dubai are modeling buildngs after the lotus in terms of its reactions to light, thermal insulation, and self shading properties.
Sources: 1. Y. Nanaa & H. Taleb. The Lotus Flower: Biomimicry Solutions In The Built Environmen 2. “Biomimicry.” Alive, 24 Apr. 2015, Greenemeier, L (2010). “Self-Cleaning Paint and Fabric Inspired by the Sacred Lotus.” Lotus Flower Inspires Self-Cleaning Surfaces.
pat te r n ex plo ration: ti les
After creating our biomimicry patterns, our class spent class days in the UC Davis Environmental Horticulture building’s labudio (lab + studio) screen-printing our pattern of choice. I first screen-printed my “organic” pattern with ink on Bristol paper, then with underglazes on bisque tiles. I experimented with warm toned gradients between the glaze layers to complement the pattern’s texture. While this didn’t directly contribute to the final product, this was an invaluable, hands on experience that helped with the direction of incorporating my pattern throughout the product and brand.
logo design
p rel i m i na r y sketches
The initial resonating logo concept consisted of a honeypot ant mimicking the form of a honey wand, with the ant-honey forming an “e.” Simultaneously, I was exploring potential brand names. Although artistic and quirky, this concept quickly offered constraints with the brand name, as I could only use names with the letter “e,” which limited my exploration.
The first versions of the logo design incorporating my initial concept were too static, and not encompassing the nature of the product itself. Using this critique, I developed an organic feeling logo that would remain in the final logo. All throughout, I continued the iterative process of creating a brand name, and finding a typeface that would emulate the mood of the brand identity and product.
ite rations
f i na l design
anty’s taffy The first versions of the logo design incorporating my initial concept were too static, and not encompassing the nature of the product itself. Using this critique, I developed an organic feeling logo. With community input, I thought that “Anty’s Taffy,” with its imbedded pun embodied the spirit of the brand, and kept the organic logo from before. While throughout, I chose to type the brand name with a combination of big and small caps. In the final iteration, I chose to have “Anty’s Taffy” in a lower case Century Gothic typeface, as I liked that the rounded forms complemented the roundness of my logo.
anty’s taffy
g raph ic standa rd
logo usage brand colors
proper usage
anty’s taffy Black
RGB: 232, 175, 34 CMYK: 0, 25, 85, 9 Hex: #e8af22
RGB: (205, 205, 205) CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 2 Hex: #cdcdcd
anty’s taffy Original
typography Century Gothic Regular Proxima Nova Semibold Proxima Nova Regular
a b c d e f ghijklmn o p qr s t u v w xyz1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ab c d e f g hi j kl m n o p q r s tu v wx y z 1 2 34 5 6 7 8 9 0 ab cd e fgh ij kl m n op q r st u v w xy z1 23 4 56 7 89 0
anty’s taffy White
anty’s taffy
anty’s taffy antystaffy
May 16, 2018
500 Mariposa Dr. San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 238-3558
home@antystaffy.com Honey Potts 1520 Valdora St. Apt #30 Davis, CA 95618 To Whom It May Concern:
alice kuang creative director 500 Mariposa Dr. San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 238-3558 home@antystaffy.com
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anty’s taffy
500 Mariposa Dr. San Francisco, CA 94107
Sincerely,
The designed business system consists of a double sided 2’’ x 3.5’’ business card, 8.5’’ x 11’’ letterhead, and an embellished 4.128” x 9.5 envelope. I wanted to emulate my established brand identity through my patterns, and create a soft, welcoming, cohesive feeling with the system.
Alice Kuang Creative Director
500 Mariposa Dr. San Francisco, CA 94107 | (415) 238-3558 | home@antystaffy.com antystaffy-
busi ness system
packag i ng design
needs
project strategy
message
In the United States candy market, candy is pervasively packaged in plastic, and not designed to mindfully reduce package waste and pursue environmental sustainability. Most individual candy pieces feature traditional flap closure opening/closure packaging, leading to instances of package frustration. Bigger bags generally have the issue of being unable to close (spillage), and when they do, they end up using even more plastic parts to construct zip closures. Anty’s Taffy, with its modular pieces within one compact frustration free box designed for fun, convenience, and sustainability , addresses these needs.and pursue environmental sustainability. Most individual candy pieces feature traditional flap closure opening/closure packaging,
Inspired by desert flower biomimicry and the words “expand, stretch, and flow,”our product is packaged in one compact origami-style box made out of sustainable paperboard. When closed, it mimics the form of a desert flower and with a simple tug at the strings, it expands to hold the contents: beeswrapped honeypot ant nectar-taffy servings, a set of expandable chopsticks, and information cards. As a compact unified whole, it reduces package waste and increases usability.
A fun, sustainable, and convenient sugar source: all in one box.
project objective Anty’s Taffy strives to increase sugar additive convenience and enhance the candy eating experience through a do-it-yourself, interactive approach as a product. With our packaging, we hope to promote a sustainable zero waste lifestyle through reducing package waste and utilizing biodegradable and usable materials.
background The product itself is unique, as it will be the first that features the nectar from honeypot ants. Similar products to ours are honey and an old fashioned Japanese candy called “Neri Ame.” Although the honey market is saturated, the packaging is quite homogeneous, generally storing the honey in glass or plastic jars, which seems much too static to be an experience unlike what we have intended. For “Neri Ame,” the concept is quite similar to ours, except the product is wrapped in individual servings with plastic and disposable chopsticks, which is not environmentally conscious or sustainable, as opposed to our biodegradable and reusable packaging materials.
“This isn’t a stretch. Have one taffy, and you’ll be kneading more. “
audience With the product’s demand for extensive ant farming and production, it is a more of a novelty product, placing itself in the middle class price range. Its intended audience ranges from toddlers to able bodied seniors (~5-75) desiring a hands on, interactive candy experience. for those who seek to pursure a zero waste lifestyle. It would also best suit workers and students living in a fast pace lifestyle in need of a quick sugar source for their morning joe.
creative b r ief
ideation sketches
I thought about using the origin of the honeydew nectar, the desert flower, as a source of biomimicry. I was inspired by the wordbank from earlier brainstorms; how could I incorporate the ideas of “stretch” and “flow” into packaging? How could I make the packaging compact to mimic the storage lifestyle of those of honeypot ants? Feeling daunted by the origami involved and acknowledging that it wasn’t my strong suit, I went online to seek help. Luckily, I found a method that was able to assist me to bringing my ideas to life.
During the initial mock ups, I played around with a variety of sizes to see which would have the best fit. I ran into a variety of issues, particularly regarding base, body, and petal proportions. Through many refinements, I found the perfect proportions for the best user experience.
mock up
as semb ly
I digitalized the origami folds onto an 11x17in 60lb cardstock paper. Then, I folded along the lines, sewed through the petals with twine, and glued together the paper until it formed the expandable flower box.
function all about
honeypot ants
The honeypot ant (camponotus inflatus) is a specialized worker ant that operates within a caste system. There are 34 different species of honeypot ants located in the deserts and arid environments of Southwestern United States, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, and New Guinea. The queen of the colony lays 1500 eggs per day, with the majority being sterile females that become the worker ants of various sizes. These worker ants earnestly gather food during the rainy seasons to sustain the colony, and act as soldiers defending the colony from attacks, Surplus food is stored in the abdomen of larger workers, called repletes, until they swell up into the size of grapes.
sustainability Honeypot ants can be found up to 2 meters deep in tunnels underneath mulga trees in arid environments. During the wet season, worker ants tirelessly gather dew from nearby desert flowers for the repletes. Droplets of ant-honey can sometimes be found on the base of these trees. In exchange, the ants protect the mulga tree leaves from other leaf preying insects, thus sustaining these trees. Humans can also use the ants’ adapted storage methods and group sustenance as basis for our ecology/in developing sustainable systems.
anty’s taffy information card
all about
anty’s taffy
Anty's Taffy strives to increase sugar additive convenience and enhance the candy eating experience through a do-it-yourself, interactive approach as a product. With our packaging, we hope to reduce packaging frustration, and promote a sustainable zero waste lifestyle through reducing package waste and utilizing biodegradable and usable materials.
i nfo r mation ca rd
The final packaging design is 3.5’’ x 13’’ x 13’’, featuring six symmetrical 6.5’’ sides to form a hexagon shape. With a simple tug of the strings, the corners pull together to form a flower, showcasing the desert flower biomimicry aspect. With a simple tug at the petals, the box opens to reveal the components: collapsible chopsticks and ant-honey in wax paper triangles. An instructional manual about both the product and honeypot ants is attached to the strings, and instructions/nutritional panels on the side of the packaging help aid the user in navigating this frustration free product.
f i na l p roduct
design ana lysi s design analysis
o bjectives
project summary
The goal of Anty’s Taffy is to create a fun, convenient, and sustainable sugar source, all in one box. Rather than creating a static experience like putting the honeypot ants’ ant-honey in a jar, branding honeypot ants’ ant-honey creatively as a do-it-yourself taffy promotes visibility, convenience, sustainability, and an interactive food experience. Anty’s Taffy honors the past and present through combining traditional food practices with new innovative technologies, and rekindles people’s relationship with food through human centered design.
Anty’s Taffy, with its compact, “no nonsense” packaging inspired by desert flower biomimicry, is designed to mindfully reduce package waste and pursue environmental sustainability through biodegradable materials. It also promotes the addition exploration of honeypot ants as honey producers and research in ant honey’s other uses.
Anty’s Taffy delivers playful, interactive candy ™experience through packaging honeypot ants’ ant honey in individual servings for users to make their own taffy. With its biodegradable materials like reusable beeswax papers, stainless steel collapsible chopsticks, and recycling fiber paperboard, it pursues environmental sustainability efforts. Its compact box using desert flower mimicry aids convenience and aesthetics, enhancing the overall user experience.
problem statement In the United States candy market, candies / individual use products are pervasively packaged in plastic and non-biodegradable materials. Most individual candy pieces feature traditional flap closure opening/closure packaging, leading to instances of package frustration. Bigger bags generally have the issue of being unable to close (spillage), and when they do, they end up using even more plastic parts to construct zip closures. Anty’s Taffy, with its modular pieces within one compact frustration free box designed for fun, convenience, and sustainability, addresses these needs.
evaluation The first step is to sustainably obtain the ant-honey through farming. The ant-honey should be heated to thicken slightly. Then, collapsible chopsticks and beeswax-coated papers should be developed, and the sustainable paperboard (recycling fiber) origami boxes can be hand bound or machine bound. The company will conduct the evaluation in this timeline through outreach: 1) Create user feedback evaluation criteria (ie. determining accessibility through price, usability, and convenience. etc.) 2) Collect user feedback data through distributing sample boxes to people spanning age, ability, demographics, etc. 3) Collect environmental specialists’ feedback on sustainability 4) Adjust packaging/product design using feedback (especially critiques) to achieve Anty Taffy’s goals of creating a fun, convenient, human-centered, and sustainable sugar product.
Alice Kuang DES 116 - Spring Quarter 2018 Gale Okumura