Otherworldly disguise
Masks, like a chameleon, can let you change your appearance to become someone else entirely. For this project, I wanted to do just that by creating a mask that would let you become a chameleon yourself.
Target demographic
Is interested in animals, insects, and dinosaurs
Likes to build things
Gets frustrated easily
Doesn’t like to read/ Visual learner
Research
To build a solid foundation for this project, inspiration images of the real-life subject were gathered into a mood board. The purpose of this board was twofold:
Identify the primary features that make a chameleon recognizable.
Understand the 3D shapes of those features
Analysis of silhouette
Exploratory sketches were used to generate a variety of potential designs. Here, I developed the key profiles I wanted for the mask and began to experiment with what a paper chameleon could look like.
Shape and form
The limitations of folded paper and tape challenged my initial ideas and forced me to consider new approaches to reaching my design goals. Through continuous iteration and 3D sketching, a clearer idea formed of how to communicate this animal as economically as possible. Which features were essential and which were superfluous?
One cut. Zero tape.
The basic form established, it was then reinterpreted into a design that could be mass produced and easily assembled by the end user. To achieve this self-contained product, a series of tabs were designed that could lock the various pieces together without the need for an external adhesive.
Iterate. Iterate. Iterate.
Though these connectors were crude at first, additional iterations experimented with improving both the technical and aesthetic aspects of the assembly system. Tabs and seams were incorporated into the design less conspicuously, and the overall proportions were tweaked to better reflect a chameleon silhouette.
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Going digital
Once complete, the mask components were photographed flat and then recreated in Illustrator. The precision of the program allowed me to clean up my lines and create a product that was completely symmetrical.
Construction
The design was cut on a CNC machine and assembled at various stages throughout development. Through this, pain points in the construction process were constantly being identified and corrected, leading to a more technically sound product. By the final prototype, the mask could easily be put together by anyone with the right instruction.
Final product
The final result was a paper mask design that could be mass produced on a CNC machine and then easily assembled by the end user, regardless of age. Most importantly, the simple abstraction of the chameleon’s features captures not just the form of this alert, otherworldly creature, but its soul and personality as well.
Storyboard
How does this go together again?
As this is a mass producible product, it was important to provide a manual for easy assembly. Considerations for these instructions were to present the important information concisely with info-graphics and short descriptions. The graphic design of the layout also had to be welcoming to a younger audience and tie into the theme of chameleons.
