Stagecoaches, lithography and my grandma.
Something got me thinking about my grandmother's TV trays this week.
Some of you might remember that most excellent product, circa 1970's, the humble TV tray! For those who don't remember them they were basically a miniature folding table for one. They had scissor action folding legs (x-shape) made of wood or tubular steel and had an articulating (folding) plastic or wood top. The tray could fold flat such that a person could stack them tight against metal or wood folding chairs -in a tight space.
I ate many a breakfast using Grandma B's TV tray's. It is such a vivid singular memory sitting in the front room with cereal and milk. The tray was placed smack in front of Sesame Street which was shown on a small black-n-white television (note the TV was literally made of black-N-white plastic case parts and had a black-N-white picture to boot!). Ah the good ole days before first grade!
My grandma's TV trays were extra special because they had wild west cowboy scenes printed on them. These intricate prints stood proud of the whitish plastic surface. The scenes were literally wild, wild west with high drama in action! The tray/scene I remember most had a stage coach racing through a mesa with cowboys on horses galloping near by. I don't know if the scene in my minds eye is an accurate depiction or if it's the figment of a five year old's imagination but for some reason I remember the illustration being full of raw power with horse nostrils flaring and chiseled arm muscles flexing under rolled up white sleeves!
Regardless of my recollection, those TV trays were of the utmost in badassery. I would pay decent coin to have a pair of those trays and perhaps more for a set of collected scenes. The quality of the illustration/art, the robustly layered printing and the cross hatch texture of the molded tray combine to make magnificent piece of history [at least for me..LOL!].
Now, finally I arrive at the business sketch, right? Your jaw might drop in a moment when you realize that I simply want to find those cowboy illustrations and rip off and duplicate! Well, it's true...sort of. Of course there is more to the story!
Here is the elevator pitch:
Recycled plastic, recycled graphics, licensed or creative commons. New school nostalgia in short run quantities of everyday items that dual-op as functional housewares items and art pieces.
Pitch translated:
1. Remake the iconic TV tray in a range of recycled materials.
2. Dial the product design to ecodesign fundamentals.
3. Find the most hip designs/illustrations from the seventies and eighties.
4. Print said scenes in limited quantities of high quality resolution and long term durability.
5. Turn the art often to keep it fresh. Create a consortium of certified art/design/ illustration experts to select the repurposed designs.
6. Commission contemporary illustrators and artists to remake famous scenes from art/design history (imagine an homage to Norman Rockwell).
7. Number all print sets to add long term collector value.
8. Include satellite or complementary housewares for purchase with the tray sets such as printed flatware, mugs and glassware. ...of recycled materials and similar illustration series/set as well. Dot, dot, dot and tshirts.
9. Dual purpose the tray and the complementary products...design both to be function and art. The user can either put it on the table or put it on the wall. It's their choice! This is critical. The product must work well in both scenarios.
10. Sell the scenario. Push the recycled, repurposed, flexible use aspect visually. Include creative wall mounts and display products in web based catalog shopping experience. If you hang the tray for art then for certain sell the tray hanger too.
11. Remember to keep it simple stupid and keep it small suckas even though you're taking it to eleven!
Think of this business sketch as if CrateNBarrel and Vans were gettin' it on in the illustration history library at the University of Phoenix.
There ya go!
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