Spirited Away Coaster & Holder - Design Tech Project

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Spirited Away Coaster & Holder Project!

    For my first project in Design Technology, I was given the freedom to design and create intricate coasters using Adobe Illustrator and the laser cutter, as well as a unique coaster holder. I decided to create 5 coasters with different characters from Spirited Away, one of my favorite movies. I created these characters within illustrator, finding photos from the internet and changing or adding different elements in order to create the specific design I wanted, and fitted the characters on circles the size of the coasters that I had dimensioned. The most enjoyable part of the whole design process was creating my coaster holder, a rectangular box with finger joints, and a dragon from the movie wrapped around it. The biggest challenge while creating this box was finding a way to both laser cut finger joints and engrave the dragon without cutting off too much of the design. but with some trial and error, I was able to make it work.



    If I was to do this project again, I would be more ambitious with my coaster designs. While I'm very happy with how my holder came out, I think that I could have created more exciting shapes or added some more unique designs to my coasters in order to create a project that stands out more. I also may have used different types of wood besides maple or cherry, as there are so many options that could suit my coasters. Now that I've completed my project, I'm excited to put it on my desk at home and use it whenever convenient! I'm very proud of how my spirited away project came together  







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