Blackstone Storage Tote
This 10-piece storage tote was designed during my first Blackstone Products internship. What started as a simple serving tray project expanded to become a solution for the issues involved in prepping, serving, and storing food.
Category: hard goods, cookware, design for manufacture
Client: Blackstone Products
The Opportunity
Blackstone Products is an outdoor cooking product brand that specializes in creating bonding experiences that bring people together through cooking and sharing meals together. Their product line centers around their signature griddles, which have amassed a wide following.
However, their current line of accessories - from spatulas to scraper tools - is focused solely on griddling and is not designed for the entire experience.
How can Blackstone’s product line be extended to cater to the entire griddling experience?
The Experience
After observing and participating in griddle sessions, it was clear that there was much more to the process than simply cooking. Griddling could be summarized in these five phases, but each step brought a few pain points with it.
User Research
Without no other options, Blackstone users have gotten creative. Hacks they shared on social media showed the necessity for new solutions for before and after griddling.
Design Objectives
Prep
Simplify experience of transport to griddle
Prevent cross-contamination of cooked foods
Create option of saving prepped foods for later
Serve
Provide attractive product to elevate presentation
Offer a surface large enough to serve a group
Consider Blackstone brand aesthetic in the design
Store
Incorporate space for storage capabilities
Allow for separation of foods and accessories
Secure the system to protect from the elements
Create an integrated product family that helps Blackstone users to prep ingredients, serve meals, and store food and accessories.
Early Ideation
The first concepts focused on solely the tray, since it was given that this product family would include a serving tray. These sketches explored how this simple object could be elevated.
Brand Language
Creating a moodboard on what makes a product feel Blackstone helped inform the design’s materiality and aesthetic before moving into modeling.
Form Development
Moving the design into the 3D space with CAD, as well as reviewing with the design team, helped finalize a serving solution.
Refined Concepts
The next step was adding in preparation and storage capabilities.
Prototyping
After choosing the final direction, prints were created to validate the form and put the prototypes to the test.
Prototypes were evaluated for:
Ease of use
Overall scale
Grip ergonomics
Storage capabilities
Branding placement
Ability to be cleaned
Ability to nest together
Fit with griddle shelves
Compatibility with tools
Manufacturability
Through collaboration with the engineering team, the design was updated for tooling and cost-saving.
How It Works
