Cheerful Spirit Creations Bottle Centerpiece by Jennifer Vodrazka

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

JV : Inspired by the love for holidays and cheer, the main idea of this design is "capturing" the magic, light, and joy that the holidays bring.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

JV : The main focus was always to create a decorative item with an attractive appeal. Even further, this creation could be used as a centerpiece that is both unique and useful.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

JV : Future plans would be to mass produce the design for more people to enjoy.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

JV : This particular concept took almost two years to design. There are previous versions of Cheerful Spirit tree-in-a-bottle designs. However, it took some time to figure out the most refined version we have here.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

JV : I wanted to make bottle lamps and soon realized that creating a wireless design while preserving the entire shape of the bottle would be best. After trying different items to put inside the bottle to light up, the moment I tested the tree, I saw the beauty and possibilities right away. I decided to keep working at this concept from that point on.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

JV : The design is not being used by another company at this time. I intend to keep producing the work; however, I am happy to lease production rights if given the opportunity. Making more of these creations is the future goal.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

JV : I love to decorate during the holidays. I like centerpieces such as vases, candles, and flowers. I was inspired by seeing different bottle lamps. I wanted to combine the idea of a dim light or lamp and make it a wireless centerpiece.

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

JV : The only design that helped influence this design is the amazing 'ship in a bottle' design. Seriously, from when I was a child I was always mesmerized by the beauty of them. I tried to research where it began but it has been around for a very long time and is unknown.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

JV : The target customer is females ranging from 30 to 60 years old. The women who enjoy entertaining, decorating, and social drinking with friends.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

JV : Similar concepts are decorative bottles such as painted bottles, bottle lamps, bottles with string lights placed inside, ships in bottles, and messages in bottles. This design is the only wireless design that places an object in a bottle that also lights up. It is truly a unique design.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

JV : A cheerful spirit came to mind when I thought about what the bottle felt like. A cheerful spirit is another way of saying this bottle (or spirit) captures cheer emits happiness through its' appearance. Just as a cheerful person can light up a room.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

JV : When working on this project, the main tools were glass cutting machines and measuring devices like a vernier caliper. Measurements were very important with this design. Once I changed one measurement of a part, everything had to change.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

JV : The most unique aspect of the design is that the entire shape of the bottle is preserved throughout the process.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

JV : I worked on this design alone.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

JV : Technology does not have a role in this design.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

JV : No, it is not.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

JV : The challenges were with piecing all of the components together. For instance, I had to test many glues before finding the right one. Having the tree placed centered has been a big challenge as well.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

JV : A friend of mine from Italy told me about the competition. After reading the website information, I found it to be a good fit for my design.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

JV : I have learned how to practice patience more than anything while I was designing. I had the picture in my mind from the beginning, but I needed to get every piece in order. It was hard for me to be patient at first because I was very excited. I soon realized that if I was more patient, it will happen. Hastiness would slow me down. This experience has made me more confident, aware, and it has made me a better person all around.