LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify key steps in the design process that led to the development, production, evaluation and refinement of Great Wrap’s stretch wrap and dispenser.
- Outline Great Wrap’s end users and discuss how the company’s products meet the needs and values of this audience.
- Discuss the environmental and social considerations that influenced the development of the Nudie Roll and the Great Mate stretch wrap dispensers.
INTRODUCTION TO GREAT WRAP AND MELBOURNE NOW
Great Wrap was founded in 2019 by couple Julia and Jordy Kay, a former architect and winemaker respectively. With the help of bio-designers, engineers and scientists, Julia and Jordy developed a compostable stretch wrap derived from potato waste. When composted, the stretch wrap breaks down in 180 days and leaves no microplastics behind. Designed for domestic use, Great Wrap’s Nudie Rolls are dispensed from the Great Mate, a refillable container designed in 2021 in collaboration with industrial designers Bayly Group. Great Wrap also produce compostable pallet wrap for commercial business use.
The exhibition Melbourne Now celebrates new and ambitious local art and design and highlights the extraordinary work of more than 200 Victorian-based artists, designers, studios and firms. It includes a range of disciplines, from fashion and jewellery to painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, video, performance, printmaking and publishing.
INTRODUCTION TO GREAT WRAP VIDEOS
In the following six videos, Julia and Jordy discuss what inspired them to establish Great Wrap and develop their stretch wrap. They describe the steps involved in creating the potato waste-based material used to produce the wrap and discuss key steps in the design process that informed the development and refinement of this ground-breaking product. They explain the importance of the end user in the design process and highlight the significance of their collaboration with Bayly Group designers. They also share their thoughts on what makes Melbourne a great city for designing and engineering and describe the tools, materials and partnerships that make their operation possible. These videos and accompanying discussion questions can be viewed sequentially or individually and can be used in the classroom or by students for independent study.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Describe Great Wrap’s product range. What problems does each product address, and how do they solve them?
- Consider the steps in the design process. How did Julia and Jordy Kay follow this process when developing their compostable stretch wrap and dispenser? How did each step inform the next?
- Describe the role of sustainability in Great Wrap’s practice. Consider the ideas that prompted the development of the Nudie Rolls and the Great Mate dispenser, and the materials and processes involved in their development and production.
- Describe the appearance of the Great Mate stretch wrap dispenser. How have aesthetic considerations informed the design of this product? Think about the design elements and principles when generating your answer.
- In the video ‘Design Process, Development and Evaluation’, Julia explains the importance of customer feedback in the design process. What feedback did Great Wrap receive from customers about the functionality of their stretch wrap, and how did this feedback influence their practice?
- In the video ‘Collaboration’, Jordy and Julia describe the factors that make Melbourne a world-class city for product design and technological development. What are these factors, and how have they contributed to Great Wrap’s success? What role does each factor play in maintaining Melbourne’s reputation as a creative and innovative city?
- How does Great Wrap’s practice make you feel about how you approach product design? What have you learned that you might apply to your own design practice?