An experiment! Getting back to laser cutting

After taking a bit of a step back from all things uni work, I got back into the 3D workshop to use the laser cutter. I had an idea for the service I work for with the uni which included cutting into post it notes to then be used throughout the uni and on our socials. Wasn't too sure the idea would work but it's something different and creates something ordinary that normally wouldn’t look out of place to suddenly look that bit of place which intrigued me. It took quite some working out and suddenly made my wooden QR code idea that bit less out there but I figured I would give them both a go:

Initial attempt... accidentally cut a line through it!

Second attempt - interesting difference after being sanded down, the colour difference doesn't seem so intense.

Considerably bigger than the two above - I wanted to see if size mattered here or not.

Interestingly, when I sanded them down yesterday they didn't scan but today, with specific angles they do... somewhat of a success, just not reliable. I think they would work better on lighter wood, both in terms of functionality as well as being more noticeable with a higher visual contrast. I'm going to think about other materials I could use and ways I can make it better as well as potential layouts I could use if with/for to increase the level of curiosity.

Post it notes...

I made many different versions of these on a few colours with two different fonts, all with varying levels of success in terms of the laser cutting all the way through and burn marks being present within the post its. Said burn marks aren't necessarily an issue but they do kind of give away how they've been done which in turn takes away a small element of the curiosity but in full context they are still rather visually stimulating.

Could make a cool visual addition to a flip book however using the post its themselves for the flip book could be challenging - easier if the illustrations or text were small for easy page turning but then difficult to execute.

Rather aesthetically pleasing, it must be said!

Arguably, these are what I'm most excited about from this experiment - tiny letter post it note blocks! I was planning on using the bottom of the post it note to make using them easier without such a high possibility of ripping them but that didn't really work so I went with the top, half in the glue section for a cleaner cut. It worked a lot better and made a collection of tiny post it note blocks. As a visual, it feels like there something about dyslexia that could be said here but at the very least these could be used on the outside of the box for the scavenger hunt idea, as an interactive title of sorts. Of course they are very temporary as a material and easily damaged but they could really engage with the senses well, especially if they are all different heights!

There is a real tactile enjoyment to experiment with here:

Life indeed... A tiny message on each block would be really cool and add to the 'mini' scavenger hunt really well, possibly even adding further as a riddle of sorts! The answer to each question could be a letter, which then has a further answer or maybe even the next question, who knows! It would certainly create a satisfying information gap and answer.

Some extra visuals I really enjoyed:

We call these... 'levelling the playing field' - no one can really read or understand the letters and there is no intentional words, it's a matter of enjoying the shape of the letters without the pressure of reading them.

Similarly here - the letters form words but there is no clear order to read them in nor any real sense to it. This wasn't actually intended, it was just an experiment to see where to cut within the post it but I like it! Especially with the visual confusion within: