The Stapler
Personal Selection
My design tool of choice is the stapler. Whether it is big or small, this is a tool that I take for granted every day and the sleek, simple design houses a function that I find intriguing. The principle of how a stapler works seems like a simple one step mechanism, but now I have become more interested in it through my research.
History
Once paper was invented, more and more people were trying to come up with ways to bind it together. It is rumored that King Louis XVI was the first to create and use the first “stapler.” However, it wasn’t until 1879 when American George McGill created a device that drove a piece of wire through the paper and bent it together in one single motion.
Function/Purpose
The purpose of a stapler is to temporarily bind two pieces of paper together. When the user pushes the head of the stapler down this moves a metal plate onto the leading staple. The staple is then forced into the paper by the plate until it comes into contact with the base. The base then redirects the ends of the staple inward towards one another which seals the bind.
User
The stapler has an extremely large user base due to its many practical uses. It can be used to staple meeting minutes together after a conference, or staple papers of an essay together to turn in the next day. Because of its intuitive design and safety features, almost anyone can use it!
Materials & Production
Staplers are mass produced but are created in parts. The outside shell is usually made out of plastic. Sometimes they can be made out of metal but plastic commonly used. The inside parts are made out of metal.
Affordance
The stapler is designed extremely well. The function of pushing down on the stapler head has enabled designers to create it so that the shape of the head tells users to intuitively “push” down on it. From the original design that had a knob, it has adapted to more of a sleek, rectangular shell that contains the metal interior pieces.
