Assigned to create a creative solution to an existing object, I drew inspiration from my personal passion: books and traveling. This led to the start of the "Carried Away Series", a physical book featuring hidden compartments throughout its outer shell. The book prototype was created for the Creative Methodologies course at the University of Baltimore in Spring 2022.
The idea originated from a past trip where I travel alongside my book and used its pages to stash small trinkets or memories, including my plane ticket—an essential item for my journey. The idea was to design "the perfect book", something that would be useful during my travel. It needed to be lightweight, compact, and offer functional for both entertainment and practicality.
The prototype features several hidden compartments. When the book is closed, the spine is hollowed out with a push-and-pull mechanism, providing a discreet storage space for items like money or credit cards. Upon opening the book, the left side will include a seamless folder for small papers, such as receipts and business cards. At the back, there is a waterproof ziplock pouch, designed to protect any other important documents from the elements. The book's outer layer is made from a waterproof material, which can be transferred and applied to any book with similar dimensions, allowing customization for the user.
*Not featured in physical prototype is the "Carried Away" series.
**Carried Away is a variety of fiction books bases on traveling from different genres.
