You design, Ponoko builds (plus the 10-day jewelry challenge)
If you’re the type who loves to design but not necessarily to build, it’s time to familiarize yourself with Ponoko. Self-billed as the world’s first “personal manufacturing platform,” the site allows users to design their projects or products online, have the necessary parts custom-cut from Ponoko’s vast catalog of materials, and shipped right to their door for assembly at home (ambitious creators can even sell the plans for their wares).
Ready to get started? This weekend, Ponoko announced its 10-Day Jewelry Design Challenge. Here are guidelines, in brief: entries should be creatable with a laser cutter, unique and original, and made from materials from the Ponoko catalog. And be sure to pay attention to detail, consider the feasibility of production, and use interesting materials, as those elements will play a key role in distinguishing your design from the crowd. Designers who make the top 25 will have their piece manufactured for free and be invited to compete for cold hard cash in the final round.
But as the name of the contest suggests, you don’t have much time to enter: the deadline is March 10, 2008. Step to!
[Pictured above: a rocking horse by Stuff, a CD rack by saniac, and bird necklaces by SuperVery, all designed using Ponoko.]
