I'm going to be going on my first international flight to Paris this spring. Last night I was browsing the web, trying to find a neck wallet for the airport that was not UGLY.
I really liked this cool "F1 Safety Passport" holder decorated with graphics from a flight safety instruction card. But, I was looking for one to hang around my neck while in the airport, and this had no strap. So, I decided to make my own!
I actually happened to have an airline safety card in my studio, and some clear vinyl I bought for some other Junk Mail Gems product development, which were the main materials. I used some green ribbon that was left over from a previous project, a couple metal rivets to thread the neck strap through, and one of those spring loaded things to adjust the strap from some other item I had recycled.
I approached it like any other product design project I've had. I gathered together the documents I need in the airport, and did some experimenting, building a prototype with scratch paper and tape first. I put some string on it, wore it, and figured out how I wanted it to work before making the final product.
Above: The front flap opens with a velcro piece to reveal two clear pockets. One holds my driver's license, and the other is for whatever else I need...cash, credit cards, etc.
Below: The rest of the wallet folds open to reveal a pocket accessible from the side, large enough to hold cash, my passport, and any folded travel documents/tickets. There are also two more pockets on the inside face to hold cards.
All faces of the safety card are enclosed in clear vinyl, and trimmed with ribbon.
I am thinking that a travel neck wallet would make a great addition to my Junk Mail Gems line. I'll definitely be adding it to my list! However, I want to take this one on a test run this spring, and find out how else I might improve it before making some out of junk mail! I'll keep you posted!
