Recently, I found this really interesting and thorough 3 part article series on prototyping with cardboard. Part one is the introduction, part two covers cutting, and part three covers shaping techniques. The best part of this series are the tables of products that breakdown cost, pros, cons, and best type of cardboard to use them on.
I had honestly never thought about prototyping with cardboard before, and this series even gives tips on where to find it for free.
Besides looking around your house, there are a few ways to get cardboard for free. Ask you local grocery stores and supermarkets (Walmart, Costco) if they have boxes to spare. Best timing is in the middle of the day or in the evening when staff is stocking shelves and hence emptying boxes.
For large size free cardboard: try kitchen stores, bike stores and dollar stores. However, many stores are not allowed to give away boxes because they have agreements with recycling centers.
2 online free cardboard resources:
- Craigslist: look up “free moving boxes”
- uHaul exchange program: a directory of people who just moved out and want to get rid of boxes
Free cardboard is cool because, well, it’s free but it’s not always the best for prototyping as it comes already used, folded and printed on.
For better prototypes, you will need clean large sheets of cardboard with a neutral tone or in plain color. I detail below the main types of cardboard (cardstock, chipboard, corrugated and honeycomb) and where to find each of them.
Images from Making Society
For the full series, start here with part one on Making Society.
