[Essay of My Heart]

Conversation with AI: A Story of Designing a Pencil Holder

Last year, I experimented with laser engraving out of curiosity and created a wooden desktop piece to hold office supplies (see the image). 

Since then, I’ve decided to try designing a pencil holder using generative artificial intelligence (GAI). Over time, my desk had become cluttered with various writing tools, so I thought it would be interesting to design a product that could neatly store them.

To start, I considered the following four design requirements: 1) Ten holes for writing instruments 2) Holes of varying sizes and depths, 3) Use of heavy, dark-colored wood, 4) A sloped structure where the back is higher than the front.

Based on these requirements, I sketched a rough design on paper (see below).

Next, I input these requirements into a generative AI and asked it to produce a design image. The GAI then generated the following image (see below).

The result turned out to be quite different from my original intent—what it gave me was a brick-shaped pencil holder. So, I asked the GAI for more specific ideas on how to make the pencil holder more stable, as I considered that one of the most important design factors. The AI proposed the following solutions:

• Widen the base: Increasing the base width lowers the center of gravity, making it less likely to tip over.
• Attach non-slip pads to the bottom: Adding rubber or silicone pads improves stability by preventing sliding on the desk.
• Add rear weight: Inserting a flat metal plate at the back shifts the center of gravity backward, improving stability.
• Use triangular or trapezoidal side structures: A design where the front is narrower and the back is wider naturally shifts the weight backward, improving balance.
• Optimize hole arrangement: Place larger holes for heavier tools (scissors, rulers, markers) in the back row and smaller holes for pencils in the front to balance the distribution of weight.
• Use denser wood: Choosing heavier woods like walnut or mahogany naturally increases the weight, enhancing stability.
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The GAI also mentioned that it could draw an updated blueprint reflecting one of these suggestions, so I asked it to describe a pencil holder with a triangular or trapezoidal structure. The GAI then provided a step-by-step guide for designing a trapezoid-shaped pencil holder:

• Side profile design: Make the side profile trapezoidal (front height: approx. 6cm, rear height: approx. 10cm) to create a natural slope that improves stability.
• Base design: Widen the base (e.g., from 5cm to 7–8cm) and attach four anti-slip rubber pads to the underside.
• Hole layout: Place larger and deeper holes in the back row (for scissors, markers, rulers), and smaller ones in the front (for pencils, mechanical pencils). Hole depths should increase toward the back (front: 4cm, back: 7cm).
• Center of gravity design: Make the rear section thicker and insert dense wood or a small metal plate inside to shift the center of gravity backward.
• Material and finish: Use dark wood such as walnut or mahogany, and finish with matte oil to highlight the natural grain.
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Kindly, the GAI even explained how to draw this by hand, giving three simple instructions:

1. Draw a rectangle, lower the front height and raise the back to form a trapezoid.
2. Draw 10 holes on the top in two rows, marking differences in size and depth.
3. Emphasize the trapezoidal side profile and mark four non-slip pads on the bottom.

The AI also offered further step-by-step help if I wished to draw a sketch with a pencil. Below is a hand-drawn-style sketch of a stable, trapezoid-structured pencil holder, generated directly by the GAI. While it’s clear that GAI still struggles to fully reflect nuanced user requirements in image generation, there is significant room for improvement in the future.

Whenever the user says, “generate an image,” the AI can repeatedly create images. If the user has additional modifications or requests, the AI can incorporate those into the design and continue generating improved versions until the user is satisfied.

Through this simple experiment, I attempted to design a pencil holder through a collaborative conversation between human and AI. While the next step in design would naturally be production—and it could be done with a robot, I personally believe that completing the final product with a human touch is more meaningful. Therefore, I plan to work together with a professional woodworker I’ve had a long-standing relationship with, to create the final piece through our own “human dialogue,” based on everything I’ve envisioned and tested so far.

I’m quite excited to see what form the finished pencil holder will ultimately take.

June 11, 2025

Solti