Brand concept, direction and product range for Acland Holdings, New Zealand. (pre-production)
The launch range and concept for a new brand of home wares for New Zealand based company Acland. Taking the typical holiday home (New Zealanders call them a Bach) as a starting point to create a basic set of elements for eating indoors and out. The aim was to create an informal collection of tableware that referenced outdoor living while using domestic materials like ceramic and glass to build a range that could form the core items necessary for Bach living.
The range included a serving set made up of ovenproof ceramic dish, wooden lid (that doubles as platter or trivet), and mesh insert that could be used as a protective fly-screen or colander. Stackable drinking vessels were made from double walled ceramic and borosilicate glass to insulate drinks and a basic range of plate and bowls were also produced-all in no- prescriptive sizes of small, medium and large. Colour stories and textures are defined by the New Zealand landscape and pattern references camping equipment.
BACH
(with Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer)
Brand direction, identity, art direction, product briefs and production of a range of luggage, travel accessories and umbrellas.
A dying German brand, Kobold, had been bought by an entrepreneur Chinese umbrella manufacturer; his goal was to reinvent Kobold as a brand that would be able to compete in a western design-lead market.
Based in Xiamen, China, the project began with initial ideas of where the brand could ‘live’ in the market place; the plan was to create objects driven by the context of regular international travel. This particular type of travelling informed every aspect of the brand from the briefs, colour stories and special functional aspects to design details, point of sale literature display systems and packaging.
KOBOLD
With David Haythornthwaite
The X1 range of umbrellas was developed by David and Andrew Haythornthwaite for a well established umbrella manufacturer, Knirps, in Germany. The brief for this project was to design the world’s smallest umbrella to date.
Included in the project was a point of sales display system that individually held the umbrellas, and a waterproof EVA case that kept the umbrella dry when in your bag or car. The mechanisms of the umbrella as to how it was opened and closed were also revisited from a fresh perspective, resulting in a patented system the eliminated a catch to hold the runner in place.
KNIRPS
Lomak (light operated mouse and keyboard) is designed for people that have difficulty with, or are unable to use, a standard computer keyboard and mouse. A hand or head pointer controls a beam of light that highlights then confirms the key or mouse functions on the keyboard. By confirming each key, only the correct selection is entered, which reduces errors and increases input speed.
