Interview with Shari Swan
Interview with Syntes Studio
Interview with Shari Swan
Q: You’ve just launched the O2 Cocoon, the result of a collaboration between you, O2 and Syntes Studio. What’s the deal with the Streative Design Blueprint?
Our strategy bridges the gap between creatives and the client and confronts the design churn that is suffocating the consumer. Working closely with designers and clients such as Syntes and O2 puts us “in the bubble” from where we can navigate and make sure that consumer wants are integrated directly into products. Anything we can do to help inject life into otherwise cold and inanimate objects.
Q: What does “In the Bubble” mean?
“In the bubble” is a phrase used by air traffic controllers to describe their state of mind, among their glowing screens and flows of information, when they are in the flow and in control. This metaphor was coined by John Thackara as the title of his amazing book, In the Bubble: Designing in a
Complex World. In the bubble is actually the sweet spot, especially in a world were we’re surrounded by complex systems and choices, leaving us feeling tharn most of the time.
Q: Tharn?
Going tharn describes the act of a person or animal being frozen in terror, e.g. a deer caught in the headlights. Believe it or not - but this is how most consumers feel when faced with technology today. In fact, consumers are going tharn in the multitude of shops and super markets as we speak from the pure excess of choice.
Q: Give me a break. Yet another company religiously bound to simplicity?
Nope. We’ve taken it a step further with the notion of Simplexity. This trend is not just about dumbing down technology. Rather, about creating a veneer of simplicity around truly complex inner workings. I believe that if you don’t get it within three seconds, chances are you never will. It’s all about first impressions.
Q: Awesome. You’ve identified the problem. Now bring on the solution.
As Thackara suggests, let’s start by regaining appreciation and respect for what people can do that tech can’t. We call it humanizing hardware. We completely re-evaluate the definition of luxury, toss out any outdated ideas on how status is measured and embrace a brave new consumer; The New Sophisticate.
Interview with the Swedes
Syntes Studio is an industrial design agency based in Stockholm, Sweden. While the industrial design community in general either obeys the modernistic laws of “form follows function” or merely adds a top layer of product styling, Syntes Studio is more interested in the role products play in the relation between consumers and brands.
Q: Storytelling through Design is your mantra. Say what?
Our philosophy is simple – products are the best possible vehicles for brand messages.
We aim to translate and synthesize consumer insights, brand values and global trends into product ideas that are relevant, memorable, disruptive and that have a compelling story to tell.
Q: It seems you guys were part of a unique project synergy. How did that work?
The project was carried out in close collaboration with Streative Branding, who have created a unique design blueprint for O2 and other clients. Streative bridges the gap between the consumer on the street and the overall design process. From this sweet spot they work closely with the client and the designers to ensure that the product is ‘experience focused’ rather than stereotyped.
Q: Experience focused agency meets design through story telling… The perfect marriage or the odd couple out?
We all know that any good marriage needs time, patience and let’s be honest: blood, sweat and tears! Streative and O2 approached us to develop a design concept for O2’s own branded phones. The bleeding edge design inspiration came straight from the streets via Streative’s Super Moles. The Mole network consists of strategically placed vanguards, who embody influential brand insight. They are the savvy leaders of cultural movements and trail blazers in the worlds of design, fashion, arts, music and technology. Their stories were briefed to the design team, who translated these within the O2 brand framework to form the overall design platform of the project - “A Life Within”.
Q: Tell us about the Cocoon…
A huge challenge in this project was to translate the O2 brand into tangible and tactile experiences. The idea of the Cocoon concept was to create a form factor that could seamlessly switch between three modes: music player, phone and alarm clock. To achieve this, a new kind of clamshell phone was invented with a seamless hinge-instead of the usual ‘two halves joined together’.
The seamlessness of the form combined with the story of a Life Within formed the foundation for the name ‘O2 Cocoon”. The Life Within is conveyed by the clear contrast between inside and “outside”, the de-bossed symbols and the hidden exterior LED-display that “speaks to the user” by displaying personal messages such as “good morning” or “incoming call”. This kind of personal interaction and whimsical surprises epitomize how Syntes Studio strives to add soul and emotion to all their designs, thereby strengthening the relation between the product and the user.
The O2 Cocoon portrays several innovative features that add to the user experience, such as the scroll-wheel in the hinge, the stereo speakers on both sides and a unique battery cover release. The climax of the user experience happens when the user docks the O2 Cocoon in its “Nest”. At this point big clock digits automatically light up on the LED display and the device turns into a radio alarm clock.
For a deep dive into the full story download the booklet ‘A Life Within’
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