A dual-mode desk lamp built on the idea that one lamp should do the work of two. Lift the bar for focused task lighting; close it and the monolithic form settles into a soft ambient glow.
TOOLS
Rhino
SolidWorks
KeyShot
Programming
3D Printing
Physical Modeling
Adobe Suite
ASSET
AR FORMAT
SCALE
RENDERER
FINDING 01
FINDING 02
FINDING 03
EXPENSIVE
COST EFFECTIVE
SPECIALIZED
MULTIPURPOSE
TIZIO
SOLARCYCLE DESK
MORPH
TALAK
DUO
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
The bottom right quadrant was empty. Every lamp that did more than one job priced itself out, and every affordable lamp settled for one.
MOOD BOARD
Tall figures with a metallic finish or frosted glass, set against a palette of warm whites.
FORM & FINISH
TALL
METALLIC
FROSTED
COLOR TEMPERATURE PALETTE
2700K
6500K
MIND MAPPING
Time, environment and task each led to a smart light, room light, and a productivity light. Multipurpose lighting sat where all three overlapped.
TIME
ENVIRONMENT
TASK
COMPETITOR TEARDOWN
Four desk lamps broken down on paper and costed part by part: LEDs, diffuser, arm mechanism, power supply and switch.
DYSON · ARTEMIDE
4 LAMPS / RAW MATERIAL COST ESTIMATE
Dyson Solarcycle Desk
Dyson Solarcycle Morph
Tizio Desk Lamp
Talak Professional Table
DYSON SOLARCYCLE DESK
Daylight tracking. Sensors and software carry most of the cost.
DYSON SOLARCYCLE MORPH
The only multipurpose lamp on the board, and among the priciest.
TIZIO DESK LAMP
Articulating arms. Precision hardware, one job.
TALAK PROFESSIONAL
Cheapest to build: an LED strip in an extruded aluminum body.
MUST HAVE
Adjustable brightness, set by the user
Task setting for working and reading
Ambient setting for mood
SHOULD HAVE
Fill setting for bounce lighting a room
Adjustable color temperature
COULD HAVE
Automatic color shift through sensors
Articulating arms for precise positioning
JOURNEY MAP
ONE EVENING, FOUR MOMENTS
01 OPEN
02 ADJUST
Brightness is set on a dial built into the lamp, and color temperature can be tuned to the task.
03 CLOSE
04 FADE
FORM STUDIES
Twenty quick 3D models from the rough sketches, to judge scale on a desk.
PRINTED FORMS
The strongest few printed, to hold, open and close by hand before committing.
SOLIDWORKS
RHINO
KEYSHOT
A SIMPLER PROFILE
After the monolithic studies, a pivot to a simpler, rounded-rectangle profile.
ROUNDED RECTANGLE / 5 VARIATIONS
SCALE TESTING
A cardboard model was made before 3D printing a model to check whether the scale and proportion made sense.
MODIFIED SCALE
The cardboard model proved too large, so the scale was shrunk in the next 3D printed prototype.
CARDBOARD PROTOTYPING
3D PRINTED PLA
SCALE PROTOTYPING
DIGITAL PROTOTYPING
A wide variety of interface designs were tested before settling on the far right model. I wanted to clearly distinguish the controls for ease of use and interaction.
HINGE DESIGN
A custom 180º friction hinge. The nut and bolt set the friction; the bearings keep the motion smooth. Inner gap designed to pass through cabling.
ORTHOGRAPHICS
Closed, the bar sits flush in the body. Opened, a pass-through lets light spill out the back, so ambient needs no second strip.
PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING
After digitally prototyping the interface, I landed on one I wanted to test physically. Multiple models were made to test tolerance and ergonomics.
WIRING INTERNALS
The wires ran through the internal aluminum extrusion channels to connect the light strip and the microcontroller. A rotary encoder and pushbutton make up the interface.
LIGHT PASS-THROUGH
Printed concentrically in clear PETG, so the closed lamp glows out the back.
MODULAR SHELL
The lamp was designed to be built from separate parts with an outer shell covering the mounting hardware and internal components.
MODEL ASSEMBLY
Assembly was easy as each part was made with proper tolerances and intentional parting lines throughout.
3D PRINTED PLA
SPRAY PAINTED GLOSS
INSPIRATION CREDITS
Alex Trimmingham
Daniel Lee
Emely Castro
Kyle Hagerty
SPECIAL THANKS
Kimberly Snyder
Noah Posner
Scott Gilliland