With so many tech products in the world already, Nolii aims to produce better quality products that have a meaningful impact on a product category and its users, with the ethos of “designing less, but better”. Having followed BLOND’s growth over the last few years, and aware that we share this ethos, Nolii commissioned BLOND to explore a conceptual look into updating the humble USB charger. The update needed to not only utilise the latest GaN technology but rethink how the product is used in modern, nomadic lifestyles.
Designed from the ground up, Wrap takes inspiration from insights into new ‘nomadic’ work-life, leisure and travel behaviours. We wanted to create a single statement charger that lives with you; at place in your home, office and on the go.
Services:
Ethnographic Research
Design Strategy
Industrial Design
Product Design
Visualisation
In designing the product, we were aiming to tackle a number of common pain points, including cables tangling (especially when transported), loose cables creating trip hazards (that could then damage the cable), and excess cable lengths creating mess near the wall sockets. We explored various ways of keeping cables in order, but still easily accessible, settling upon a simple system of wrapping the cable around the charger itself, before locking it into place. This ‘lock’ is achieved through a soft-touch silicone casing with grooves that the cable can press-fit into.
The quick and simple cable wrap is ideal for a more nomadic use of the GaN charger, while the soft-touch casing and use of bright, almost neon colours, give the product a bold and playful aesthetic that stands out from competitors and is recognisable from afar. Double USB-C ports work with the latest devices and will future-proof the product for years to come.
During the design process, we explored many different methods of attaching the cable-end to the charger, in order to keep it tidy and out of the way. In-house 3D prints allowed us to deploy an iterative approach where we tested dozens of different concepts in a short space of time.
