PHILIPS In-ears
Design: King Wong and Larry Koo
Project: Natalie Chan
With deep experience in audio and sports product design, KOODESIGN brought both worlds together with the design of these Philips headphones. When working alongside world-class brands, several key elements must be considered throughout the design process. Maintaining consistency across a product family range, creating a unique look and feel, including all required functionality, and adhering to brand guidelines are all crucial factors.
And of course, these design essentials should come together with simplicity and efficiency to deliver an optimized on-the-go product.
During the exploration phase we developed a wide range of form factor concepts that had to work and make sense in a tight design environment. Earphones offer a small canvas, so it’s crucial to make use of every design detail. Working with limited treatments (such as a single colour only and affordable materials) creates design boundaries, but this doesn’t limit creativity – in fact, often the opposite is true. Over-reliance on materials can actually create limitations, and textures alone do not equal quality design work. It’s important to remember the beautiful simplicity that plastics can achieve.
Creating products for sports is about balance – staying lightweight yet durable, comfortable yet secure – while maintaining a sense of style that blends with both technology and active wear. It’s all about that feeling of physicality. The smooth contours of the ear-hooks and the ridged profile provide an aesthetic treatment that accentuates a feeling of flowing movement and kinetic activity.
