Banano
‘Listen to Music Deliciously and Enjoy the Taste of Music in a Comfortable Mood’
inkel Design Contest 2014
Grand prize
Theme: Convergence
Section: A Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Designed by Jarim Koo
Introduction
There are thousands of different kinds of portable audio products in the world. Consumers are looking for products that can reveal their values and individualities rather than just focusing on high-quality sounds. A portable speaker is no longer merely a product through which people listen to music. It is a medium that provides music lovers with experiences beyond music.
Inspiration
Imagination is one of the special capabilities people have. For example, at the moment when picturing a drop or two of lemon juice dripping on your tongue, your mouth will water soon. Of course, such a conditioned reflex takes place in the range of experiences we already have. Likewise, all the sensory experiences we have are marked as memories in our brain. Then, what if such a sense of familiar experience were reflected on a certain product in a totally different domain by using this brain mechanism? Wouldn’t such a sensory stimulus come from the product?
Concept
Banano is a portable speaker designed with a banana adopted as its motive. By fusing our sensory experience of eating bananas onto a speaker, I designed this product with the metaphorical design expression, ‘Listen to Music Deliciously and Enjoy the Taste of Music in a Comfortable Mood’. I tried to provide unique and fun user experience by expanding a familiar sense into a product and stimulating consumers’ senses.
There are thousands of different kinds of portable audio products in the world. Consumers are looking for products that can reveal their values and individualities rather than just focusing on high-quality sounds. A portable speaker is no longer merely a product through which people listen to music. It is a medium that provides music lovers with experiences beyond music.
Inspiration
Imagination is one of the special capabilities people have. For example, at the moment when picturing a drop or two of lemon juice dripping on your tongue, your mouth will water soon. Of course, such a conditioned reflex takes place in the range of experiences we already have. Likewise, all the sensory experiences we have are marked as memories in our brain. Then, what if such a sense of familiar experience were reflected on a certain product in a totally different domain by using this brain mechanism? Wouldn’t such a sensory stimulus come from the product?
Concept
Banano is a portable speaker designed with a banana adopted as its motive. By fusing our sensory experience of eating bananas onto a speaker, I designed this product with the metaphorical design expression, ‘Listen to Music Deliciously and Enjoy the Taste of Music in a Comfortable Mood’. I tried to provide unique and fun user experience by expanding a familiar sense into a product and stimulating consumers’ senses.
An Expansion of Senses, Adding Values to a Speaker
‘Listen to Music Deliciously’
An experiential sense obtained by peeling a banana is reflected on a portable speaker, which provides consumers with fun and unique user experience and sensibility.
‘Listen to Music Deliciously’
An experiential sense obtained by peeling a banana is reflected on a portable speaker, which provides consumers with fun and unique user experience and sensibility.
Audio
With a 45mm large full-range speaker placed on the bottom and two passive radiators on the top, this speaker will help you enjoy high-quality sounds from deep and rich low-pitched sounds to clean high-pitched sounds as they are.
Flexible Functionality and Usability
Cover & Hanger
The frontal cover not only provides differentiated user experiences, but carries out basic functions, such as protecting the speaker grille from scratches and external impacts and even preventing foreign substances from coming into this speaker. Besides, when the powerful magnet (neodymium magnet) pad on the tip of the cover is placed to the other side of the body where another powerful magnet is embedded, it can be easily hung anywhere. Especially when used outdoors, it provides flexible usability.
* Nd magnet has strongest magnetic power out of all the permanent magnets, and it is easily transformed into a form that can be hung at a hanger.
Simple Aesthetics
The surface of Banano is made of silicon. By minimizing less-necessary functions and buttons and focusing on must-have functions, I designed this product as simply as possible with a feeling of uni-body. As a result, it can give neat and simple feelings and convey the image of this motive more intuitively and emotionally. Moreover, this simplest design provides a soft feeling of grip and great usability.
The surface of Banano is made of silicon. By minimizing less-necessary functions and buttons and focusing on must-have functions, I designed this product as simply as possible with a feeling of uni-body. As a result, it can give neat and simple feelings and convey the image of this motive more intuitively and emotionally. Moreover, this simplest design provides a soft feeling of grip and great usability.
External Port
On the side of this product, there are a C-type USB charging port and a 3.5mm jack connector. Besides, the silicon cover on the external port connection part will prevent foreign mattes from coming in the first place.
Pairing
Through Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC technology, you can easily conduct pairing with other smart devices. When a device does not support this pairing system, you can connect the cable to the AUX-In terminal on the side of this product.
Harmonious Functionality
‘Enjoy the Taste of Music in a Comfortable Mood.’
In the frontal side, this speaker has a subsidiary function of LED lighting, so it provides consumers with a chance to enjoy listening to music in a more comfortable mood at any dark place.
* The LED light button is inkel logo-shaped and located on the lower side.
Improvement of Brand Identity
Based on advanced speaker technology, inkel has released products with great designs, but it has kept a rather rough and static brand image for a long time. That’s why I added softness and bright sensibility to Banano, while sustaining the design identity of inkel, which is neat and simple. It will be a new and positive attempt for inkel to secure a new target group of customers.
Designed by Jarim Koo
