Breadth
Twelve loose directions spanning cylinders, wedges, soft mounds and slings — evaluated for stance, grip and control access.
Case study · Axon Labs design study
Portable smart speaker — Design Concept 01
An industrial design study for a portable speaker — from broad form exploration to a production-intent conical form in two CMF executions.
Designed as a product, not a render.
The study moves from broad form exploration to one buildable geometry: a stable tapered body, tactile volume keys at thumb height, status LEDs and a vented base — resolved with control placement and enclosure treatment that survive tooling and assembly.
Project outcomes
- Twenty-three sketched directions across two structured rounds, consolidated into one production-intent geometry.
- Two CMF executions developed on the same form — a warm-accent domestic variant and a monochrome architectural variant.
- Interaction resolved without a display: tactile volume keys, status LEDs and a top aperture.
The brief
A portable speaker with domestic presence.
Design a compact portable speaker that reads as an object for the home rather than an electronics accessory — approachable at arm’s length, quiet on a shelf and unmistakable in hand. The program was run as an internal Axon Labs design study.
Form exploration
Twenty-three directions, one geometry.
Two structured sketch rounds converged on a tapered cone: self-stable without feet, graspable with one hand, and with a natural top surface for interaction.
Refinement
Eleven variations within the tapered family, testing proportion, control placement and base treatments with CMF callouts.
The cone
Stable, one-hand graspable, omnidirectional presence and a clean top aperture — chosen for use and for manufacture.
Interaction
Controls you can find without looking.
Oversized volume keys sit on the front face at thumb height, four status LEDs read power and pairing at a glance, and the top aperture gives the product a clear focal point without a display.
CMF
Two executions of one form.
Warm accent
Charcoal textured body with signal-orange controls — domestic, friendly and legible from across a room.
Monochrome
All-graphite execution with white controls — recessive, architectural, at home in minimal interiors.
Design archive
From first sketch to context.
Discuss a confidential product program.
Tell us what must become technically and commercially real.