Stage: 3 of The Community Edition Project opened for submissions a few weeks ago. We challenged you all to create a unique packaging design that would house (2a) Community Edition when it goes on sale and gets shipped to customers!

We were looking for an idea that would complement our winning hardware concept by @Astrid and @Kenta … and our winning wallpaper concept by @Andres_123 .

Today, we are very excited to announce @Ian_H_Simmonds as our Stage 3: Packaging Design winner! 🥇

Ian, who is a freelance 3D Graphic Designer & Art Director from the UK, developed and submitted the winning concept: Less is More

"I specialize in apparel and fashion 3D design, but wanted to take part in the community co-creation project and after ‘life’ conspired against me for Stage 1 and 2, I finally made time for Stage 3.

In my submission ‘Less is More’, I wanted to take the established layout and aesthetic for the Phone (2a) packaging and give it a subtle, but disruptive development. I started by looking through Nothing’s design language and ways of deconstructing their forms and grids, whilst still keeping the unique and iconic aesthetic of the (2a) phone. This was also inspired by Stage 2 winner Andres’ process of creating a simplified, yet graphic form before working into the details.

In Cinema 4D & Redshift, I created a 3D product image that showed off the ‘dark mode’ of Astrid and Kenta’s Stage 1 design with a focus on texturing and beautiful details.

Each key phone element was rendered multiple times with different lighting schemes before being composited in Photoshop to create a striking final image." - Ian

‎

‎
To find our winning concept, the internal jury, comprised of @Ryan , Senior Director, Brand & Creative and Chris, Associate Principal Industrial Designer, shortlisted entries based on how closely they met the brief, their originality and their creative process. Community votes were consulted to find our final candidates and overall winner:

It’s been a privilege to be part of The Community Edition Project - and this stage was really fun. We were very impressed by a number of submissions but it was Ian’s that really stood out. It felt familiar to Nothing but also new and interesting, with the super-macro crop. Graphically, it was bold but with a welcome level of simplicity. There is something captivating about his use of a single camera lens, so large in frame. It plays on the original Phone (2a) narrative: Fresh Eyes. Also the use of UV materials was interesting yet restrained, which felt well-considered.

The simplicity here stood out, but in the end that will also be our challenge to execute it beautifully. Looking forward to working on this with Ian to bring it to life - Ryan

Ian will now dive into the co-creation process with our Brand & Creative team. Throughout the journey, his concept may evolve, so stay tuned for updates and behind-the-scenes content via our journal series.

Here’s what Ian had to say in response to being selected as our Stage: 3 winner:

Beyond excited to have made the final selection for the Packaging Design stage and cannot wait to work with the team at Nothing and the other stage winners to realise the final concept. This is something that is definitely outside of my comfort zone in terms of design discipline, so I cannot thank people enough for support and the positive feedback in the community. - Ian

‎Once again, a big thank you for everyone who submitted an entry to this stage and also to everyone who took the time to vote! As always, we will be sending a prize to a few runners-up as recognition for their work (be sure to check your emails).

So, what’s next?

The final stage of The Community Edition Project: Marketing Campaign, kicks off 10 July - stay tuned for the full brief! I hope you’ll join us in congratulating our Stage: 3 winner, @Ian_H_Simmonds 🎊 🤩

    Related discussions

    Lovely stuff! This is a great design, really eye-catching and makes me want to find out more - well executed! We’re getting so close to a release now! Looking forward to stage 4 and seeing it all come together 😄

    Many congratulations to you, Ian! 👏🏼

    This is a beautiful design and I cannot wait to see it hit the shelves in stores. All the best in the next stages of developing and realising your design.

    All the best to everyone who submitted in Stage 3, it was great to see your works over the weeks and once again, blown away by the talent and enthusiasm of this Community! 🔥

    Stage Four, the final stage. I cannot wait to see what certain members do with a marketing campaign, all the best for the next and final stage…

    Heartiest congratulations to Ian.

    This was a wonderful submission and I had a hunch that this would emerge as the winner.

    On the other hand I am extremely disappointed with my own self and my skillset. After participating in all prior stages - I thought I got really close this time, or at least I had done enough to secure a runnerup. I guess I have a lot to learn or maybe I’ll never be that good.

      flo_rahil Don’t be too disheartened, it’s all part of the process 🙏 I personally have really liked your designs so far, so please don’t give up just yet. Remember, there are lots of factors that the judges are considering when awarding winners, so it might be that other designs just suited more to what they were looking for. Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing what you come up with next 🎉

          Absolutely delighted and can’t thank people enough for the kind words…..

          @flo_rahil - Please don’t be disappointed, I voted for your design, as I felt it was a really fun and bold solution to the brief and really on brand…to be honest, I decided to work on the close up crops after seeing your submission as it seemed futile to use the same - traditional - layout as you 🙂 As an older designer, I’ve lost count of how many project submissions I’ve entered over the years and not gotten close to selection, even when I’ve felt really good about what I’ve created. Good luck with Stage 4 ✌️ Keep keeping on,

            flo_rahil There’s nothing to be disappointed about. You’re doing a great job. I loved your concept idea, #TwoHeadsAreBetterThanOne. It was simple yet creative, especially with the well-made video. Remember, the process, execution, and participation matter more than winning. Having the mindset of “I have a lot to learn” is fantastic and will lead to many successes in the future. Trust me, telling yourself “I’ll never be that good” is a massive lie. You are capable of achieving greatness.

                Louis ☕️ Ian_H_Simmonds RohitPakalapati

                I genuinely appreciate all the comments Rohit, Louis and Ian. It’s just how my brain is wired - I tend to doubt myself a lot and consistently go through life with a chip on my shoulder (likely due to prior life experiences). While these type of comments are great and I genuinely and sincerely appreciate them. A win or even a runner up would have been some much needed cemented validation to quiet the voices in my head. But it is what it is…

                I cannot be so selfish to take this moment away from you, Ian (Thank you for your kind words) This thread is about your win and your wonderful design. I’ll study it and I will apply the knowledge to my future works. Please enjoy this, you sincerely have earned it.