Stage 1 Voting Now Closed - The Community Edition Project

There are some amazing designs to choose from - shame we can only choose one! The quality of the mock-ups is incredible too.

My entry, the (a)-to-zen edition, got added on the last day. I tried not to design something too personal, or similar to what already exists from Nothing and other manufactures. Instead, I want to see something less techy, not glossy (i.e. matte), and uses colours and textures found in the natural world (not the usual black/white/grey). Whilst many of Nothing’s products seem to take cues from fashion, for my CE concept I looked to interior design & architecture - specifically that which is inspired by nature. There are lots of styles and finishes I would like to incorporate, but of particular note, looking back to the form of the (2a) I started to see how the shapes and lines found in Japanese zen-gardens (Karesansui) would be a very good fit. Three of the design principals of zen-gardens is asymmetry, balance, and symbolism, all of which apply to the design on the back of the (2a). Being more ‘zen’ with nature also links nicely with Nothing’s mission to help people be less absorbed by their smartphone, and more environmentally conscious. Although I am not suggesting the final design of the (2a) CE should look like a miniature garden, à la Polly Pocket, incorporating the beautiful lines, colours and textures would be eye-catching and unique. Also, to hide the manmade screws that would throw off the au naturel design, I would refer to Japanese wood joinery – Sashimono – which is both a simple and highly complex technique for assembling wooden structures without nails.

Anyway, hope you like my entry. Fingers crossed it gets a few votes. It might struggle because I did not include a flashy mock-up (I don’t have the mad CAD skillz everyone here seems to have ), but I trust the internal juries can, with a bit of imagination, see where I am going with my ‘nature-inspired architecture’ concept, which I created to appeal to everyone around the world, from all walks of life: (a)-to-z.