Even those who have not read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" almost know the story of the Peach Garden Oath. Liu Bei is far sighted, Guan Yu's loyalty is boundless,
while Zhang Fei is a brave and impulsive figure. At first glance, everyone's direct reaction to Zhang Fei is: You look so different from the novel! No,
with such a cultured appearance, you look more like a teacher. Half of Zhang Fei's identity is indeed a teacher. He graduated from industrial design and returned to this major to teach knowledge.
When he first entered university, Zhang Fei was attracted to this major. "It's a direction I like." For seven or eight years after graduating from university,
he taught while doing product design for some foreign trade companies. For a product designer, having more than 70 products that were finally put into production was already a good achievement,
but Zhang Fei eventually broke away and set out as a truly independent entrepreneur.
1. Invention made by boiling water with fever
In the "original design" studio, the most prominent position is not the sales champion wooden lamp, but rows of display devices,
with hooks hanging below the display devices and hanging bottles commonly seen in hospitals. If someone who is not familiar with Zhang Fei forcefully pushes open the door and takes a look,
they are usually startled, thinking that they have entered some laboratory of a scientific monster.
Standing in front of this instrument, Zhang Fei's smile was both shy and proud. For this row of instruments, he visited thousands of hospitals,
and even without channels or sales experience, he was rejected by thousands of people. After designing this instrument, he was once hit hard.
"When I went to apply for a medical device license, the receptionist told me that this instrument had no classification to put in."
The voices of opposition from his family and friends around him formed an offensive, hoping that he could continue to do the previous foreign trade product design.
Establishing a company, registering patents, and expanding sales channels are all areas that Zhang Fei, as a designer, has never ventured into.
He transformed from a simple product designer to a product manager and entrepreneur.
If it weren't for the fever in 2008, Zhang Fei wouldn't have thought of taking this step. Going to the hospital alone after getting sick is a situation that many people will experience:
hanging water alone, feeling sleepy and wanting to sleep, but still having to watch the condition of the hanging bottle on top, otherwise there is still a little danger.
In the cycle of falling asleep and forcing himself to wake up, Zhang Fei suddenly had the concept of an infusion monitoring device in his mind.
Using an instrument to monitor the remaining time, drip rate, and even remote control to stop and continue infusion can solve many problems.
One is the inconvenience for patients, who can hang water with peace of mind, and the other provides convenience for hospitals, reducing work omissions.
Zhang Fei was not blind. He first conducted a lot of research and investigation into the market situation of his "imaginary product".
"I secretly went to the hospital to observe the work habits of nurses, and I even bought a plane ticket to fly to the medical expo that year to see the trends of various manufacturers."
As a result, Zhang Fei found that no hospital at home or abroad used such equipment, and no medical device manufacturer produced this instrument.
If he wanted to do it, he might be the first person to eat the crab. "Later, I found a few technical people and everyone worked together to make this“
Although this infusion monitoring system has not yet been widely popularized, Zhang Fei is full of confidence in it: "In the future, it will definitely enter major hospitals."
Several large-scale medical companies received rumors early on to contact Zhang Fei and expressed interest in purchasing this infusion monitoring system,
but Zhang Fei is not interested in it. He believes that this product will definitely usher in its own development opportunities at the most suitable time.
2. Make gendered lights
In 2011, Zhang Fei's "infusion monitoring system" entered a normal and stable development period, and he also settled in Hangzhou,
so he began to free up time to do things that he was truly interested in. Wood has always been a material that I really like, "so it's no surprise that Zhang Fei's" Original Design "launched its first product,
the" Original Wood "series. In fact," Original Design "was established as early as 2004, when Zhang Fei was teaching in Ningbo while taking orders to do some product design.
During this period," Original Design "was defined by Zhang Fei as a design team, not a brand," because they only did some exterior design for external orders, without autonomy
Zhang Fei encountered the same difficulties as all designers, including those who insisted on their own way and those who repeatedly requested modifications.
Collecting design ideas from Party A, Zhang Fei started designing. After the design was finalized, the manufacturer put it into production, and the product had nothing to do with him.
I want to know some sales data, user feedback, and user experience, but I can't directly access them.
Zhang Fei also wants to try some new designs, but there is basically no such space. For example, if you design a bathroom heater with a base and four light bulbs,
and the client says that none of these can be moved, then there is very little I can do
Zhang Fei once took an order for an art knife, and he redesigned it to extend other functions when using it. But in this way, it involves remaking the mold. "T
he first party did not agree because this would increase the cost. Their idea is to just make their own art knife with a good one, and there is no need to add any additional functions
Compared to hardware materials, wood may be more in line with Zhang Fei's design philosophy, and the cost of modifying the design is lower.
When designing the first lighting fixture, Zhang Fei did not expect it to receive such a large market response. As the Chinese New Year approached,
Zhang Fei spent a short amount of time designing a desk lamp made mainly of wood to personally give some gifts to his friends as a token of gratitude.
Not only was the result very popular, but his friends also strongly encouraged him to produce another batch.
At the beginning, they didn't even have names. "It wasn't until the photographer came to take product photos that they saw two lamps of the same design but with slightly different base designs.
So they named the straight one 'man', while the one with a sunken waist was called 'woman'. Unconsciously,
this coincides with a design philosophy that Zhang Fei has always believed in, "Many products should actually have gender." Although gender neutrality seems to be the current trend,
men wear feminine clothing, and women also love cars with strong masculine qualities.
However, people of different genders still have some subtle differences in the use of popular products like desk lamps. Although it is small, Zhang Fei hopes to reflect this.
3. Fold the wooden head like folding paper
Zhang Fei confidently told his customers in his sales copy that the wood grain in front of you is the only one in the world, and there can't be the second one exactly the same.
When making the first wooden lamp, Zhang Fei found a master from a wood processing factory to design and make a sample, and the resulting wood grain gave Zhang Fei a great surprise.
Gradually, Zhang Fei continued to search for several types of wood, trying to scrutinize the grain and texture of different woods.
Finally, the white wax wood imported from the United States became the main material of the "original design". 'Touch me' has also become a tempting slogan for their product,
and the designer encourages customers to touch the wood in order to perceive the true charm of this lighting fixture.
I have always believed that product design is not about pursuing the best look or comfort, but about pursuing uniqueness.
It should start from usage needs, and everyone's needs are different. Just focus on a small group of people.
The small group of people that Zhang Fei was able to capture initially emerged from the internet. Zhang Fei put the "man" and "woman" desk lamps on the internet,
which was different from designing for foreign trade factories before. He immediately received a lot of feedback. Sales data and evaluations appeared on his computer screen at the first time.
Zhang Fei is a person who pursues perfection, which is also a quality that all excellent product designers possess.
Because we are using online sales channels, packaging and logistics are very important. Despite the demand for packaging that is "as sturdy and durable as possible",
Zhang Fei has not given up on the design of packaging boxes. The brand packaging box of "Bela Design" has two side holes, making it convenient for couriers
or customers to hold it in both hands. The placement of the lamp posts, light bulbs, and lampshades inside the box is carefully arranged, separated by folded cardboard for protection.
"To verify this effect, I threw them to the ground desperately from the beginning." The instruction manual also follows a simple style, with a set of pictures to solve the installation problem.
Apart from indicating the sequence of steps, there is no text.
After installation, the wooden series desk lamps are not as stable and parallel to the ground as ordinary desk lamps. The lampshade can tilt to show a 45 degree angle to the ground,
like a small person with a crooked head. Wood was originally alive, "Zhang Fei believes, which is a significant difference between natural wood and other materials.
Another "origami lamp" cleverly incorporates origami elements into the design of the lamp post. When I was in college, my favorite thing was composition,
and in composition class, I loved origami the most. After polishing, the white wax wood became a series of edges, presenting different corners under different angles of light.
Looking at the lamp I designed, it's like seeing the bumps and downs I've experienced, but I still believe that sharp edges are also needed in this society
4. Let design solve the requirements
People who like wooden lighting fixtures should also have milder and more low-key requirements for light and atmosphere. After someone proposed it,
Zhang Fei made improvements and replaced the lampshade of this wooden desk lamp from the original nylon fabric material to cotton and linen material.
He firmly believes that design is about solving the relationship between products and people. When the relationship changes or there are inappropriate aspects, that's what designers need to do.
Wood and light have always been a relationship that Zhang Fei is very willing to express in his design. The light from the lamp must not be too dazzling. "
Because the position of the desk lamp is relatively low, when people stand, the light from the bulb may still stimulate the human eye from bottom to top.
Therefore, Zhang Fei specially added a" lampshade top "to this unsealed lampshade to maximize the temperature of the light. If users want stronger lighting,
they can also take away this" lampshade top "in a timely manner.
The newly launched smiling puppet may seem like an ordinary ornament, but the real key is set in its middle, with a small magnet that can absorb small things such as paper clips.
This is a problem that ordinary office workers will encounter in the office. Small paper clips are often needed, but storage is very inconvenient. I also encountered it, so I went ahead and did it
The candle stand is also designed with a unique style, uneven height, and can be completely inverted up and down, with candles placed at both ends for use.
The discovery of this usage requirement also comes from Zhang Fei's observation: "
I found that people who like to use candles like to play with emotions and prefer different combinations of high and low
Originally designed "now has over a dozen products, but Zhang Fei is very casual and does not give any deliberate names to his products.
In addition to the desk lamps "man" and "woman", a floor lamp is called a floor lamp, an alarm clock is called an alarm clock, and a candle stand is also called a candle stand.
Zhang Fei, who has been doing foreign trade orders for seven or eight years, finally arrived at an unexpected good starting point.
The infusion monitoring system and wooden series products have achieved good market results, which has freed him from the previous awkward situation and made him eager to try more products he likes.
