FLOW
Sauli Flander Industrial Design BA program Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
WHO AM I? My name is Sauli Flander and I am a second year Industrial Design student at Aalto University Shool of Arts, Design and Architecture. When it comes to design, I consider myself mostly a minimalist. I appreciate simplicity, intuiviness and usability. However, I am aware that with minimalism, it is always a fine line between simple & great and simply boring. Every coin has two sides. While I loathe pure styling and streamlining of a product, I still think that people would not be comfortable in a world of pure Bauhaus and order either. Despite being simple and to the point, my designs are usually distinguished by something subtle, a ”catch” if you will, that breaks the sheer minimalism and makes the result so much more intriguing. I am also an avid musican — playing drums in a band and guitar at home — and a music-loving audiophile. Therefore the question of what does music mean to me was certainly a mesmerizing one.
ABOUT FLOW Through recent technological advancements — e.g. cloud streaming and portablity — music has become the default, following us anywhere we go. Music is accessible to anyone. But still, my most meaningful moments with music are the ones where I get completely absorbed in the sound. When the music just sounds so good that I forget everything else. In a way, completely focused, but at the same time not focusing to anything at all. To me, this can happen as I’m listening to music while painting. Or as I’m playing an instrument. Or merely as I’m lying flat with no distraction between me and the audio. To me, that’s music at it’s best.
on not focusing. Apart from music, I associate this meditative quality with the sea. Whether calm, rippling, rough or stormy, the sea always has a certain rhytm to hang on to. When sitting on a pier or a beach, watching the waves, I easily get immersed to the moment and meditated by the steady rhythm. All senses alert but still largely unfocused. I hope to share this association with the people who get to experience the A9 FLOW. From brief moments in the busy weekdays to dedicated sunday listening events, the musical flow is an experience worth having. Over and over again. Experiencing music is more meaningful through the FLOW state of mind.
But how to convey such a deliberate state of mind by design? The design needs to convey associations in a subtle way — instead of distracting the listener, it attracts them gently to focus
Sauli Flander Industrial Design BA program Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Sauli Flander Industrial Design BA program Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
MOODBOARD It all begins with gathering inspiration. In my workflow, this phase is usually much more oriented towards benchmarking, in other words getting inspired by what others have done. This project called for a entirely different approach, hence I concentrated on clarifying the emotion I wanted to encapsulate in my design.
All the pictures shown here can be found with links to their copyright holders on my Pinterest board. http://www.pinterest.com/saulif/bo-moodboard/
SKETCHING
Sauli Flander Industrial Design BA program Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
The sketching phase was surprisingly straightforward. I had a pretty clear idea of what kind of a mood I was after, so it was just a matter of making that mood understandable and infectious. In this phase it is crucial to ask for input from the people around you to get new perspective on things. So questions like “do you like this more than that, why?� are a good way to break out of the box.
BACK PLASTIC PARTS Painted in Pantone Black C and then matt lacquered. What more can you ask for?
FABRIC Printed black & white piece of the fading sea. At the first sight, it looks like a mere gradient. But when you get closer, you begin to see all the subtle layers and shapes that form the entirety. In the same way than with music: the more closely you listen to a song, the more details you begin to hear.
LEGS The legs utilize the same basic shape and construction as in the A9 Nordic Sky edition to make proceeding into production more straightforward. Made from birch. The upper part is then painted gently in Pantone Black C and matt lacquered with wisible wood structure. The bottom part is oiled to preserve the wood.
ALUMINIUM RING Anodised in the light rosĂŠ color of Pantone 705 to introduce the subtle element of charm.
Sauli Flander Industrial Design BA program Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture