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Beautiful, Neo-Rams-ian Audio Product Designs

By industrial designers Nicolai Toma and David Knop, a/k/a Studio Issue

By Rain Noe - June 4

in Object Culture

These beautiful audio objects are by industrial designers Nicolai Toma and David Knop. Collectively the duo operate as Issue Design, based in Berlin. This first one is a concept:

Desk Radio

"The desk radio is a design sketch to research proportions, surface materials and behaviour between physical movement and visual feedback. Its form factor is partly inspired by the Braun HiFi collections of the 60s and 70s, designed by Dieter Rams. This applies to the speaker cover and the clear layout design, for example. The stone-like surface makes the radio look like a decorative object that can be placed on a desk or shelf, creating a harmonious image in combination with its surroundings. The monochrome gray tone, which was also chosen for the display, emphasises the minimalist and understated look."

"In addition to the display, the radio features two buttons and an encoder as user interface, which are made of the same material as the rest of the radio. The encoder controls various functions of the radio such as volume, frequency search or slot change, which can be selected via the buttons. When the encoder is turned, the display directly above the knob shows visual feedback. This is to give the user the feeling of a natural and physical interaction."

The second one was designed for Katalog Equipment, a German startup manufacturer of audio products.

katapult

"katapult is a stand-alone portable DJ device with hands on mixing- and effect controls. You can connect any music sources via bluetooth or cable and start mixing instantly. The system is independent from streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music or Youtube and there is no need of preinstallation or registration."

Sadly, there's no description for this last one:

I know it's subjective, but to me, this object looks like what Daft Punk sounds like.

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Dee An

5 months ago

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They've missed a trick - it should be possible to depress the main knob so that it sits flush with the case for when the user wishes to put it in a bag. The push to depress / push to proud mechanism could double as the power switch.
The designers say it is a desk / wall radio (i.e. not a 'portable' ), but it seems odd to inconvenience the user who wishes to take it to different locations.

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Alan Nomoto

5 months ago

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BTW, it's Hex Drive, not Hex Head you're confused with.

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Dee An

5 months ago

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1. Using one encoder for both frequency and volume is shit. Just use two encoders. Or as normal people might call them, a volume knob and a channel knob.
2. 'Stone-like' finish looks shit. A textured hard anodisation would be okay (honesty of materials, hard wearing) but this uneven faux marble finish looks shit.
3. The handle doesn't use a bolt with a hex head, but a spangled anti-tamper bolt. Why? No sensitive parts are exposed if the user should choose to remove the handle. It's pretentious.
4. The second object has smooth knobs. Not useful.

5. In the last twenty years, this design language [Rams mixed with 'cassette futurism'] has been used in thoughtful and successful products from iRiver to Teenage Engineering. This duo are late to the bandwaggon.
6. If you do a Google image search on the mystery last object, you'll find a close-up image of the orange part on some Instagram account. It has 9 stylised waveforms on it corresponding to 9 dots on the display. It might be an unusably small display or it might be some data cartridge (because physical media is cool?).

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- Aidan O' Sullivan
  
  Dee An
  
  5 months ago
  
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  1.) I actually prefer the idea of one knob, how often you change channel vs. how often you change volume means its more practical to have a single knob so you can easily adjust the volume without accidentally bumping the channel. It also makes your use of the design more intentional instead of mindlessly flicking through channels.
  
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  - Dee An
    
    Aidan O' Sullivan
    
    5 months ago
    
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    For sure, after all, the designers did say it was an 'experiment.'
    However, the scenario that comes to mind is this: If the user wishes to quickly lower the volume, they may inadvertently change the radio frequency / channel instead if they have forgotten what state it is in. Instead of silence, the user gets static or a random station. This would be a source of user irritation.
    Having two knobs allows for the user's muscle memory to develop. On a Sony transistor radio, (of a vintage that actually uses a tuning knob instead of auto tune buttons) the two knobs will usually be of different sizes and asymmetrically placed, to reinforce the distinction.
    
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- Dee An
  
  Dee An
  
  5 months ago
  
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  So no, this junk is not Ramsian because it disregards Rams' Principles of Design on several fronts. Jony Ive's classic 'Cheesegrater' Mac Pro *is* Ramsian because it does follow the principles. To do so takes a lot of work.
  
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  - Alan Nomoto
    
    Dee An
    
    5 months ago
    
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    Wow...
    
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- N G
  
  Dee An
  
  5 months ago
  
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  3. Looks like standard torx
  
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  - Dee An
    
    N G
    
    5 months ago
    
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    And neither of the two main reasons to use Torx (to prevent users from taking apart safety-critical assemblies such as bicycle brakes, and to resist cam-out) apply to how it has been used here.
    
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  - Bastian Lee
    
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    5 months ago
    
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    instead, main reason #3 for torx applies: It's a good-looking screw head that functions wonderfully, and for that reason, appears to be the new standard anyway.
    
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