Physical Product Design Case Study- The “London” and The “Copenhagen” Chess & Checkers SetS | Designed for Zodax

PROJECT: TO CREATE A HIGH END CHESS & CHECKERS SET FOR ZODAX

The Chess & Checkers Set needs to be high end, modern, and fit in with Zodax’s luxury aesthetic.

WHAT I DID:

I designed the chess/checkers keep sake box, the checker & chess pieces from scratch.

I assigned the leather, wood and metal materials.

I worked with our overseas factory to bring the designs to life.

I approved and revised the samples from our factory.

I wrote the instruction booklet and designed the packaging.

SKETCHING, LEARNING & BRAInSTORMING

I spent a lot of time researching and sketching out ideas for the chess pieces.

3D MODELING

I created 3D models of the chess pieces in Blender and presented two options:

Wood Chess pieces with a high gloss finish
Chess pieces made of shiny metal

BOARD DESIGN & MATERIALS

I picked out the leather and wood swatches for the chess/checker boards. I also designed the box and drew it out on Adobe Illustrator. We decided to go with a 15” square box that can hold the chess and checker pieces inside. We didn’t want the box to be too overwhelming on our customers’ tables.

These are the 2 final designs we went with. We wanted a “heavier” green and brown combination and a “lighter” burlwood and neutral combination.

WORKING WITH THE OVERSEAS FACTORY

I worked with the factory to get the chess pieces right. This involved pointing out details that they missed. I also asked the factory to include an extra Queen for each side. We experimented with wood chess pieces and metal chess pieces. Ultimately, the wood chess pieces with a gloss felt more high end and classic. For contrast, we kept the checker pieces leather and metal.