70s - Case for 3 Pocket Operators - spillerphoto

70s - Case for 3 Pocket Operators

As homage to one of the greatest German designers Dieter Rams, I developed a case which accommodates 3 Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators. The case is available in three different versions. While the first version is clearly referring back to the 70s with its shiny orange main color, the grey/white and black versions are more decent in the choice of colours.

Three available versions of the case for 3 Pocket Operators

The case will be available in three versions:

Version 1 - 70s Orange, printed with PLA

Deep black bottom plate, with orange main case and black top plate.

Version 2 - 70s Grey, printed with PLA

Deep black bottom plate, with grey main case and light grey/white top plate

Version 3 - Monolith, Printed with PETG

Galaxy black bottom plate with a galaxy black main case with integrated top plate.

The "sequencer buttons" are made out of soft flexible filament while the side buttons are made printed with PLA. Buttons are available in black or white plus in red for the play button.

Version 1 - 70s Orange

Version 2 - 70s Grey

Version 3 - MONOLITH

The case comes with 2 Sync Connectors which are routing the sync and audio signal through each pocket operator.

The Case for 3 Pocket Operators includes 2 sync/audio connectors

Sync Connector for Pocket Opertors
Sync/Audio Connector

The bottom plate of the case for 3 operators contains openings for easy battery access which enables the changing of batteries without opening the case.

While designing the case I kept the principle of Dieter Rams in my mind and studied several of his product designs. While I couldn't of course change the pocket operator itself, I tried to adapt the principles at least for the case. While choosing the colours, I remembered that we had an orange Braun hair dryer at home. Well, I thought why not? Orange is considered as one of the main colours of the 70s and works perfectly with black. I think the result is quite nice. However, for those who are not so much into shiny colours, I decided to offer two more decent coloured versions.

While 70s Orange and 70s Grey versions consist beside the bottom plate of a middle and top part, glued together, the Monolith version's upper section is 3D printed in one pice.

The Designer Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer who was responsible for the design of Braun’s consumer products for many years. About 50 years ago, in his quest to answer the question “Is my design a good design?”, he developed the 10 principles of good design, sometimes also known as 10 commandments. (source: Interaction Design Foundation)

10 Principles for a good Design

According to Dieter Rams there are 10 principles for a good Design (source: Wikipedia):

  1. is innovative – The possibilities for progression are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for original designs. But imaginative design always develops in tandem with improving technology, and can never be an end in itself.
  2. makes a product useful – A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic criteria. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could detract from it.[8]
  3. is aesthetic – The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
  4. makes a product understandable – It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.
  5. is unobtrusive – Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user's self-expression.
  6. is honest – It does not make a product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
  7. is long-lasting – It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today's throwaway society.
  8. is thorough down to the last detail – Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
  9. is environmentally friendly – Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
  10. is minimal – Less is more. Simple as possible but not simpler. Good design elevates the essential functions of a product.

70s case

Case for 3 Pocket Operators

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