Design Process

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Tension Object
• Theme: Visible stress. Mechanical tension captured at the exact moment before rupture.
• Object: Table clock.
• Constraints:
  • Rigid rectangular case, no curves • The object appears mechanically stretched or pulled in two opposite directions.
  • The clock mechanism remains functional and legible despite deformation.
  • No symbolic decoration. Tension is expressed solely through form and structure.
  • Materials limited to brushed steel, glass, and one contrasting industrial material.
  • Design must be manufacturable using existing watchmaking and industrial techniques.
• Deliverable:
  Two perspective sketches of the object.
  One exploded sketch showing how the tension is structurally resolved.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Residual Tension
• Theme: Permanent deformation as evidence of use, stress, and time. The object must appear stabilized but never neutral, as if frozen mid-constraint.
• Object: Table clock or desk time object.
• Constraints:
  • Volume derived from a single block that has been compressed, bent, or twisted.
  • No visible fasteners or articulated parts.
  • Time display must follow the deformation (curved axis, offset plane, distorted alignment).
  • Two materials maximum: one rigid, one soft or ductile.
  • Overall footprint compatible with a desk object.
• Deliverable:
  Three sketches on one page:
• 1. Initial pure volume before deformation.
• 2. Deformed volume showing applied force.
• 3. Final object with integrated time display and material indication.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Mute Time
• Theme: Time is present but deliberately inaccessible. Refusal of legibility. Control through absence.
• Object: Conceptual wristwatch or portable horological object.
• Constraints:
  • The dial is completely closed or obscured.
  • No direct opening onto the mechanism.
  • Time is perceived only through thickness, mass, or material temperature.
  • One main material only. Surface treatments allowed.
  • The object must remain credible as a manufacturable product.
• Deliverable:
  Three distinct concepts.
  For each concept:
• – One front-view sketch.
• – One side-view sketch.
• – One schematic section explaining where “time” is supposed to reside.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Residual Time
• Theme: What remains after function is removed. Time as a structural residue rather than a readable measure.
• Object: Table watch or desk object related to horology, not wearable.
• Constraints:
  • No hands, no numerals, no digital display.
  • Time must be suggested through volume, void, layering, or material tension.
  • One dominant material only.
  • Maximum three distinct components.
  • The object must still imply precision, not abstraction for its own sake.
• Deliverable: Four fast sketches.
• Each sketch explores a different way to express time without indication:
• 1. Through erosion or subtraction.
• 2. Through compression or stacking.
• 3. Through imbalance or offset.
• 4. Through enclosure or obstruction.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Silent Authority
• Theme: Luxury as restraint. Power expressed through controlled absence rather than accumulation.
• Object: A high-end watch, jewel, or ceremonial object conceived as an emblem of authority without ornament.
• Constraints:
  • Overall form must be immediately legible at a distance.
  • Maximum two materials.
  • No visible branding, no symbols, no inscriptions.
  • Surfaces must alternate between one matte and one polished treatment only.
  • Proportions must suggest permanence and weight, even at small scale.
• Deliverable: Two refined sketches and one schematic elevation. Each must demonstrate how authority is conveyed through proportion, mass distribution, and surface tension alone.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Silent Authority
• Theme: Luxury as restraint. Power expressed through controlled absence rather than accumulation.
• Object: A high-end watch, jewel, or ceremonial object conceived as an emblem of authority without ornament.
• Constraints:
  • Overall form must be immediately legible at a distance.
  • Maximum two materials.
  • No visible branding, no symbols, no inscriptions.
  • Surfaces must alternate between one matte and one polished treatment only.
  • Proportions must suggest permanence and weight, even at small scale.
• Deliverable: Two refined sketches and one schematic elevation. Each must demonstrate how authority is conveyed through proportion, mass distribution, and surface tension alone.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Off-Balance Core
• Theme: Asymmetry as structural intelligence. Stability produced by displacement.
• Object: A timepiece, jewel, or small functional object built around a single dominant mass shifted away from the center.
• Constraints:
  • One main volume only.
  • The center of gravity must be visibly offset.
  • No decorative details.
  • Construction must appear physically plausible.
  • Use only line, shadow, and solid fill. No textures.
• Deliverable: Three sketches isolating three different off-center configurations: lateral shift, vertical shift, rotational shift. Each sketch must express how balance is maintained despite displacement.

You can watch the video on Youtube here:

Here is today’s brief:

• Title: Asymmetry as Control
• Theme: Off-centre balance. Use asymmetry as a deliberate structural decision, not as decoration.
• Object: A timekeeping object or wearable artefact where the main functional mass is displaced from the central axis.
• Constraints:
  • One dominant volume only.
  • The centre of gravity must be visibly shifted.
  • No ornamental details. No textures. Pure form.
  • The object must still appear stable and usable.
  • Black ink or graphite only.
• Deliverable: Three sketches.
• Each sketch isolates a different strategy of imbalance:
  • Mass displacement
  • Void displacement
  • Structural tension
    Annotations limited to functional intent and force direction.

You can watch the video on Youtube here: