We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Merla Laguna + ioolot.com about their original and creative Sub-woofer lamp design work. Merla Laguna + ioolot.com is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original sub-woofer lamp works.
Merla Laguna + ioolot.com ("ML+I") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work OhL Sub-woofer lamp. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
ML+I : Sound it’s directly related to air, sound quality it’s provided by speakers with big amounts or air capacity. Hi Definition subwoofers are huge, bulky an ugly boxes that normally can’t be hidden. The goal was to design a Hi Definition subwoofer that doesn’t need to be hidden.
ML+I : I wanted to show the object instead of hide it; I wanted to achieve an aesthetic, contemporary, timeless object capable to reproduce Hi Definition sound quality, which could wake up emotions in all the users of a normal family not just the buyer itself.
ML+I : This subwoofer its part of the family Oh by Tutondo. Hi Definition sound system
ML+I : The product development took two years until the first production was released. Experimentation and sound quality was constantly the goal during the evolution process.
ML+I : I work with ATEC – Tutondo as the Design Director and we developed Hi End acoustic products, this was part of the family of new products “Oh by Tutondo”
ML+I : The product and design its produced by Tutondo - Italy
ML+I : I am passionate about sound systems and working within Tutondo let us experiment in many in product development so we manage to integrate acoustic engineering and human centered design.
ML+I : Perhaps the joyful play with basic geometric shapes of Sottsass
ML+I : The main objective of this product was to be accepted by the women who are with our costumers (mainly males), women are the decision makers behind the buyer, if they don’t like the product, it will remain in the store. We made an extensive research in colors, shapes, materials, trends and emotions that could be more accepted by them.
ML+I : By the time it was presented there were non subwoofers with this shape in a contemporary lamp, we use the organ cane effect to reproduce deeper frequencies. OhL it’s an outstanding HiFi product which made a breakpoint in the conception of a speaker.
ML+I : OHL where Oh it’s the name of the brand for HIFi speakers of Tutondo, L stands for Light but together refers to ALL you need in a home theater system.
ML+I : Rhino, 3D max, Fry Render
ML+I : You never realize the subwoofer it’s inside the lamp
ML+I : I worked directly with the acoustic engineers of Tutondo (Ing. Umberto Nicolao and Ledi Scolaro) experts in acoustics matters, together we evolve the possibilities of sound and aesthetics into the product.
ML+I : Acoustic technology it’s the soul of the shape, the aesthetics announce the technology.
ML+I : Required sound analysis and experimentation was needed. Product development its based in data analysis.
ML+I : The difficulty to integrate different technologies, the tube, the steel, the sound quality and the lighting system.
ML+I : We learn a methodology to innovate with acoustic technology
