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60 Million

The shape of the American economy and how people work is changing. It is estimated that by 2020, 60 million Americans will be independent workers; defined as freelance, contract, temporary. For the them, the lines—between work and play, office and coffee shop, home and away—are becoming increasingly blurred. However, one thing remains constant: the desire to be seen as professional. object is a lifestyle brand designed to meet the needs of this emerging, independent worker market.

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60 Million

The shape of the American economy and how people work is changing. It is estimated that by 2020, 60 million Americans will be independent workers; defined as freelance, contract, temporary. For the them, the lines—between work and play, office and coffee shop, home and away—are becoming increasingly blurred. However, one thing remains constant: the desire to be seen as professional. object is a lifestyle brand designed to meet the needs of this emerging, independent worker market.

"I never wanted to meet [clients] at home, and I didn't think people would take me as seriously meeting in coffee shops. SoHo House has been great because I can bring clients here, but it also has a gym, people to network with, a pool and bar. All these great amenities beyond the work benefits."

Hannah - Freelance Graphic/UX Designer

Though she doesn't work in an office, she still wants to be viewed as a professional

Hannah recently joined SoHo House, a co-working space, for the professional atmosphere it provides to conduct client meetings. However, she still frequently works at coffee shops and her house for a change of scenery.

Her bag is an extension of her. It's her office, gym locker, and pantry all rolled into one.

Hannah carries a Lululemon duffel-style bag with a laptop compartment and a special bag for gym clothes. She frequently mixes time for the gym into her day between client meetings, and likes that her bag gives her the ability to hide her gym clothes. However, she has additional personal items—snacks, personal hygiene supplies, a change of shoes—that she would prefer her clients not see.

Her style is highly curated but must be able to adapt to the many contexts of her day

Hannah is highly conscious of her style and considers her bag an extension of that style. Her current bag is black because "it conveys a modern sensibility" and "goes with everything."

Features

object.01

a bag for the independent worker

Features

object.01

a bag for the independent worker

Modular design that switches from backpack to Briefcase

object.01 transitions seamlessly between the many contexts of a freelance worker's day by providing two distinct carry modes: backpack and briefcase. While biking through the city or commuting on the train, object.01 can be used in backpack mode for comfort and ease of carry. When stepping into a client meeting and the need for a more professional look is desired, object.01's backpack straps can be easily removed and stowed in the back panel, turning it to a briefcase which can be carried by its side handle.

Two primary compartments: Office and personal

object.01's rear compartment folds open completely to act as your office with a laptop sleeve, a document pocket, and two removable pouches for small and large office essentials. The front compartment, accessed through a side zipper, acts as your personal space with room for a change of shoes, books, food items and a small pouch dedicated for frequently accessed items such as keys and a phone.

Unique Shape and high quality details

Taking inspiration from traditional briefcases, object.01's rectangular shape is unique to the backpack market and gives it a modern, professional look. Its details are where it particularly stands out; high-density weave nylon used in military applications, waterproof zippers, and polished aluminum hardware give it a premium feel while attracting just the right amount of attention.

ObjectDev

Creating object

object started with a simple question: "What can we make locally that has value to people?". This reframe of the typical end-user-centered design process afforded our team three primary benefits: the ability to think more broadly about the value to the local economy by simultaneously considering manufacturer, retailer, and end-user needs, rapidly building and testing concepts with users, and consider new models for creating a business. My role throughout the project was the team lead overseeing design direction, and acting as the intermediary between the design team and manufacturer.

ObjectDev

Creating object

object started with a simple question: "What can we make locally that has value to people?". This reframe of the typical end-user-centered design process afforded our team three primary benefits: the ability to think more broadly about the value to the local economy by simultaneously considering manufacturer, retailer, and end-user needs, rapidly building and testing concepts with users, and consider new models for creating a business. My role throughout the project was the team lead overseeing design direction, and acting as the intermediary between the design team and manufacturer.

Mapping manufacturer and retail intersections

Thinking More broadly about value creation in the local economy

From early on in the process of developing object, we considered the needs and constraints of local manufacturers, local retailers, and prospective end-users. With the help of the non-profit organization, Design House, we toured and interviewed people at 4 local Chicago manufacturers to understand things like under-utilized capacity, tooling requirements, and minimum order sizes. Simultaneously we performed interviews and secondary research with local retailers to understand things like distribution and aesthetic fit. Armed with this research, we engaged the local design community and facilitated a design jam and ideation session to explore user-centered concepts.

Rapid Protypting and User Testing

After selecting a manufacturer and a concept direction, working locally enabled our team to quickly create prototypes and iterate based off weekly user-testing. Testing of prototypes was combined with user research to understand modes of work, types of items carried, and the contexts in which the freelancer lives and works. Considering these things in conjunction allowed our team to pivot from our initial direction of a smart-locking pack to a bag designed for the many contexts of the freelance worker lifestyle.

Creating a brand strategy

One of the final logo variations

Bringing the brand to life

Creating object the Brand

While developing the product, the team worked to create a brand and website for object once the bag went into production. The brand was created around the idea that objects themselves have no inherent meaning, but rather find their meaning in the context of the life of the person using them. Thus, the resulting logo and brand artifacts use black and white color palette with a plain Helvetica typeface. This straightforward, modern aesthetic represents the essence of the city in which object was born, while allowing the brand to fit into almost any context.

Creating object the company

The team also worked to create a structure for object the company, including how to obtain funding and set up distribution processes. Working closely with our local manufacturer allowed us to explore multiple options before settling on a Kickstarter campaign and handling distribution through a few, select local retailers. We look forward to the product, brand, and company officially launching in the fall of 2016.

MyExperience

My Experience

Working on object taught me many things that I'll carry with me in my career as a design researcher and strategist. From tangible things like learning how to sew and working within manufacturing tolerances, to the more intangible like leading a team through the design process and how to use design missteps to quickly pivot to a new product direction. I'd like to thank everyone who worked with me on my team for providing constant inspiration and for being wonderful people with whom to work. I'd also like to thank the advisors who helped throughout the entire process and without whom this would not be possible: Martin Thaler, Vlad Kharaz, John Merikowski, Susan Estes, Paul Hatch, and Tom Auer. See below for some of my experiences on the project.

MyExperience

My Experience

Working on object taught me many things that I'll carry with me in my career as a design researcher and strategist. From tangible things like learning how to sew and working within manufacturing tolerances, to the more intangible like leading a team through the design process and how to use design missteps to quickly pivot to a new product direction. I'd like to thank everyone who worked with me on my team for providing constant inspiration and for being wonderful people with whom to work. I'd also like to thank the advisors who helped throughout the entire process and without whom this would not be possible: Martin Thaler, Vlad Kharaz, John Merikowski, Susan Estes, Paul Hatch, and Tom Auer. See below for some of my experiences on the project.

Working with the manufacturer to create a proof of concept

Logo Explorations