THE PROCESS

​

Due to the proprietary nature of the design + development process of new products, the images below are limited. This brief outline aims to walk through the creation steps to fill in gaps of the product story not represented by visuals.

​

​

Design Brief – This development began as an ask from leadership to combine the Luna Cord Pendant and Shelby Mod Pendant into one fixture. I mocked up this exact request, but challenged the idea to create a more unique pendant that felt special to our brand. The product brief evolved to be a fixture featuring a shade within a shade.

​

Research – This initial stage included a market analysis and identifying ways we wanted our product to stand out. After analyzing internal assortment needs, the original pendant blossomed into a whole family of fixtures. 

​

Ideation/Modeling – Working from company mood boards produced by our Creative Manager, I narrowed down the feel and inspiration for this specific product, ultimately deciding to introduce new paint colors to our line. I sketched and modeled, working out the right shapes and ratios of each shade that would look beautiful and optimize function.

  

Sampling – This stage was key to perfecting a new paint color and a handful of custom components. One of the greatest challenges (and final successes) was finding a way to connect the glass shades so they were secure, but removable should a customer need to change the LED bulbs inside. I worked closely with our Product Engineer to develop and refine these hidden connection points to make them invisible during normal use and user friendly when intentionally accessed. 3D printing helped us work out kinks with new components and reduce our rounds of sampling real parts.

​

Launch – The Ray family launched with the Winter 2020 collection. This is the first lighting family to be sold at Schoolhouse with pre-selected bulbs that vary in lumen and kelvin based on the fixture to give the customer the best light quality possible. While white and black are reliably good sellers, the sales of these lights have begun to further prove people enjoy a pop of color to compliment more neutral environments.