Your products are designed with timeless lines and shapes and you use premium materials like aluminium and vachetta leather. What would you say is your product ethos and what shapes how you think about the design of your products?

At Carl Friedrik, our design ethos has always been centred around producing products that last as long as possible, hence every item is backed by a lifetime guarantee.

A big part of this comes down to material choices. We work with the likes of aluminium and Makrolon polycarbonate to produce our suitcases, which are inherently long-lasting materials that retain a modern aesthetic.

The vachetta leather we use is also extremely durable, which gives our leather bags structure and our suitcases detailing that will stand up to the trials and tribulations of modern travel.

I would love to hear you draw out some key elements of your design process. When you approach a new project like a piece of luggage how do you start into that process? Is it exploratory? Are there lots of prototypes?

Every project starts with a design brief, to map out the demand, customer and overall goal. Key questions are: who is the product aimed at? What is the use case? In what environment will they use it?

From here we conduct early concept sketches digitally and by hand. We would then have a group meeting to align on the direction before moving into digital renders using Keyshot for hard goods and Clo3D for soft goods.

The next step would be to validate these ideas through physical samples, which we again review as a team and make adjustments.

Our partner would then make final samples based on these comments, which we will sign off as a final production-ready sample.

One consistent thread throughout the whole process is working collaboratively as a team, as well as with our factories and suppliers, to come up with the best final product for customers.

How do you know when something you’ve made finds resonance with an audience? Once you find resonance how do you decide what to do next?

We are fortunate to have a close connection with our customers, who often leave detailed feedback after purchasing and using products. If certain products or features keep getting called out positively, that’s always a good sign.

Coupled with this are regular surveys designed to identify customer habits and trends around travel and design preferences. We use this information to inform the product roadmap.

Such is the strength of our relationship with customers that we raised £1 million in a recent investment round solely through customers who wanted to invest in the brand.

Lots of CF pieces centre around travel and carry. What gets you excited about travel and how does that show up in your work?

Everything we do at Carl Friedrik focuses on improving people's journeys and helping them arrive at their destinations smoothly, hence our motto is ‘Carry with confidence’.

A designer's secret is people watching, and there is no better way than whilst travelling in an airport where people are at their most taxed.

You can see the pinch points, such as when people struggle to carry a backpack and suitcase or get through security without digging through half their luggage.

These frustrating aspects of travel are what we try to remedy with smart design decisions. We firmly believe that great design solves issues without people even noticing; instead, it subtly blends in with their lives.

Lastly, I would love to know what your favourite Carl Friedrik piece is and why? What story should we know about how it was designed and made?

My favourite product right now is the 72-hour Backpack. Most of my travel is for business which you will know is all about moving through the airport, taxi and train as efficiently as possible.

72-hour Backpack easily carries 2-3 days of clothes, a laptop and equipment, all while staying hands-free. The front lid opening gives you a similar packing experience to a suitcase, allowing easy access to liquids in an airport or your clothes when you get to the hotel.

The integrated luggage holder allows you to simply attach 72-hour Backpack to any of our Hybrid suitcases, taking the weight off your shoulders when you need it most.

I had a chance to use and test the Carry-on Suitcase throughout the course of this year. Everything from the tactile click of the handle buttons to the subtle leather trim was extremely well thought-through. I highly recommend it for your next adventure or weekend getaway.

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AJOTO is known for making thoughtful writing products with impeccable attention to detail. What prompted the shift from "heirloom" writing instruments to the Pocket Pen, an everyday carry essential?

It’s been nearly 14 years since we first launched AJOTO as a small independent studio. A lot has changed since we began, but at our foundation, we are the same company, just with a little more experience. The focus was on making the best version of the everyday tools that we used as designers, but in a way that allowed us to use state-of-the-art technology and connect with incredible specialists across the UK.

At the time our aim wasn’t to compete but to offer something different; an everyday tool that we wanted to use and celebrate the industrial craft and production. There was no one approaching this in the same way, especially as an independent company, and it felt like an exciting challenge.

The starting point for the Pocket Pen was to make a tool for our life on the go, where it’s more about making a quick note or capturing an inspired idea rather than consciously sitting down for longer periods of creative indulgence. The Pocket Pen was created for these moments and it led us to rethink not just the design, but the entire role of a high-quality pen in our day-to-day lives.

I know iteration in design is a theme for your work. Can you talk about what the process of creating a new product like this was like? What was the biggest challenge?

To begin any project our first step is always to try and identify the boundaries. These initial constraints are always flexible as they are based on our preconceptions, but we use them as a guide and challenge to push against.

With the Pocket Pen, we created over 155 prototypes before finalizing the design. Our creative process focuses on repeatedly translating 2D concepts into 3D forms and testing. As we progress, new insights about materials, production, and costs can shift or challenge ideas, but as long as the core concept remains strong, we adapt and evolve. The end goal is always to simplify, creating a product that looks and feels inevitable.

Our biggest challenge is real-world limitations. As an independent studio, limited resources often force us to scale back ideas, which can be frustrating. External factors can also halt promising projects. For the Pocket Pen, the toughest part was reigning in ideas to fit production realities and available technology.

Ergonomics is such an important aspect of product design. I've used lots of durable pocket pens but most of them don't ever feel like a full-size pen. How did you address the ergonomic challenges of designing a product designed to be compact and carried in the pocket?

Creating a product that's comfortable to use is a fundamental requirement. So, when designing a pen, there are several key factors to balance: weight distribution, form, functionality, and the environment in which it will be used. In combination, these elements dictate the hand feel, mechanics, detail and aesthetics of the Pen.

The folding mechanism posed some unique challenges. In contrast to a Pocket knife the Pen uses a reverse logic —rather than gripping the handle, you’re essentially gripping what would be the blade. Since the handle acts as a counterbalance, its material and thickness need to be carefully considered.

As the Pen is designed to be carried in unconventional ways the durability of the materials and design was a key consideration which differs from a classic Pen that may be kept secure in a pouch or pencil case or on a desk. Accommodating these uses in many ways dictated the form.

Above everything else there was a desire to ensure that like ‘The Pen’ the Pocket Pen was made to be maintained and repaired. As such the modular design can be completely disassembled and rebuilt. It also includes ports at the back for clips and carabiners, while the sides are made from hardened stainless steel to withstand daily wear and tear. The finished aesthetic reflects this and as a result, channels links to the thoughtful use of materials and assembly found in modernist and Bauhaus designs with clean utilitarian lines and free of unnecessary embellishment.

Lastly, we created the Pocket Pen around the full stainless steel D1 ballpoint refill—a high-quality, universally compatible refill that can endure the knocks and bumps of everyday life. This helped keep the Pen compact while ensuring that the mark the Pen makes is smooth and faultless.

Many designers find inspiration from disciplines outside design. Where do you pull inspiration from as you are creating new products?

For me, there are many sources of influence and inspiration and one of the big areas that I always return to is processes and structure. I'm drawn to the combination of how and why something is done, and I love understanding the stages that create the environment for an idea to come to life. This likely stems from a childhood fascination with how things work and a constant desire to see behind the scenes.

It's about the journey of transformation—doing incredible things with a limited palette of tools or resources. I’ve always admired the way experts present simplicity. Take a stand-up comedian, for example: they’ve spent years honing their craft, but when they stand in front of an audience, it feels effortless, as if they're thinking of each joke or reciting an anecdote on the spot. Or a top-tier chef that transforms seasonal ingredients into an unforgettable experience, delivered with depth and passion.

As for visual or mechanical inspiration, this can come from anywhere, and its relevance to a project isn’t always immediately clear.

When we developed the Pocket Pen, we looked at a range of vintage pocket lighters and knives, not only for their aesthetic value but for the tactile experience they offer. These tools evoke memories and a sense of connection through action—like a pocket lighter with its flick and strike, or a pocket knife with its slide and click. We wanted to create that same sense of connection with the Pocket Pen—a product that, once held, just feels right and has an interaction that feels intuitive.

Above all, what I truly admire is when people take pride in their work. People who take pride in their work and care for the entire process of production, not just the end transaction.

I'd love to pull back a bit and hear about the philosophy of AJOTO. What drives you to create? What about writing tools that captured your attention and led into this journey?

When starting AJOTO, the driving force was a desire to oversee every aspect of the creation process—from the initial idea all the way to the customer, and even beyond. The original concept was to design the ‘ultimate creative toolkit’, the kind of everyday tools that feel deeply personal and are made with intention.

This approach, blending human craftsmanship with advanced technology, distinguishes what we do AJOTO. The emphasis is on creating products that aren't just useful but also meaningful. It’s about focusing on quality over mass production and using advanced technology to elevate the level of craft we can achieve. Above all else, we aim to deliver more than a product—offering an experience that celebrates the connection between maker and user, trading ideas and inspiration through beautifully crafted tools.

On a personal level, there's always been a deep desire for independence and freedom. In retrospect, I think this is what drew me to the pen as a tool. Since its invention, the pen has transformed how we understand the world, giving us the ability to record thoughts and ideas. It's been at the heart of every significant event in human history. So, to create an item that has the potential for so much is a fascinating thought.

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> Make your mark.\
> —AJOTO

I hope you find this curation of tools thought-provoking and helpful, as always.

reMarkable 2 × Type Folio

The reMarkable 2 tablet is one of my favorite pieces of technology for thinking, writing, reading, and performing deep work. The lack of a backlit screen means it behaves much like a piece of intelligent paper. The Type Folio extends the usefulness of reMarkable 2 beyond reading and annotating by giving you a surface to produce crafted writing without the manifold distractions of a full tablet with apps, browsers, etc.

Bellroy for Work

I really love the Tokyo Messenger Bag 14" for when I need a light briefcase to carry my laptop and some work items. The water resistant fabric combined with smart details like magnetic closure and luggage pass-through make this an ideal way to travel between destinations with your work essentials.

The Notebook Cover wraps a 3.5" x 5" notebook (Moleskine cahier, Field Notes) with Bellroy's distinct leather that is designed to weather and patina with age. With slots for credit cards and a pen or pencil this case is the perfect companion for when you need to capture a note—wherever you are.

The Lite Laptop Sleeve is the perfect layer of protection for your laptop.

ITO Bindery memo blocks

The notepads that ITO Bindery produce are made from their iconic paper—they've been producing thoughtful stationery products since they opened in Tokyo in 1938.

Soumkine Notebooks

Made in Paris, Soumkine makes beautiful vegetable-tanned leather notebooks and paper goods that are of premium quality and finish.

PENCO metal tape dispenser

This hammer tone metal tape dispenser is made in Japan—providing both beauty and function to an essential desk tool.

OHTO GS01 ballpoint pen

OHTO's oil-based needlepoint wonder is metal, refillable, and quite possibly the last ballpoint pen you will ever need in your arsenal.

Viking pencils

These Danish "office" pencils are superb writing instruments crafted with precision and care.

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Personally I've become more connected to circadian rhythms and circadian biology over the past year and I was intrigued by the first prototype that I saw of the DC-1 device—a device with all the promise enabling us to touch the future while still being grounded to the beauty, wonder, and healing power of the natural world.

I had a chance to connect with Anjan Katta (Daylight's founder) and talk to him about the DC-1, life, and his philosophy on staying connected in our modern world.

There has been a movement in the past couple years toward more healthy conceptions of modern computing. Devices that are designed for use outside and that encourage more healthy integration with the natural world are paramount to that. I would love to hear about your journey with Daylight Computer and bringing your first product to market. What drove you to create a product in this space?

I felt uniquely screwed by modern computing—both mentally and physically. My ADHD made it challenging to stay focused given the attention starvation of modern computers, and I struggled with seasonal affective disorder and vitamin D deficiency from being indoors too much. It dawned on me that the only device that didn't negatively impact me was my Kindle because I have a fundamentally different psychological relationship with it. This realization of my Kindle as a computer led me to envision something new: a paper-like computing substrate.

I started thinking about Arthur C. Clarke's idea that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. What if we could create computers that felt like the enchanted objects from Harry Potter—a Marauder's Map or Tom Riddle's diary? This vision of computing as magic, where analog objects are imbued with technology in a way that respects human physiology and psychology, became the driving force behind Daylight Computer.

As you approached a hardware product like this, what were the underlying principles that drove the feature set and industrial design of the device itself?

Our core principle was to create technology that integrates seamlessly into our environment without demanding constant attention. We wanted to design analog-looking objects that are beautiful and unobtrusive when not in use, but can come alive with computational power when needed. The goal was to give users intentional control over their attention, rather than having technology constantly vying for it.

We focused on creating a more humane vision for computing, one that prioritizes physical and mental health. This meant rethinking every aspect of personal computing devices, from tablets to phones, monitors, and laptops. We wanted to create a better Kindle-like device that could handle more computing tasks while maintaining the benefits of e-ink technology and a paper-like interface.

The Daylight tablet is the first device you are taking to market. What is your longer term vision for Daylight? What other products do you want to bring to life?

Our vision for Daylight extends far beyond just creating tablets. We're looking at four main categories of innovation. First, we want to refactor personal computing with health and wellness at its core, following Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This means reimagining phones, monitors, laptops, and watches with physical health, mental health, and executive function as primary considerations.

Second, we're pursuing what I call the "Harry Potter vision"—making real-world objects magical and interactive, as an alternative to virtual or augmented reality. Third, we're exploring environmental design, creating products like smart alarm clocks or habit-tracking frames that subtly enhance our surroundings. Finally, we want to involve humans in the process, potentially integrating coaching or community support into our ecosystem.

I would love to hear you talk about the the philosophy and science behind Daylight Computer. How did you begin on the journey of creating more harmonious devices and what did you learn along the way?

This journey has been eye-opening in many ways. I learned the crucial importance of supply chain and manufacturing expertise—it's not just about having great ideas, but being able to realize them through intricate production processes. This gave me a new appreciation for why Steve Jobs chose Tim Cook as his successor at Apple.

I also realized the power of cross-domain knowledge. By combining insights from health, biology, engineering, and display technology, I was able to see possibilities that others in the industry missed. This taught me that there's a lot of innovation potential when you approach problems with a different philosophy or set of values.

Lastly, I was struck by the skepticism we faced from traditional gatekeepers in the venture capital world. Many liked our ideas personally but doubted that people truly wanted healthier technology. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of optimism and faith in human potential when innovating.

Lastly, I would love to hear any wisdom you have to share about how to life a more grounded life? What do you wish more people knew about finding balance in a connected world?

I've come to deeply value empiricism in our relationship with technology. Instead of relying on specs or theoretical capabilities, we need to actually try things and see how they impact our lives. Often, a device that can do less on paper ends up enabling us to do more in reality, simply because it doesn't have the same addictive pitfalls.

Another crucial shift for me was moving from a scarcity mindset to one of trust. Much of our addictive behavior with technology comes from a fear of missing out on important information. I've learned to trust that if something is truly important, it will find its way to me when the time is right. This approach has dramatically reduced my stress and improved my relationship with technology.

Ultimately, I believe we need to rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors—to try things for ourselves, to value experiential knowledge, and to trust in the natural flow of life. By doing so, we can create and use technology in a way that truly enhances our lives rather than controlling them.

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Founded in 2009 by Mark Falvai and Bart Kyzar, Mission Workshop exudes a kind of quiet, unassuming confidence—bringing their unique visions for carry, technical performance, and minimalist design to the outdoor recreation, cycling, and urban adventure audiences.

I had a chance to chat with Bart Kyzar about how Mission Workshop got started and about how their approach to building a line of quality products over the long haul is unique in a world awash in disposable, turnkey products.

I'd love to hear you chat about the experience of how Mission Workshop got started? I know you both worked at Chrome on MTB products but would love to hear how you carved out a unique range of products focusing on urban carry, cycling, sports, etc. What was the journey like?

My business partner Mark Falvai and our friend Doug Hudson started Chrome in Colorado in the 1990s. Back then there weren’t any mountain bike lifestyle brands and no options other than lycra for riding apparel. They designed a pair of baggy technical riding shorts along with other apparel and bags and pretty much launched the mountain bike apparel category. It all grew from there into a broader product mix including travel and outdoor. After nine years in Colorado, we moved Chrome out to San Francisco and had some great years in the city before selling the company in 2007.

After a couple years on various projects, we decided to get the band back together and set up a shop in the Mission to work on some new ideas. Our first product, an expandable backpack called the Vandal, was a fun launch and is still in the lineup today. We focused primarily on bags for the first few releases and then jumped back into apparel as well and are evenly divided between the two at this point.

I know your workshop is based in SF's iconic Mission district. It's deeply embedded in your brand. How has the physical location of your shop shaped the products that you design and create? How much does the creativity of the environment around you affect the company you've built.

San Francisco, and the Mission in particular, has a grit and energy we’ve always loved. It’s a very creative place with great food and music and we’ve managed to cultivate a crew and community over the years that’s been pivotal to the brand. In the city you generally get around without a car and you can experience three of the four seasons on any given day so having good gear is vital.

Getting a little more technical, I would love to hear about how you developed the Arkiv® system. In terms of carry systems it's very unique and I'd love to hear how this came about and how it has shaped your various product lines.

Mark designs all our bags and came up with the Arkiv® modular system as quicker and simpler way to add pouches and accessories to a bag (or anything else really). The modularity allows you to customize your pack and adapt to the need at hand. It’s a really powerful system that we’ve really only scratched the surface of. Lots more to come!

In terms of the creative process, where do you pull inspiration from? Do you develop lots of prototypes in the process of creating a new product? How much collaboration and testing is involved in bringing something to life?

Ha, yes! Our workshop has been littered with the remains of very interesting designs that end up being a steppingstone to another, better product. We generate a lot of prototypes during this process. Mark works more in the world of scissors and sewing machines rather than software and starts sewing things up early in the process to see how they look and think about the construction. This process is collaborative but mainly through critique and feedback from the team on the early designs.

Across building Mission Workshop and it's product, what has surprised you most about the journey? What has you excited looking into the future?

It has definitely been a journey! I’d say the most surprising thing is how quickly time goes by. It feels like we just started Mission but this is our 15th year. The thing that keeps me the most excited is new product. Seeing a brand new pack as it comes off the sewing floor is as exhilarating now as it was when we first launched the Vandal back in 2009.

I've used, experimented with, and tested a lot of Mission Workshop's bags and products. My favorite backpack in the entire lineup is the iconic R6 Arkiv Field Pack. It features waterproof main compartments, a detachable waist belt, and 6 of MW's signature Arkiv® rails that allow configuring the pack with additional waterproof attachments to suit your needs. The waist belt is pivotal for activities like mountain biking or cycling where you need stability. It is great for hiking, travel, urban carry, as a work bag, or pretty much anything you throw at it. The versatility and build quality are unparalleled.

Another category that Mission Workshop excels is in their technical apparel. The clean lines and neutral colors bely the over-engineered performance of everything from outerwear to denim and shirts. This year I commend to you the Stahl Utility Short: durable, svelte, with a DWR finish that will hold up for any kind of warm-weather activity outdoors.

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i had the extreme privilege earlier this year of interviewing teenage engineering's elusive co-founder and vp: david möllerstedt. i hope you will find his thoughtful answers as elucidating as i have.

there is lots of talk about the industrial design of the beautiful products that teenage engineering creates. each of the devices you make have this perfect balance of physical inputs, considered materials, and playful software that really push beyond the average consumer device. could you talk a bit about your approach to engineering and how that plays out in the conception of a new product?

we work in tandem between all disciplines at teenage engineering. the end result when things go well is not a compromise between different points of views but rather a selection of what’s most important for each aspect of a product. when that balance is not found the ideas that didn't make it all the way to a product may later resurface when the right tech, tools, design, etc. materialise. we’re prototyping a lot to test, touch, feel, look and listen to figure out what projects we should move forward with.

the op-1 field has one of the most playful interfaces i've seen. synth, drum, tape, and mixer and their subsequent menu systems all share the same small screen with colors used to cue users to what inputs to change to customize their view. i would love to hear about how you arrived at the decisions you did and how you partnered with designers to achieve such a layered interface that still feels simple to the user?

all of the op-1 development and design was done in house at teenage engineering by the original core team. in a way it’s a reaction to the much more serious hardware synth scene at the time. the op-1 was called a toy in a way that was not supposed to be positive, but as we knew it also had the depth and professional specs we took it as a compliment.

there was a long period of internal and external testing to refine all aspects of the op-1, i think that was very important, a large part of what we are providing is a creative workflow system.

switching gears a bit, I'm fascinated by the tp-7 and the mechanical aspect of the motorized tape reel and the way it interacts with recording, playback, etc. what were the challenges in bringing to life mechanical drives, software, and the computerized pieces to make everything work?

we are interested in motors at teenage engineering from many aspects. it’s tactile, and it can make things move. there is a lot of computer control involved and the behaviours can be modified in many interesting ways.

the tp-7 captures all of these aspects. we used the combined experience from previous product with similar technology.

i think the way you can touch and physically interact with the audio really makes the tp-7 stand out.

designers will often pull inspiration from other peers, historical design examples, or inspiration from art and the natural world? where do you pull inspiration from as an engineer? can you give some examples of products or systems that you've pulled inspiration from as you build your products?

the op-1 is a perfect example of a product that borrows heavily from history—taking the best parts of decades of recording and music production tools. the way the early four track porta studios always created the most musical demos, how the 80s casio synths stood out and what hands-on controls do for the speed of creativity. having experienced all of this and then getting the possibility to combine it into a new and portable creation was fantastic. it was also really hard work.

i would love to close with asking what your favorite teenage engineering product is. what about it makes it enjoyable to use and keep coming back to?

the teenage engineering product i use every day is the ob-4. it has changed the way i listen to music in a way i did not expect. to have good sound always available, to be able to be in control of time and rewind the fm radio is something i did not know i needed but now i can't do without it.

the one product i’m most excited about now in coming out later this year. i feel a strong spiritual connection to it even if i have not spent much time on the direct development. very much looking forward to how it will be received and what creations it will contribute to.

i also had the chance to spend some time this year with the op-1 field, the ep-133, and the tp-7. there is so much i could say but i'll share a brief note about each:

op-1 field\
everything from the inputs to the interface to the software evokes playfulness. it is easy to begin exploring new sounds, layers, and beats. you can also go deep and do a lot—all from a focused interface.\
\
ep-133\
this beautiful sample pad is surprisingly tactile for being made entirely of plastic. the interface feels more opaque than op-1 but the iconography and colors on the screen create a vintage arcade feeling.

tp-7\
perhaps the most nostalgic of all teenage engineering products for me. it reminds me of vintage tape decks, the sony walkman, and the talkboy (an actual device made as a movie tie-in for home alone 2). the ability to scrub the analog wheel to control sound and load flac files all make the tp-7 feel like magic.

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I was excited to connect with founder Andy Fallshaw earlier this year and offer an exclusive look at how they approach their products and craft. At the end I'll highlight some recent Bellroy products that I've thoroughly been enjoying in my travels.

Bellroy started in 2010 with a slim wallet. It has evolved to include a whole range of high-quality essential carry goods for modern travelers, nomads, professionals, and everyday adventures. What is the biggest thing that has surprised you in Bellroy's journey to date? Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently along the way?

I think the biggest surprise might be the part that came before Bellroy, which began with seeding Carryology in 2009.

As we theorised about all the ways the world was changing, including how we were traversing more environments and worlds each day, we wanted to reframe how the world thought about the things they brought with them. We thought of this as the ‘carry’ space, and began Carryology as a campfire for learning about and inspiring better ways to carry.

Attempting to change paradigms comes with a high failure rate. But when we look at the thriving Carryology community, the brands that now think of themselves as creating carry goods, and the acceptance of this new paradigm… well, it’s at least a little surprising that our experiment has been so well adopted.

When thinking about what we might have done differently, I don’t think there are any major regrets. But I’ll come back to Bellroy for an evolution that perhaps we could have started sooner.

While we were trying to shape this new carry concept, we were also trying to reshape wallets to be much slimmer and better optimised for modern lives. Again, it was a paradigm shift, and this one really took off – creating enormous growth for us around the globe. Trying to grow a new space, a new brand, and a more responsible shape of business was a huge amount of work, and it meant we didn’t evolve beyond wallets for half a decade.

The whole idea of ‘slim wallets’ really stuck, and for many of those loyal customers it can still be hard to get them thinking of us as anything beyond that! Perhaps if we’d found a way to begin moving into other carry categories sooner, we’d have found it easier to expand the mindspace beyond just slim wallets for these early and very loyal customers.

When you approach a new product line like a backpack, where do you pull inspiration from? Specifically the Apex backpack has some innovative closures and finish details. As you developed the pack, how did you arrive at the decisions of what fabric to use, what details to line in leather, and how to use pops of color?

Inspiration for new products comes from many places, but the most common for us is that we like to build things that bring something new and better to the world.

With the Apex Backpack—it was seeded from a realisation that there are many specialist backpacks for single or limited uses, but very few backpacks that can traverse most environments in a mostly ‘fit for purpose’ way. Our team summarised this goal as 90% awesome 90% of the time.

With that as a North Star, we then start thinking about the four key elements that must unite for a cohesive product – the design elements, the materials, the constructions and the guiding narratives. And because this was going to be our ‘apex,’ we were willing to temporarily ignore existing price expectations to see how far we could take things.

The 90% and 90% lens was surprisingly clarifying for design decisions. We could identify the worlds we wanted to traverse, the functions that would perform in those worlds, the emotions we wanted to nurture and the places we needed to innovate in, and start prototyping with a clear vision of what success would look like.

Then it comes down to exploration and iteration, with lots of cycles. For instance we knew we wanted multiple ways to access contents, and we really liked the innovative Shift Backpack hook we had developed, so we started working out how to radically improve access when packing. Another example is that we wanted distinctly beautiful straps that blended craft with performance, and so that became a project.

Each part of the product looked at those four elements – design, material, construction and narrative fit. And as each part interacted with the others, we prototyped and tested to see how cohesive the overall ‘90% and 90%’ goal was progressing.

Each decision must support (and perhaps evolve) the North Star direction. And each exploration and iteration was tested on the overall feel and resonance towards that North Star.

Backing up a bit, I'm curious as to how your experiment on your path to creating a product? Do you develop lots of prototypes? Do you test and use them internally? What is that process like and how do you integrate collaborative ideas from other team members?

I’m really proud of the product development process we have shaped at Bellroy. It combines art and science, intuition and logic, frames it with Agile Methodologies, and eschews ego in a way that sparks genuine collaboration.

When we began shaping it, we looked at the great innovation brands and confirmed that they all had strong in-house prototyping capabilities. Apple, Nike, Arc’teryx—they can all spark and progress ideas with teams that do more than just draw specifications on a screen and send them over to a factory.

So we have maker labs at both offices, and our designers and developers know how to make things, not just conceive of things. We have experts in pattern making, materials, engineering, and production techniques co-located and working with our designers.

We still love a napkin sketch or paper prototype. But as soon as we can we start making prototypes – first rough, then to increasing resolution. We use these personally. We share them with highly calibrated users. We devise tests that might unearth potential future issues. We learn and we iterate.

The other great aspect of having increasingly higher resolution prototypes is that you can start sharing them with other parts of the company much earlier in the process. We sometimes think of this as spiralling in towards the bulls-eye, where each pass takes the higher resolution concepts through the key stakeholders so they have a chance to help shape and inform the final product, and how it might be communicated.

With so many elements that must unite cohesively for a product to sing, we don’t have confidence in any other way.

For the past couple years I've noticed some thoughtful Bellroy email surveys that ask quite specific questions about habits or travel with an eye toward future products you are exploring. How do you integrate research from talking to customers into your products? Are there interesting stories about things Bellroy has done that are driven by customer asks?

There’s a quote from Denise Lee Yohn that we really like—“Great brands are idea led AND consumer informed.” They don’t just push new ideas out there, nor do they just ask customers what they want. They do both—pioneering new ideas, and then working hard to understand how those ideas are being experienced and received in everyday situations.

When we were first planning Bellroy, we could see that seasonal brands struggled to connect these two elements. If every season starts afresh, it’s much harder to integrate the feedback and learning. So we decided to aim for ‘modern classics’—designs that would stick around and evolve with customer feedback, getting better with each iteration.

And then the magic that gets unlocked from ‘consumer-informed’ is when you have informed consumers. If someone is giving feedback on the first backpack they’ve ever owned, that’s useful, but perhaps not as useful. If someone has owned a diverse quiver of great backpacks from many great brands, the nuance and expectations step up a level or three.

A neat example of this is the Chimera backpack collaboration we did with Carryology (and the recent Chimera sling). Our Carryology audience includes some of the most passionate and informed users in the carry world. The contributors have often used hundreds of carry products —learning from each product and growing their expectations of what great carry can achieve. When we jam with these passionate carryologists, the learning and ideas flow fast.

Speaking of collaborations, I've loved seeing the various collaborations you've done with artists or brands. The MAAP and Patty Mills projects come to mind. Can you talk a little bit about where these ideas come from and why doing experiments and collabs are helpful for the core products you make at Bellroy?

The first words in the first planning document we ever had were “Bellroy has pretty loose edges…” We’ve never wanted to exist in an ivory tower, and we’ve never believed that we can (or would want to) have a monopoly on good ideas.

So we have friendships with many brands and thought leaders. We learn from and dialogue with loads of interesting folks doing interesting things. And oftentimes ideas bubble up from those relationships.

For us, collaborations are typically about exploring an idea space that we could not do alone. Either because we don’t have particular expertise, or because taking our brand to a new space might feel disconcerting without a partner to help orient the project.

The Patty Mills partnership you mentioned was a great example of a collaboration that we learned a huge amount from, and we could never have done alone.

Patty is a remarkable and inspiring human. He’s an elite athlete, but he’s also a hugely engaging leader, philanthropist, and champion for first nation cultures in Australia and the Torres Strait Islands.

I could try to summarise the meaning and significance of this project, but Patty can do a far better job of that, so I’d recommend listening to his story. This link below also includes audio of the artists Shane Cook and Moana Ahwang speaking about their art that was incorporated into the project:

Bellroy × Patty Mills

I would like to commend to you both the Bellroy Duffel (Patty Mills Edition) and the Bellroy Sling (Patty Mills Edition). I've tested and used multiple versions of Bellroy's duffel and sling and these editions bring together the classic carry features I love with a few details that make them extra-special:

* highly durable off-white ripstop fabric
* contrasting floral interiors designed by first nations artists
* uniquely colored paracord zipper pulls with heat-shrink to create the perfect closures
* extra-thick nylon straps for the perfect carry

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The 60 should have been a hint to what was ahead but I proceeded clueless, unaware of what I was getting myself into. As I began assembling the various parts - PCB, case, dampening silicone, stabilizers, switches, daughterboard, keycaps - something dawned on me: this new keyboard was missing arrow keys. Why was the control key not on the bottom row next to Control and Alt? Why were Backspace, Pipe, and Tilde in weird places? What was going on? This was my unwitting entrance to the 60% keyboard world, a world with many players all centering around the iconic ingenuity of HHKB.

HHKB stands for Happy Hacking Keyboard. It was created in 1996 by Dr. Eiiti Wada, a Japanese computer scientist and emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo.

It started from a paper he wrote in 1992 that specified a vision for a more efficient keyboard layout for UNIX systems. HHKB's hallmarks are the Control key (in the place of Caps Lock), with more efficient positions for Esc and Delete keys, and a compact 60% layout with function key layers for arrows and other actions. Also unique to HHKB is the Topre capacitive keyboard switches which offer superb tactile feel, consistent actuation, and durability for years of continual use.

Since the late 1990s, the HHKB family of keyboards has evolved to the Professional 2, the Hybrid Type-S, and the newly minted HHKB Studio. Other companies like Keychron have built metal body HHKB layout keyboards like the Q60 Max. For this feature I wanted to turn inward and explore what has captivated me about HHKB and it's iconic 60% layout by answering five thoughtful questions.

Reflecting on your initial encounter with the HHKB layout and keyboard, could you describe the moment or feature that transformed your casual interest into a deeper connection? How did this experience shape your approach to design?

After I had used the Rama Work M60-A I was intrigued by the HHKB Hybrid Type-S. I wanted something that was quieter than the Rama and I also wanted something that would connect to my computer wirelessly via Bluetooth. The Hybrid Type-S offered both.

But something else emerged the first time I typed on it. The buttery, smooth, whisper quiet typing experience felt magical. I began using the keyboard with the silent Logitech Lift vertical mouse and the phrase that kept emerging in my mind was "sublime inputs".

Keyboard and mice have been input devices since the 1980s and the design of each of them are largely unchanged. This isn't bad, both of these inputs do their various jobs really well, but the elevated experience of HHKB really places it in an entirely new class.

This has shaped my role as a designer in that I think about the HHKB Hybrid Type-S often as an example of a product that elevates the experience of the user beyond what I thought a keyboard could do. It is exemplary to me as a way to stay true to your roots and also elevate and evolve the feeling of an experience for modern users.

The HHKB keyboards champion minimalism and efficiency in their design. How do these principles resonate with your own values as a designer? Moreover, what do you believe these keyboards express about the culture or philosophy of their creators?

This is an interesting question because I think there are times when designers can overvalue the aesthetics of minimalism while missing an important goal of the underlying philosophy. Minimalism is about removing the excess while elevating the experience of something. In Dieter Rams' parlance it would be "Less and more" or "Less, but better".

Both of these capture the essence that reduction should happen in order to make the experience and efficiency of something more singular. I love how HHKB reflects this in it's design and approach. Removing arrow keys and condensing the layout creates a lot of work for first-time users to adapt to the changes. But the reductions are not for the sake of minimalism alone. They aim to make the programming experience more efficient and more enjoyable to type on for great lengths of time.

In my experience this rings true with HHKB. It took several months for the layout to fully feel "native" to me. The minimalism and simplicity with the elevated experience of typing was worth the investment and now I can't imagine typing on a different keyboard layout.

Each keyboard has its own tactile feedback and auditory signature. Can you elaborate on how these sensory experiences affect your design process? How do you think the physical design and user feedback of a tool, like the HHKB, influence creative thought?

My HHKB experience started with the Type-S. I would describe the typing sound as a soft "thopp" sound with the dampening provided by the silent Topre switches. The Professional Classic has a soft "thwup" sound that is fairly quiet, though not as buttery smooth as typing on the Type-S. The wired connection of the Professional Classic, combined with it's more traditional sound, feels like being connected to a live wire. The feedback and latency are fast, and it performs like a workhorse over long sessions of typing and work.

Tactility is such an important aspect of physical product design. I'm a software designer by trade so sensory experiences manifest differently on a screen but there is a philosophical underpinning that is connected. The ergonomics of software and hardware require that we can about the sensory experiences that users have. Whether that manifests in a dash of sound, a button animation, or a small piece of haptic feedback—all of those pieces combine to create a rich, interactive experience.

I think it is important for designers to be immersed in beautiful and functional hardware like the HHKB. It keeps us connected to the devices we use to create and it teaches us that everyday experiences (including our software) can feel delightful to use every day if we design it with great care.

Over time, how have you observed the impact of HHKB-style keyboards within the broader tech and design communities? In what ways do you think they have influenced or been influenced by other trends in technology and aesthetics?

I think the keyboard industry as a whole is being influenced by the ability to customize our environments. As gaming culture expands so does the desire for self-expression. HHKB, in some ways, pushes against that by staying true to a classic form that has largely remained unchanged since 1996.

That being said, the HHKB layout has inspired countless artisans and makers (from the Keychron Q60 Max to the Norbauer Heavy Grail) to embrace the iconic layout and allow for all kinds of customizations. I expand on that a bit below the Q&A section.

Also HHKB's Studio product represents an important first step forward into the world of allowing users more customization and control over their keyboard experience with HHKB.

As technology continuously evolves, what future innovations or changes do you anticipate or hope to see in the design of keyboards that are inspired by the HHKB layout? How might these changes further enhance your work and the work of others in your field?

I was intrigued to learn about Wooting's 60HE+ hall-effect keyboard—a 60% layout with a whole new kind of actuation experience. The fact that other makers are building in this 60%/HHKB space means that more people will be able to experience it's unique benefits. I hope that HHKB continues to listen to the community and explore creative new ways to help the HHKB layout retain it's beautiful quirks and allow more people to build accessories and customizations around it.

HHKB Studio

HHKB Studio is a new keyboard concept from PFU, the makers of the original HHKB. It boasts silent hot-swappable MX switches and keycaps, a pointing stick, mouse buttons, and gesture pads on the side of the keyboard. I'm excited that PFU is exploring new expressions of the HHKB keyboard and I'm eager to watch this product continue to evolve and mature.

Keychron Q60 Max

The Keychron Q60 Max houses the HHKB key layout in a durable, heavy 6063 aluminum chassis. Like HHKB Studio you lose the ability for Topre's capacitive switches, but you gain the ability to customize the keyboard with numerous keycap sets, artisans, etc. Built on the open QMK/Via firmware, there is a wide range of customizations that can be made to personalize the keyboard and yet still remain true to the original HHKB vision.

URSA for HHKB

URSA is a new keycap project that brings quality, customized keycaps to the Topre keyboard market. Their Classic, Black, Blue, and Red sets bring a new keycap profile similar to MT3 to the Topre world and they work seamlessly out of the box with all of the current Topre HHKB models.

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ELAC is a German high-fidelity audio company founded in 1926 with products that are characterized by meticulous craftsmanship and emerging technology. They recently collaborated with NY fashion brand Adsum on the DCB41-DS—a designer version of their iconic Debut ConneX powered bookshelf speaker.

Before I get to the interview with ELAC's CTO and President Joe Riggi I want to share Adsum's perspective on the shared collaboration:

> We thought back to the very beginning when we first started talking about this collaboration. What stuck with us from the very beginning was how perfect the ConneX worked in all our living and working environments. NYC is an expensive place where space is such a premium, so we need things that can work in many spaces, but we don’t want to compromise on looks or quality. The ConneX was plenty to fill our apartments and studios with sound whether it was for watching the TV, throwing some songs on to cook, or having a full fledged party.
>
> From this the idea came the phrase "Little Size, Big Sound"—a common phrase in the audio world. Our marketing tends to have a bit of a clever self-aware wink, a slight irreverence; so we thought why not take this idea to the extreme and use photoshop to do a visual trick that shows the our ConneX in a monumental state.

Without further intro, here is my interview with Joe Riggi...

Could you explain a bit of the backstory on how the DCB41-DS speakers were created? I would love to hear the product story.

A previous iteration of these speakers existed as ELAC Debut ConneX. These are an entry point to introduce audiences to premium audio via a simplified system. Debut Connex has been successful, however it has a traditional design that has more of an audio industry look to it.

People are emotional about what they purchase. Usually, there is an attraction to the product. In some cases that attraction might be technical, based on specification or reviews, but looking at something and the feelings it evokes is equally (if not more) important.

I love fashion and there is a whole world of creative people who like fashion. People who like sophisticated, clean designs. I have been developing products my entire career: designs, ratios, colours, and functionality have always been important to me. Attracting new audience is critical for long term sustainability of any industry. ELAC has done this with is wide range of products, but we were not appealing to today’s generation.\
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Collaborating with Adsum provided two things. One, a creative eye from a different perspective. Adsum was instrumental in the overall look of the products. The other is exposure by association. The collaboration between ELAC and Adsum seamlessly blends ELAC’s uncompromising commitment to audio excellence with Adsum’s distinctive aesthetic, reflecting the dynamic pulse of city life.

I would love it if you could elaborate on the design process for these speakers. How did the project start and what steps are involved in bringing a new speaker to life? What is the most challenging part of designing a personal audio product designed for broad usage?

Like any design, there are many iterations, but this project had an additional layer of complexity. We wanted to get the speaker aesthetics perfect without sacrificing any of what made Debut Connex speaker design so great. We have multiple iterations of grilles, finishes, packaging, etc.  We went through 3 different version of the metal stand before we could get dimensions and curvature just right. This is one of many projects that demonstrates ELAC’s commitment to design.

Adsum is an American clothing company focused on high quality manufacturing and design. ELAC has a history of creating high-end audiophile products. Could you dive into what portions of the DCB41-DS are unique to ELAC and what aspects of the project feel unique to Adsum? How was the project shaped by both brands working together?

The technology and acoustics are of course unique to ELAC, the look andfeel was fuelled by Adsum. This was a real collaboration. We worked together on all details, which made for a successful product and launch.

Stepping away from the collaboration project, what things have you learned working with Adsum that you want to bring back to inform your other products and process at ELAC?

Details matter, take the time to flush them out. Be passionate about what you like and fight to realize it.

Fashion, music, art, and design all mingle in the same collective space. This Adsum collaboration project is exciting. Has this project made you more excited to explore future projects in these shared creative spaces?

Absolutely! Projects like this elevate brands by forcing them to use a different process. Bringing a fresh approach away from your daily noise to make something different — something special.

As audio products and streaming platform have pushed the industry more digital how has ELAC adapted to that movement as a company?

Sound is not digital, so the essence of sound reproduction has not changed. We continue to design and make products with the 95+ years of audio experience behind us. ELAC stays true to what it is to bridge the digital movement.

I want to close with a short personal perspective on the speakers. The off-white enclosures are beautiful. Everything from the magnetic grilles, to the ports on the back, and the quality and tone of the speaker cables—every detail of the DCB41-DS evokes quality and craftsmanship.

The quality of sound whether connected to my laptop or via RCA cables to the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field or K.O. II EP-133 is impeccable. Bass is rendered with depth and clarity. Mid-tones and highs are warm without every feeling tinny or scratchy.

I'm very impressed with the simple luxury and high fidelity of the DCB41-DS. Aesthetically I like that they don't look and feel like every other speaker on the market and feel balanced with my desk setup.

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I had a chance to connect with them recently and talk about all things design and philosophy—getting into the nitty gritty details of iterating, exploring new products, and what really happens during the long process of bringing something to life.

I hope you enjoy the journey and find it as insightful as I have.

Interview is from Henry's POV, unless designated.

Pioneer has been making innovative daily carry items in 2016, starting with wallets and pouches. Now you are prepping a new line of backpacks. Your gear is infused with a minimal ethos along with utilizing unique and durable fabrics. I’d love to hear about how you got started on this journey and what has captured your imagination about the items you’ve designed and built.

Very early in my career, I think it was when I was doing industrial design at Black Diamond Equipment, we were making climbing harnesses and different tools for professional climbers, people who were climbing Everest, etc. At Black Diamond we had a workshop where I was first exposed to really high-end fabrics and high-end ways of making stuff with heat presses and other modern tools for making technical gear. This was before strong technical fabrics were even known by most of the public. I remember seeing some of this stuff and my first thought was “Wow! This is absolutely going to be the future." I wanted to bring this concept of technical fabrics and technique to more people so I started tinkering around making some wallets.

We began to see brands adopt more technical stories (Lululemon leggings, Nike Flyknit) and I started to get a vision for taking an essential product like a wallet—normally made of premium leather—and refine and elevate it using technical materials and process.

So we bootstrapped Pioneer and just went for it. A few blogs picked it up and we had a unique audience on Instagram before they pivoted to video and it started to take off. The blogs that featured us really helped us to get Pioneer off the ground.

Also we really put lots of invisible care into how our products are built. The process is very intentional for us. Our wallets are not just pieces of fabric that are sewn together. We have this FutureForm core which gives it a thicker, more tangible feeling. When we add the technical fabrics to the outside of the core you end up with this object that is entirely novel from end-to-end.

This is a great example of how we try to leverage technology to elevate the products that we design.

As you expanded your carry line over time what got you excited about producing a line of backpacks? Also as you scale up the size (backpacks are a lot bigger than wallets and pouches) what have the design challenges been and how have you tackled them?

At the core our products are about distilling forms. We achieved this with wallets and small carry pouches and we took this same philosophical approach with our bags (which I had previous experience designing). One way to approach designing a bag would be to scale up what we were doing with our wallets and the global pouch by creating a bigger version of those products. But we really wanted to approach the problem from first principles—in a truly novel way.

This involved lots of research into fashion brands and high-end leather backpacks—studying classic lines and approaches to larger bags. We wanted to take these classic forms and elevate them with our premium materials—the same as we did with our wallets and pouches.

We also wanted to infuse some of the culture of fashion into our products. When I was a designer at Levi's it threw me into the fashion world. Fashion moves on a more cyclical, faster timescale than we do at Pioneer—where we aim for objects with forms that feel more timeless. While fashion serves the broader culture, our focus is on serving the evolution of products by combining timeless elements with the kind of fabrics technology that are being leveraged in technical outdoor equipment.

Lots of the iterative process is about smoothing out the lines: taking clean silhouettes that could be made out of leather and putting our really high-end fabrics, custom hardware, and the custom feel that we're known for into every piece of the bag. For example, with our global pouch or our wallets, when you pick them up for the first time or grab the handle—you instantly feel that something is different. That distinct feeling of something unique and high-end is something we worked hard to bring to these new bags.

Let’s dig into the creative process more. How do you approach creating new products? Do you talk to your customers? Are the ideas driven more by your internal curiosity or what customers are asking for or both? As you approach a new product line how collaborative is the process of bringing something new to life?

In terms of the mindset that we design with, we touched on this a bit earlier, but we start with the assumption that this product will be around for 10 years. That forces some very intentional decisions when it comes to how we design and construct our products.

Another constraint is our size. As a small distributed team we have to be really confident in the longevity of something when we decide to pursue it. This means our product process can be rather long. It takes us about 2 years to develop something new and bring it to market.

In terms of the external and internal inputs on creating new things, our process has a mix of both. We love to experiment and play with some really wild ideas. We also pair this with diverse field testing. This helps ensure that a product we are pursuing hits on a range of consumer interest. But we also will validate demand for an idea based on what our customers are saying to us. It’s surprising to me how often the customer is on the exact same wavelength as us.

Zooming in even more, I place my email address on the inside of every box sent to our customers. Our website features an unfiltered review section. All of these inputs contribute to the depth and range of what we build. In the end it feels feels really good to have customer demands validated when we get the point of actually launching something new.

What is the inspiration behind Pioneer Carry?

I would say we are very rationalist and very modernist. Let me explain that a bit. We start philosophically by asking the question: “What makes something timeless?” This goes against the grain of postmodernism, which is driven more about emotion, hype, and design decisions that might be described as irrational.

By immersing ourselves in streams of creativity that are more classical or timeless, we begin to see for instant there are silhouettes in products that re-emerge time after time. If you think about brands like L.L. Bean, Nike, or Barbour there are certain iconic products that they are known for: the L.L. Bean tote, Nike Air Force One, and the Barbour Waxed Jacket. Each of those brands does lots of things, but at the core there is usually one or two things that are essential for them. For us, we haven’t found that “essential” thing yet, but we are on that path of trying to uncover this with each product that we bring to life.

Another way to look at this is to ask the question: “What is in there already that we can bring out in a new way?” This is about finding the essence of the thing and letting that shine through. You might say we are “essentialist” in our approach in that we aim to find what is essential and elevate it through design, iteration, and technology.

Looking into 2024 and beyond what excites you the most about Pioneer? What gets you excited when you get up and go to work every day?

Honestly it’s hard for us to think much beyond our bag launch. We’ve invested so much into this launch and we are really focused on bringing them into the world for everyone to experience.

In terms of what gets us excited to go to work, I would say first that neither of us are businessmen. For us it’s really about getting to contribute meaningfully to something and watching it grow and change every day.

I've had a chance to use the Pioneer Duration Pack for the past couple months and I must say I was surprised by every little detail of this bag. I've used and tested a lot of different backpacks but here are the highlights that stood out to me:

* the material and finish on the inside of the bag is every bit as high-quality as the outer fabric (not the case with most backpacks)
* the main zipper openings open flawlessly every time
* the backpack stands up on the ground when it is empty (due to how the bottom compartment was designed)
* every single detail was executed flawlessly and the highest attention to detail I've seen in a backpack
* the form factor is slim and minimal but it fits everything I need and more—the perfect travel companion

I encourage you to explore these new bags for yourself and improve the way you carry and travel: Pioneer Carry Travel Backpacks. ※

Their online store features strange art-house projects like Time Since Launch or Solid State Watch alongside machined daily carry essentials built to last a lifetime like Pen Type-C or Herring Blade. Each piece is infused with its own curiosity, creative storytelling, and painstaking focus around a set of recurring themes.

I had a chance to chat with them recently as they graciously agreed to answer some questions about their products and their practice. I hope that you will find this conversation as illuminating as I have.

Your site houses a diverse range of ideas, production, curiosities, and points of view. How do you go about generating new ideas for products and how do you know when an experiment has deep resonance with an audience?

Most of our ideas come out of an internal desire for something to exist. Oftentimes that thing already exists, but once in a while, we can’t find a perfect match, so we start by making one for ourselves. We end up making lots of things. For our house, for the office, tools, little bits of software, toys, games, clothes, etc. Once in a while it evolves to become a project that seems like a good enough idea that we think other people might appreciate it too.

That said… we don’t think too hard about how products might resonate with an audience. And not because we don’t want to, but more because we’re not equipped to. We don’t have the overhead to run user testing, focus groups or anything like that, so any kind of speculation we do about how things might resonate would be a stab in the dark. So instead, we’re deeply focused on designing for ourselves. An audience of two.

Since CW&T stands for Che-Wei and Taylor, can you talk a bit about how both of you collaborate together? How much back and forth is involved in a typical project? Are there skill sets that each of you have that compliment each other?

Our skill sets overlap quite a bit. We both write code, CAD, run machines, etc. but we come at problems from opposite angles. Taylor tends to think of things from a systems perspective. She likes to have a comprehensive understanding of the problem before diving in. CW likes to tackle things as if it’s a sprint and continue on that momentum until we run out of steam.

In practice, typically, CW sketches and prototypes a proof of concept over and over until we’re both happy with it. That can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Once we move a project into production mode, Taylor will do the photography and package design while CW handles manufacturing.

Looking through your shop there are a couple themes that come to the surface for me. One is writing or capture (pens, notebooks) the other is time (Time Since Launch, clocks, counters, Solid State watch). What is it about these ideas that keeps drawing you back in?

I like how you use the word capture, I’ve never heard it in that context, and it really resonates. I wish it wasn’t this way, but putting creative ideas into the world isn’t accessible to everyone, and for reasons more serious than our products address. But I do feel that for some people, and I’m one of those people, having easy access to beloved creative tools can reduce that friction, and ease capture.

Timekeeping is an area that we’re explicitly focused on. Early on I think it provided us a framework, or space to solve within. But today we’re actively interested in providing people with opportunities to better understand or change their perspective on time. It’s central to the way we all live, yet we pay little attention to it and have no power over it. CW has written two master theses on timekeeping, and some of our work is a continuation of that research and thinking.

Honing in on your pen system a bit (Pen Type-A, Type-B, Type-C) I'd love to hear more about the process of developing these products. Did they begin as sequential explorations… a sort of evolution over time? If so, I'm curious what drove you down the path to keep exploring the same idea (a high-quality container for a Hi-Tec refill) in different forms?

Pen Type-A was our first product that really took off. We weren’t expecting such a big response to it. It started as an homage to the Hi-Tec-C. Taylor liked the pen so much we felt it needed a home that wasn’t disposable plastic, and would live up to that reverence. So we made 2 prototypes of Pen Type-A for ourselves.

Our friends suggested we try to launch the project on Kickstarter in 2011. On a whim, we tried raising $5,000 to make 50 pens. We ended up making 6,000 pens for 4,000 backers. That moment changed everything for us, and we weren’t at all prepared for the response.

Before delivering the 6,000 pens (it took two years to figure out manufacturing) we designed Pen Type-B. As much as we liked Pen Type-A as a desk pen, we immediately wanted something more pocketable and thought of it as the ultimate pen. And so we announced to everyone that Pen Type-B would be the last pen we’d ever design.

A few years later, we were approached by Shinola to design a pen for them. We designed a flat pen that’s super pocketable, relatively affordable and still used the great Hi-Tec-C cartridges. After a few back and forths, they ended up walking away from the project because it didn’t fit their cost goals. But we were really happy with the design, so we launched it on our own. Today, Pen Type-C is our go-to pen.

I love that story of how your pen products all built on each other. This brings me to one of your core Principles: "Make it last". In this you talk about over-engineering your products. What role does material selection play in your products and process? If someone were to pick up a CW&T product 100 years from now, what would you want them to take away from that experience?

I think we all want things to last. So we’re just trying to do what I think is the right thing to do. Every engineer knows exactly what they’re doing when they select an inferior material or thickness to save on costs. The trade-off is really simple. There’s definitely the potential to go overboard with the over-engineering, but we try to be sensible with the design, material selection, and manufacturing processes to make a product last for a long time.

I would love it if someone picked up one of our products 100 years from now and still appreciated it as an object. As a designer I think many of us aspire to design timeless designs, but that’s nearly impossible on a 100-year time scale. I’d be curious to find out how outdated they think our designs are and in what way they seem weird and confusing.

Over the past couple months I've had a chance to use two variants of the Pen Type-C. One is raw titanium and the other is a Grade 5 Titanium Orange Cerakote version engraved with it's CW&T product ID: CWT_HSM4PW4_1610. Both feel durable and timeless. ※

DSPTCH®'s product and ethos are built around the idea of elevating quality and simplicity, while never being afraid to explore something new.

I had a chance to catch up with Richard Liu recently and ask him some questions about his company and their recent collaboration with Engineered Garments.

How do you approach the ideation and design process for DSPTCH®; where do you pull inspiration from?

The best source for me has always been spending time in urban cities as well as my own travels at the airport or other transit environments, particularly in other countries. People are constantly looking for optimal solutions when carrying their stuff so it's an obstacle that everybody faces and tries to solve. It's always interesting to see all of the different types of solutions out there. That has always been a great inspiration for me to observe as much as I can and then wait for something to strike a chord.

You have some notable collaborations with brands like Maekan, Descente, and Engineered Garments. How do these collaborations form and what do you learn from them?

Each collaboration has its own story about how they came to fruition. But, currently my approach to it is to first find people that I love to work with. I find the process is much more energizing and yields a better product when you're just excited to talk with the other party and throw ideas against the wall together. So these days, it's less about the business case and more about the experience and relationship with the goal that ultimately this makes a more authentic and interesting project for customers to get excited about. Customers can tell when the collaboration has organic energy behind it.

Regarding the formation and growth of DSPTCH®, what has surprised you the most about the journey?

The thing that surprises me most is how little my anticipation to engage the process of design and iteration has waned over the years. I still am as excited as I was in our first years as I am today, 13 years later, to take on a new bag or case or even a little accessory strap. The operations side of things does feel like work a bit at times, but the design side still gets me out of my seat no matter how simple the project is. I spent a few weeks on a new shoulder pad recently and it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day once I got to try the first prototype out. Even small projects like that fuel me and it really hasn't changed over the entire span of the company.

The recent Engineered Garments collab underscores the highly technical fabric choices for DSPTCH® gear (like dyneema or Venom™). What do you like about these fabrics that traditional fabrics like nylon or Cordura don't provide?

It's always a treat to be able to hold something that's been developed for improvement. The technical fabrics provide a whole new world of possibilities with weight, durability, and water repellency. There has been a lot of innovation in that space which inherently gets us all excited to work on development. We try to incorporate the fabric in the ideation of the design so it is more than just a fabric swap. We want to let the properties of a lightweight fabric shine with minimal hardware or other heavier components so we have to design something entirely new to allow that to happen. So new fabrics are a significant part of our process and product development because it gives us a whole new set of parameters to design within.

In the past several years you've explored a retail concept store in addition to your online consumer site. I'd love to hear you talk about that process.

Retail has always been a big part of our journey. Before I even had an idea of starting a brand, I was constantly trying to visit San Francisco independent retail stores because it was like a whole new world of product had been made available to me. Growing up in the suburbs and pre-internet, you really had to just go and find these stores and when you did, you could find a new store of product that you never even knew existed. This is what originally got me involved in the creative and design world so when we had an opportunity to join the SF retail landscape, it was a dream come true.

Did this retail exploration change the work you do at DSPTCH® or your product approach?

I wouldn't say that it directly affects our design approach since we aren't really creating anything specifically for retail, but just seeing our product in different retail environments certainly inspires and motivates.

Whether our own shelf or one across the world, we still follow our original concept and commitment to try to make timeless products that can last a lifetime.

If you have haven't had a chance to explore DSPTCH® yet, then I highly encourager you to check out their site, and follow along with their journey:

dsptch.com

I'm constantly inspired by brands that care about craft, community, and designing and building for the long haul.