Harman Kardon Aura Studio 4
Lighting Experience
Brief
Lighting Design for the new generation of the Harman Kardon Aura Studio Series
Timeline
6 Months
Team
Mo Wang
Wenkin Huang
My Contribution
Ideation
CG Concept
Lighting Design
Challenges
How do we design the ambient light for the new generation of Harman Kardon Brand's most iconic speaker？
Evolution
Aura Studio is the world's most popular iconic lighting speaker series. The legend started 10 years ago, every generation has unique ambient lighting.
Ideation Workshop
In order to come up with innovative ideas, a workshop is conducted with creative people with diverse backgrounds including mechanical engineers, acoustic engineers, product managers, industrial designers, and UIUX designers.
Research
A usability test is conducted to verify lighting control and button layout options in the preliminary stage with the "Wizard of Oz" method.
Lighting Design Direction
Natura Inspired
The magical and soulful light is inspired by the beauty of nature to create a relaxed ambient environment and calm the mind
Parametric Pattern
The visual element inspired by the parametric shapes of nature
Multi-layer Light Effect
The lighting effect of multi-layered refractions is inspired by nature crystals and provided a sophisticated lighting appearance
Lighting Design Principles
The color of each lighting theme shall have enough differentiation
The movement of each lighting theme shall have enough differentiation
The music sync methods should be different to be sophisticate
Each lighting theme shall comes from a metaphor or reference
The lighting appearance shall fit with the brand story.
Preliminary Concept Exploration
Lighting Mock up
The mock-ups iterate from hand-made to 3D printing, helping to explore and verify the light design from the beginning. By closely collaborating with mechanical, acoustic, and electrical engineers and industrial Designers, We came up with a final solution with a well-balanced industrial design, lighting design, and acoustic performance.
React to Music
The lighting reacts to music in multiple ways. The music sync algorithm is distinctive from other speakers on the market, for example, Huawei Sound X and Xiaomi SoundPro. which only have one method of music visualization. Aura Studio 4 has 3 different music sync methods for 5 lighting themes, including lighting movement speed following the amplitude or beat, appearance or disappearance following the amplitude or beat, etc.
