Designing the Nokia Lumia 620

mar

23

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

When you look at the Nokia Lumia 620, you’ll instantly notice the vibrant, fun colours. This is partly due to Nokia’s use of the CMYK colour palette, but also down to something called dual-shot, a way of blending those CMYK colours to make new, exciting ones.

When it came to designing the Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia didn’t just focus on the colours of the shells, there were other things to consider, too:

“One of the things we wanted from the Nokia Lumia 620 was to make it compact while still delivering the full WP8 experience,” says Daniel Dhondt from Nokia design, who worked with colleague Sawa Tanaka and others to create the unique design of the Nokia Lumia 620.

“To make this happen we needed to look at where to invest and miniaturise everything.”

Daniel explains how even making the slightest change to every component makes a difference to the final product. For example, by keeping the gap between the screen and the cover down to a minimum, creating a tight locking mechanism on the back shell and making a really rigid chassis all help to create device that feels, and is, solid and compact.

This compact smartphone has really struck a chord with people, as many of the online reviews show. Daniel speculates as to why that may be:

“It has all the essentials. It has a great operating system, lots of technology like front camera and NFC and it’s the right size for most people. It’s also priced right and it looks amazing. It’s a complete package that really stands out.”

In terms of helping it stand out, that’s partly down to the dual-shot colour process we mentioned earlier.

While dual-shot itself isn’t new, the way Nokia is using it to combine new existing colours to create new blends is. It adds something new and exciting to the mix, creating a special depth effect.

Sometimes you’re not sure if you’re looking at one colour, or two. It’s only when you look at the phone face-on that you see the two colours side by side around the edges.

Creating dual-shot shells is technically very difficult to do; it requires a two-stage injection-moulding process.

“First we make the inner shell and then the outer in the same machine. While both are still warm and fresh from the machine we pair them together. We then finish off with a precision machine to make sure everything is aligned perfectly. What we’re left with is a high-quality shell, that’s in fact two pieces, seamlessly joined.”

With a choice of seven colours currently available, there should be something to suit everybody,

There are two types of dual-shot shells; one that uses the one colour that’s transparent and layered over the white inner-shot, which provides a very bright and deep and magic feel; and the shells with two different colours, that give a more playful, saturated experience.

Dual-shot

We asked if any more layers were on the pipe works; a tri-shot shell, for example.

“There’s nothing on the agenda currently. However, it’s technically possible. When one thing becomes possible, it’s only natural to think about new ways to evolve and improve and take it further. Who knows what the future brings.”

For the first time, Nokia also decided to house the audio-connector in the removable shell. Daniel tells me there were two reasons for this. The first was to make the phone as compact as possible, and being able to mount the connector in the case meant that a little extra space could be reduced in the phone. Also, placing the socket in the case meant it could flex a little bit more than if it were in the phone. This would make it just a little bit more resilient and less difficult for people to break. However, if that were to happen, all people would need to do is replace the shell.

Nokia Lumia 620

Compact, vibrant, and lots of fun.

The family is growing.

The design decisions taken to produce the Nokia Lumia 620 has provided us with a compact smartphone that’s really caught people’s imaginations, inside and outside of Nokia. Its design is perfect for first-time smartphone owners, as well as kids, teenagers or students; it’s versatile.

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mar

23