This was a collaboration with Angus Ware and Jeffry Simpson of Heliograf to design and create the award winning Light Soy. Light Soy is a glass lamp inspired by the iconic single-use soy sauce packets shaped like fish found in sushi shops around the world. The light is conceived as a statement to the single-use nature of the soy sauce packets, by designing the lamp in a way that can be treasured. Using premium materials with longevity, designing for disassembly, repair and modularity, the light soy is designed to last for years.

Light Soy took over two years in design and development, ensuring each aspect of the design is reflecting its main purpose; Design for Longevity, Repairability, Disassembly and Durability. The original brief was to design the soy fish glass lamp, in a way that would work as 2 models: the portable table lamp and the pendant lamp. Drawing on the original form of the soy sauce packet which consists of the body and a small threaded lid, we treated the red lid as the universal lighting closure which would house all the hardware for both potable battery model and the pendant light. Designing a universal threaded lid means the light can be upgraded without replacing other components i.e ability to introduce smart functionality and reclaim materials from previous generation caps.

Reflecting on the principles of durability and longevity we chose premium materials and created something that will be treasured, not trashed. Drawing on years of experience in glass production, Vert Design has worked closely with glass manufacturers perfecting the glass-blowing technique, developing the right surface finish and most importantly the fitment between a hand-blown glass and an injection moulded threaded cap.

Each lamp model is accompanied by a number of accessories; A solid aluminum base for the portable model and a bespoke ceiling canopy kit for the pendant model. Light Soy can be fully disassembled to Its main components which means it can be repaired by the user or sent back to Heliograf for an upgrade. This also allows for an opportunity for the lamp to be easily recycled once/if it reaches the end of life.

With environmental awareness in mind, Vert was responsible for the design of a completely plastic-free packaging solution which is universal for both the Battery model as well as the pendant. The carry box features a wet pressed bagasse pulp tray, created using by-products of the sugarcane industry. The light is sandwiched between 2 pulp trays which take the visual impression of the glass fish shape and surface details and providing protection for the product during shipping and transit. All accessories are placed in small trays at the base of the cardboard packaging box, with the ability to be swapped out based on the light model.

The lamp is available in two forms: a USB-C rechargeable table lamp or a pendant light. Both options have a built-in 3000K LED with touch-controlled dimming. These can be pre-ordered from Heliograf’s website. You can read more about the light soy at:

Dezeen

Trendhunter

Designweekmag

Apartment Therapy

dlmag

Inhabitat

From headscarves to stadium seats, Crafted Liberation celebrates Iranian Women's resilience in the pursuit of gender equality

Crafted Liberation is an initiative showing unity and empowerment among women of Iran. With headscarves donated by Iranian women globally, we transform them into stadium seats, telling stories of their struggle against political and societal constraints. This exhibition calls for awareness and solidarity for women in Iran and beyond.

Collective Action to Initiate Change

In the heart of this exhibition lies a profound tale of collective action to ignite transformation. Gender inequality and societal restrictions have long burdened the women of Iran. The tragic case of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, who lost her life in 2022 due to a so-called 'improper headscarf violation' while in Iranian 'moral' police custody, became a rallying cry for justice. In the face of danger and persecution, Iranian women worldwide united in protest.

“To voice for those often silenced, we launched a collective call for action, inviting Iranian women globally to donate their unwanted headscarves for this transformative project. Their contributions led to the creation of the exhibited stadium seats and collectively we transform a traditional symbol of oppression to a beacon of empowerment.”

These stadium seats, symbolic of a history of gender-based oppression in Iran, now redefined into a celebration of the resilience and voices of these women. Since 1981, Iranian women have been banned from attending men's sporting events in stadiums, justified by preserving modesty and gender segregation. The grandstand crafted from donated headscarves challenges this unjust tradition and signifies the dawn of a new era of liberation.

The process saw collaborations with manufacturing partners, in researching and processing the material and how its circulation can positively impact society and the environment.

Using a combination of lamination and compression moulding techniques, we created a unique material by combining the donated headscarves with recycled polymers, resembling the materiality traditionally used in stadium seating. The mixed materials are transformed into sheets and formed into bucket seats, through Talon Technology’s 'WasticFibre’ process.

The headscarves donated by Iranian women enable us to create the grandstand, embodying the shift from enforced tradition to empowered liberation. Our vision is to reimagine a future where headscarves are a matter of personal choice, not compulsion, and where every Iranian woman enjoys equal rights and freedoms.

We worked closely with Talon Technology, harnessing their expertise in developing innovative materials and products often involving fibre and composite technologies. Talon’s initiative, 'LPM: Local Plastic Microfactory' aims at making plastic recycling accessible in small communities. Their patented 'WasticFibre' process, which combines waste soft plastic bags with textile to create flexible composite sheets, was instrumental in shaping the iconic bucket seats that now form the heart of our exhibition.

Additionally, our collaboration with Defy Design, specialists in crafting impactful products from recycled plastic waste, provided invaluable insights and access to facilities for early material experimentation. Nila's vision and dedication, combined with the capabilities of these partners, transformed a concept into a tangible reality, allowing us to present the world with "Crafted Liberation," a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and artistic expression.

This project was launched during Dutch Design week 2023 in Netherlands, You can read more about it here:

The Design Writer

Design Institution of Australia (DIA)

Fold

Design Indaba

Material District

During my time at Vert Design, I worked on Slite, an award winning powerful, professional and portable LED lighting panel for creatives. The concept was manifested when Slite’s co-founder, Alex Smith realized how bulky, hard to use, super expensive & outdated professional lighting could be. The brief set out to research, design, develop and prototype a professional lighting that was easier, simpler and faster to set up.

Slite was born out of a need for portable and professional lighting for the modern content creators. “why not power a light from a powerbank!?” Alex thought, while shooting a 160 year old building with no power. I worked closely with Alex Smith (Technology director), Robbie Coleman (creative director), Miles Munro (Head of manufacturing), as well as a team of electrical engineers and LED manufacturers.

Focus was placed on designing an ultraportable device that would meet specific targets in thickness, weight and LED power. Slite is USB-C powered and can operate for up to 5 hours at 100% output, allowing it to be used in any location. A challenge faced by Vert was fitting the high end technology into such a menial housing design, and ensuring it’s longevity and durability. This was mitigated by going through lots of testing as well as chasing new technologies and developing a new PVS material for the circuit board. Slite was designed to slide in alongside your laptop and camera at less than 900g and 14 mm thin.

At Vert design we place sustainability at the forefront of all projects, building designs that are sustainable through the selection of materials, systems and processes. The Slite light is easily repaired through the mechanical screw assembly, and uses low impact premium materials and components to ensure longevity. In addition Slite can be completely pulled apart for easier recycling at the end of life.

We havce collaborated with our long term manufacturing partners to build custom pro quality RGBWW LEDs that produce market leading and powerful white light, the same quality reserved for high-end studio lighting. These LEDs can produce over 16 million colors, adjusted via the smartphone app. Slite is designed to be intuitive and human, making it easy to operate, set up and packdown. The remote platform also allows you to connect multiple Slites at once.

Slite sits within an ecosystem of products that support how it can be mounted across many locations. A magnetic plate with universal threads allows it to be mounted onto stands, tripods, clamps or magnetic walls, in portrait or landscape. The magnetic strength was tested to ensure the right balance between strength to hold the product and the ease to dismount. A range of accessories is yet to be launched that will complement the Slite Lite range.

The product was awarded a Best in Class Good Design Award, in the consumer electronics in 2022, recognising ecxellence in Design.

The Slite Light is available for presale on Kickstarter here.

Follow Silte on instagram here.

I had the chance to work with professional martial artist George Roditis, and athletic trainer Isaac Chang to collaborate in creating a highly functional and innovative, modern punching bag within the combat athletics scene. Prioritizing user safety and experience, the Striking Cell is designed to be used with or without gloves, encouraging the fighter to strike at maximum power without the fear of injury. Yenesthae’s vision is about understanding the needs of the physical and mental body, focusing on growth and emotional recalibration. “Who can you become” when pain is no longer holding you back?

The Yenesthae Striking Cell is designed to elevate the training experience for fighters of all levels, genders and ages as well as trainers in a class setting. The brief set out to create a form that was simultaneously heavy, soft and compact. 2 years were spent fine-tuning the foam configurations and suspension systems to enhance impact absorption and provide enough feedback through the sound and imprinting created in each strike. The goal was to create a soft and tactile skin-like surface that would mimic a feeling close to punching the human body, creating a feeling of plushness and emotional connection to the object. Vert design worked closely with Australian based foam supplier Dunlops Foam to test a bunch of different material densities in meeting this criteria. 45cm of premium foam that is certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia replaces the rags that would traditionally fill a boxing bag. This allows the bag to be used safely without padded gloves, as well as addressing the short product-life cycle and low quality materials previously used in boxing bags that often leads to unnecessary landfill. The bags have been tested within gyms across Australia by Yenesthae.

We collaborated with local upholsterer and high end furniture maker, Stellen Design in tackling the challenges faced in the production and manufacturing of the Striking Cell. A craft approach was taken in sampling different materials and processes in creating a solution that was durable and sustainable, whilst considering the structural reinforcements needed such as fasteners and hardwares. A sling and sleeve structure was developed in allowing weights to be interchanged within the internal core, whilst the suspension system is designed to limit the spin so that the bag swings to retain uniform density from top to bottom. Openings at the top and bottom assist the fighter in easily filling and un-filling the bag with their chosen weight ranging between 14-70kg, as well as improving the manoeuvrability. This modular system opens up combat athletics to groups of people that may have previously felt excluded based on their age, gender and skill level as the Striking Cell can be adjusted to meet their specific needs.

An automotive grade urethane based leather was selected to ensure longevity as well as provide an antimicrobial and UV resistant surface. Sections of panelled quilting provide target areas for punching in a solo or group setting. Through materiality and form, focus was placed on creating a product that would enhance the beauty of the workout space, complementing interiors within a home or exercise studio setting. Yenēsthae Striking Cells use no animal products and are made locally by artisans, to maintain a low carbon footprint.

Today the Yenesthae Striking Cell is being trialed at Virgin Active Gym in Pitt Street, Sydney and the goal of creating the feeling and sensation to punch without gloves has been achieved.

Designed by: Vert Design, Stellen Design & Yenēsthae

Yenēsthae won a good design award - read about it here.

You can purchase a Yentesthae boxing bag here.

Exterminia attempts to represent the way that the actions of human beings are directly influencing climate change and explores the impact on the planet’s oceans, marine life and coral reefs. 

Climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, has increased the temperature of the oceans, which in recent years has led to massive coral-bleaching events. These events have given rise to predictions that, unless action is taken now, the planet could lose three-quarters of its coral reefs by 2050.

The installation consists of a seat, an organic shape that is an abstract interpretation of a sea creature. It is bathed in soft coloured lights that create an effect similar to the bioluminescence of marine creatures; however, when a visitor sits down, sensors signal a change and the colours begin to desaturate and dilute from the sitting spot. The longer a person is sitting, the more the ‘bleaching’ happens; but when the visitor starts to retreat, the colours begin to return to full luminescence.

PROCESS:

Exterminia has been constructed using alternating timber and acrylic panels, machined using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) precision manufacturing tools. The materials are arranged in rows to create a curved structure around a cavity, which houses the lighting and sensor components. The clear acrylic panels are sandwiched between the timbers to create a bright reflection of the interior LED strips and set up a powerful lighting rhythm.

This installation is Nila's personal response to the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) and its draft agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in a bid to slow the pace of global warming. It was presented at Vivid Sydney 2016 and finally purchased by UNSW faculty of engineering as a permanent installation at the Mechatronic engineering building.

This Project was fully designed and manufactured by Nila Rezaei, with the lighting and interaction programmed by Nathan Adler.

Read more about it here:

Newsroom UNSW

The Wonderful Little Suitcase Company, conceived by Angela and Martin, arose from their keen observation of digital technology's growing influence on early childhood development. Educated in Austria as a Pediatric Speech Therapist, Angela gained extensive knowledge working with children with developmental delays for more than twelve years.

My collaboration with Angela and Martin materialized their vision of a portable educational toy set, enriching playful learning by nurturing cognitive, fine motor, problem-solving skills, and imaginative play.

Our partnership involved a meticulous exploration of concepts, considering every interaction point throughout the user journey. Each kit boasts an array of interactive elements, textures, and colors, encouraging actions like pulling, pushing, placing, picking up, problem-solving, and shape matching. Rigorous testing and prototyping allowed us to fine-tune forces, fostering fine motor skill development and fostering imaginative scenarios. Additionally, the design prioritized portability, enabling children to carry the kits playfully, enabling a sense of ownership and encouraging new play scenarios.

The end result was two distinct suitcases and accompanying accessories and play mats. The Car Lover Suitcase transforms into an adaptable street scene, featuring a wooden parking garage, lift, car wash, bridges, tunnels, along with wooden car and helicopter toys. The Ocean Suitcase encompasses a vibrant busy board, wooden shape sorter, stacking options, a treasure box with 16 wooden shapes, a golden key, stickers, and customizable name tags.

Every facet of the design underwent rigorous evaluation for material safety, ensuring minimal impact on individuals and the environment. Adhering to AS/NZ child product safety standards, our assessment encompassed elements like small components, sharp edges, wires, rods, folding mechanisms, and accessibility features. The chosen palette emphasizes sustainable materials such as cardboard, FSC-certified timber, and 100% cotton, while incorporating recycled materials like felt and synthetic paper to ensure product longevity.

The Wonderful Little Suitcases are available to be purchased here.

Zoomo-Cargo-Box is a purpose-built accessory for e-bikes, co-designed with riders to improve quality-of-life, health and safety of gig-economy-professionals. Replacing heavy-backpacks, it features a quick-release-platform, a stackable and stability-optimized form, internal organization and a keyless-lock, the product not only provides a safe and comfortable riding-experience, it enhances rider-confidence, self-esteem and operational-efficiency.

The Zoomo-cargo-box was initially born from an observation around the operational health & safety issues faced by riders carrying heavy loads on their backs for prolonged periods. Despite being commonly available for other 2-wheelers such as mopeds, those solutions are unsafe for bike frames, operationally inefficient and do not consider the rider experience. It became apparent that there is a clear need to create a fit-for-purpose solution for commercial delivery e-bikes that enables riders to carry load safely and meet the longevity and efficiency requirements of commercial last mile delivery systems.

Taking an inclusive co-design approach and working closely with riders, servicing mechanics and customers we were able to create a solution that goes beyond the safe transport of cargo. Designed for longevity and repair-ability, Zoomo-Cargo-Box is lightweight and attaches to the rear-carrier of the bike through a bespoke quick-release-platform.

Through an iterative design approach, we extensively tested and prototyped concepts that optimize riding-stability and allow riders to carry up to 25kg without putting any strain on their backs. The design also considered the organization of the content inside, Introducing a number of removable dividers that hold packages in place, as well as an optional insulated bag for temperature sensitive cargo.

Working closely with enterprise customers who were aiming to move their delivery fleets to e-bikes, we identified speed, efficiency and overall experience of operation as one of the key success factors for the product, whilst providing sufficient payload capacity without compromising the rider safety (center-of-mass). Keeping operation speed and post delivery experience in mind, we ensured the cargo box is designed to be quickly removable from the bike's rear platform through a bespoke attachment system, and the form is stackable for storage in space constrained locations.

We validated our objective to prevent physical-injury and enhance rider's quality-of-life through a quantitative survey and positive net-promoter-score, as well as qualitative research and user-feedback. This also entailed the validation of the price-point and development of a viable business-case through co-design with the target-market. Our design-process acted as a key enabler, creating a product that even catalyzed increased e-bike sales. This is a groundbreaking cargo-accessory designed specifically for e-bikes, which is instrumental in transitioning delivery-fleets from fossil-fuels to more sustainable options, with the goal of reducing emissions and traffic congestion in urban areas.

The Co-design approach was also a driver for our approach to manufacturing, we chose a method that enabled durability and flexibility, whilst requiring a low upfront investment, meaning that we were able to vigorously test the true to material product from early stages of development. Taking inspiration from products with similar durability and weight requirements, we created a supply chain that produced a successful product that met our user’s needs and can be offered at the right price point to the last mile industry.

Recognized for its innovation, the Zoomo Cargo Box received the Australian Good Design Award in 2023, in the Automotive and Transport Industry.

As one of the designers at Vert Design, Nila have collaborated with creative studio Mundane Matters, to facilitate the realisation of a 24 meter long suspended installation made from waste plastic as part of Art & About 2018.

2255 man-made oranges were injection moulded from over 100 kg of Marine debris plastic gathered by EcoBarge from the Great Barrier Reef. The material was carefully cleaned, sorted in colours and shredded and moulded into balls which resemble oranges.

Due to the exposure of Marine debris to elements and seawater, the material becomes quite unpredictable. Going through extensive amount of experimentation and refinement, we were able to push the boundaries of the process and utilise the material in an industrial scale injection moulding machine.

The project required a close collaboration with the artist, toolmakers, manufacturers, plastic collectors, City of Sydney Council, Installation team and the team at Customs House. Nila managed and oversee the manufacturing process from organising the collection group at Whitsunday Island, through to working with the Injection Moulder to ensure the final parts are suitable for a safe delivery of a large scale public installation.

Wasteland was successfully launched on 6 October 2016 at Sydney Customs House as part of Art & About Sydney, which is a month long festival that celebrates local and international artists and allows them to bring their ideas and unique spirit to the spaces we all share.

Read more about the project here:

The Design Files

Time Out Sydney

Mashable

Dispersion aims to encourage the act of making a positive change within the context of climate change. Focusing on the catastrophic Oil Spills around the globe, the mirror utilises a forced interaction to evoke a moment of contemplation about the pervasive toxicity that can result from human oil exploration and extraction. The interaction is initialised through a wind sensor located on top of the frame, encouraging the user to participate in the act of ‘Repair’ by blowing into the sensor.

In order for the user to reveal the reflective surface of the mirror, they are asked to blow into a wind sensor located on top of the frame, encouraging them to participate in the act of ‘Repair’. The interactive mirror is coated with two types of black thermochromatic pigment mixed with bio-resin, as a metaphor to an oily surface, which visibly transforms to become clear when heated. A custom made heating system is attached behind the mirror which activates via the ‘wind’ sensor through a microcontroller, results in a slow transformation of the surface from black to clear (Copper). The Dispersion process takes 7-8 minutes, urging the user to slow down and contemplate the man made activities that are destroying our planet earth and the ways to x and restore.

Dispersion was exhibited in Milan at Ventura Lambrate from 4-9 April 2017, as part of the 'Age of Man' exhibition, curated by Form&Seek, as well as ‘Designing Bright Futures’ curated by the Australian Design Centre.

Learn more about the project here:

Yellow Trace

Core77

Fast Company

Design Daily

UNSW Art and Design

In collaboration with creative agency S1T2, Revive the Reef was created for VIVID Sydney 2018 for Qantas Future Planet. It is a large scale interactive installation reminiscent of the underwater world of great barrier reef. Revive The Reef invites visitors to step into a virtual reef complete with interactive coral, thousands of light-refracting fish, and a vibrant soundtrack of real sounds from the Reef. While inside, visitors are given the chance to symbolically unwind the pressure on the bleaching reef by turn coral handles as a collective, and bring back to life an explosion of kaleidoscopic colour and sound. While interacting alone makes a small difference, it’s only by working together that visitors can make a real impact.

The installation included a custom build stage which was 6 meters wide and 4 meters tall, to contain the thousands of suspended fishes coated with dichroic film, a central 2.2 meter high coral and x3 smaller coral around it. The corals were constructed from CNC cut acrylic layers each with an LED strip attached on the internal edges to create a vibrant presentation of the light on the outer edge through light refracting.

Nila was responsible for the design and development of the physical installation based on client’s concept of the underwater world. it took 4-5 month to complete the project, from initial ideation, design refinement, detailing and document. In addition Nila work with Gorillas Construction, managing and overseeing the fabrication of all aspects of the installation as well as liaising with structural engineers to ensure a safe public artwork which thousands of viewers can interact with.

Learn more about the project here:

Qantas Future Planet

Karryon

At Vert Design, I was engaged by Lion and Lady to design a new baby bottle for travel-friendly feeding, a safe and versatile alternative to the common glass and plastic bottles already on the market.

Following an initial phase of research and exploration, food-grade stainless steel was selected to become the main material for the bottle for its specific benefits; superior lightweight durability (compared to glass), anti-bacterial properties which help reduce toxic load and endocrine disruption for the baby (compared to plastic), and its high thermal conductivity allowing the contents of the bottle to warm up quickly in hot water.

The baby-friendly, soft and minimal form offers a visual indication of the key functional attributes of the design. When assembled, the PP lid sleeves over the body to read as one unified form. The lid is designed to protect the teat, and also perform as a hot water bath for warming the bottle contents on-the-go.

Measurement lines on the inside of the lid allow for it to be used as a measuring cup and puree pot when needed. The wide neck of the bottle allows for easy filling and cleaning, as well as accommodating standard teats from most other brands.

The project required end to end product development, from initial ideation through to final manufacturing documentation. In addition, I was responsible for the initial supply chain management, creating a relationship and working with international suppliers to ensure the final product is up to a very high standards and as per the final design.

Watch this space for new projects in the pipeline for Lion and Lady that look to further extend the versatility of the product through compatible accessories that give the bottle a longer life by adapting to the needs of parent and baby. Vert are currently working on a number of products including a sippy head and an air tight lid which transforms the bottle into a small travel canister.

Launched in 2019, the Lion and Lady baby bottle is available for purchase online, as well as through a number of outlets across Australia.

Project Team_

Project Manager & Construction | Selena Griffith

Concept & Creative Direction | Edison Chen

Sculpture Design | Nila Rezaei

Engineering | Nathan Adler, Sam Cassisi

Coding | Tom Bremner, Jordan East

Sound Design | Hannah Cheers, Zacc Taylor

Developed for Vivid Sydney 2016, I LOVE YOU is a giant illuminated heart-shaped ‘Love-O-Meter’ that delivers a playful, participatory and often hilarious take on expressions of love.

The artists describe the concept behind the installation as “a sideshow-alley competition that meets Las Vegas wedding-chapel aesthetics.” It encourages couples to publicly declare their love by standing opposite each other on a highly visible podium and shouting ‘I LOVE YOU’ in unison, in order to fill a giant heart with as much light (love) as possible.

The reward for the couples is visual, with the serious nature of their declaration subverted by the enjoyment derived from their very public display of affection amplified in light. The louder or more intense their declarations of love, the brighter and more colourful are the patterns produced on the heart.

This project is deliberately corny and kitsch, encouraging shameless performance, silliness and romance. Human competitiveness inevitably kicks in and couples try to outperform others with their screaming declarations.

The artists’ aim is to create a playful, fun, exciting and interactive way of communicating a very intimate feeling. When the couples participating shout out their love before a large audience, the experience may (somehow) bring them closer as the see the intensity of their love literally lighting up the skies.

Read more about it here:

News.com.au

Sydney Morning Herald

Australian Financial review

UNSW Art and Design

UNSW Newsroom

With environmental awareness in mind, I was responsible for the design of a completely plastic-free packaging solution which is universal for both the Battery model as well as the pendant.

The carry box features a wet pressed bagasse pulp tray, created using by-products of the sugarcane industry. The light is sandwiched between 2 pulp trays which take the visual impression of the glass fish shape and surface details and providing protection for the product during shipping and transit.

All accessories are placed in small trays at the base of the cardboard packaging box, with the ability to be swapped out based on the light model.

Take Me There is a large geodesic dome installation for VIVO Lab immersive concept store in Shenzhen China. Seamlessly fitted with LED technology acting as a light simulator which atmospherically transporting visitors to different locations around the world, by projection mapping a 360 degree video on the 185 edge lit acrylic panels. Alternatively, guests can use a digital dashboard to choose studio lighting to take portraits.

Vivo is a household name in China. A smartphone giant that has risen to be the sixth biggest smartphone company in the world. Building on this success, vivo decided to launch a new flagship concept store in Shenzhen - vivo Labs. The vivo Lab in Shenzen, China is an industry-first experience centre taking audiences on a personal journey of discovery and self-expression. Celebrating the art of photography, our experiences inside this concept store demonstrate the power of interactivity and immersion to delight and engage.

‘Take me there’ is an immersive, geodesic dome, which houses an intricate network of multi-spectrum LEDs to give visitors the power to control their light, experimenting with how this crucial element impacts how we see the world. Working with global experience agency, Imagination Studio, and Sydney based Agency S1T2, Nila was approached to design and develop the complete structure of the geodesic dome as well as the central kiosk that houses the interactive display for the user to choose their lighting environment. It was estimated that the installation would attract nearly half a million people per day, which required the structure to be extremely safe yet a pleasant interactive experience for the user.

The final design was conceived a large scale dome made from custom cut polycarbonate pipe and x3 types of star connectors. The Dome is covered with 185 edge lit acrylic triangles, with custom extrusions on each edge which fits the LED strips which stimulate the imagery chosen by the user on the control panel. The Dome structure is placed on a custom designed stage which houses the hardware of the entire installation, with easy access for daily maintenance and alterations, whilst containing the required footing detail to securely hold the structure.

Read more about the project here:

S1T2

Imagination

Lovely Mobile News

Marketing Communication News

Vert was commissioned by the leading Australian fashion brand Country Road, to facilitate the brand’s goal to move towards a more sustainable product range. Collaborating with the jewellery design team vert have designed and produced earring components from marine debris plastic.

Utilising our in-house low-pressure injection moulding machine developed as a result of years in experimentation and testing, Vert has designed and manufactured the tooling which resulted in the creation of over 4000 components made from ocean waste.

I was resposnsible for leading and managing the project end to end from designing all of the production tooling, liasing with Country Road’s internal design team, liaising with waste collection teams in north queensland and manufacturing the product using the uniquelly developed moulding process.

The waste was collected by Eco Barge Clean Sea in northern Queensland, Washed, Shredded and sent our facilities in Sydney, which allowed us to bring Country Road’s vision to realisation.

Sensorb is a pair of interactive lights that aims to connect those who are emotionally attached but physically apart. Enabling the user to send and receive 'light' from each other, creating a sense of emotional re-assurance, the objects will help those who suffer from distance anxiety. 

Utilising sensor based technologies and micro-controllers enables the object to synchronise and mimic each other from a distance, translate movement into a lighting pattern and create a feeling of reassurance.

Sensorb is a collaboration between designers, Nila Rezai and Sarajayne Samra and engineer Nathan Adler. It is currently under development for a market ready product.

During my time at Vert Design, We collaborated with Chivas Regal Australia, to design and produce a series of limited edition hand crafted whiskey tumblers to enhance the experience of drinking Chivas 18.

The project was commissioned by The Projects and featured a run of 120 glass and coaster sets, produced by one of Australia's most renowned glass artist, Ben Edols.

The glasses feature a clear pineapple textured base, which is joined to the upper Chivas blue ring, using an ancient Venetian technique which emphasizes the importance of hand-forming and the inclusion of colour. Each glass is accompanied by a textured blue dish that functions as a lid when whiskey is served and as a coaster during the drinking experience.

I designed and developed not only the object itself, but all the required tooling that was required for glass blowing and production of the unique texture. Working closely with Ben, We developed a 2 part timber mould to create the main form and a one in kind 2-part texture mould that allowed us to embed the texture without having to compromise the traditional whiskey glass form.