Quickslide

Client

An Australian carry goods company, Bellroy is built on finding better ways to store, protect and carry your items. Based in Bells Beach, Victoria, the Bellroy design team carries an intense focus on user centeredness and sustainable design.

My work here was focused heavily on hard-goods and tech accessories, with an emphasis on the creation and refinement design language in new product areas. 

Background

Inspired by the rapid access of firearm slings, the Quickslide Buckle was born from the desire to bring the same level of speed and easy access to a different style of shooting; photography. This hardware piece was planned to feature on the Venture Sling: Camera Edition and was a fast paced project to ensure the die-cast buckle could be produced in time for release.

The initial brief was to create a tool that could be pressed from sheet material, however as the concept evolved, it became clear that die-casting would be necessary to create the desired unique geometry.

Overview

While visually simple, the Quickslide was an arduous project of constant iteration. The design was heavily informed by user-interaction and testing, with countless prototypes modelled and printed. Finding the balance points between perfect friction and ease-of use as well as surface area for clasping vs. clean aesthetic were a complex and critical battle.

Overall, this piece was a huge test of repetition; both digitally in Rhino3D and intuitively with hands on prototyping.