From cardboard to FIRST LOVE

FIRST LOVE began with Kári Halldórsson’s new approach to shaping sound. I led the hardware design direction from early concepts to production, working with specialists in mechanical design, electronics and sound engineering.

The electronic prototype demonstrated the sound-shaping idea. We needed to bring its screen, controls and body together as a physical instrument people could understand and play.

Cardboard and improvised controls let us test proportions, ergonomics and the relationship between screen and hardware. These quick mockups gave the team a shared reference while the layout was still easy to change.

Drawings and form studies helped us compare construction options. Working with mechanical designer Boris, we developed the chosen direction into prototypes we could hold, test and refine.

Enclosure parts and section drawings helped us resolve materials, construction and fit while keeping the screen and physical controls connected as one playing surface.

A compact, self-contained instrument with a screen close to the controls and a visual identity carried into the physical object.

Assembly and testing in Shenzhen brought the design into production. My role was to carry the hardware design direction through that shared effort, from the first physical sketches to a manufactured instrument.