Merging Technology and Interior Design
Since launching our Kickstarter Campaign, we have heard from so many of our customers asking how we came up with the Stata Clock design. So, we decided to get into the nitty gritty details of what went into creating our smart hardware for the home.
As many of you may have realized, the idea for the Stata Clock was inspired by the Weasley family clock from Harry Potter series. However, when it came to the design of our clock, we knew we wanted to upgrade the rustic grandfather clock you might remember from the movies and design something worthy of a modern muggle home.
Providing information was the most important requirement of the Stata Clock design, which is why we decided early on that our display would have no electronic components. Screens and lights are convenient tools, but we wanted a design that was human-first, breaking free of the embedded-screen trend. The classic, radial design of an analog clock has truly stood the test of time — the perfect blend of form and function, it captures feelings of nostalgia and engineering elegance.
When we started to think about the materials for the Stata Clock, I found myself lost in memories of an old butcher-block clock that hung on the wall of my childhood home. Every day that clock would tell me when it was time for school, when I could expect my father to be home from work, and when it was time for bed. I have such a sense of nostalgia and comfort when I think of that clock and I wanted to capture that same feeling in the design of the Stata Clock.
The first version of the Stata Clock captured many of the elements I wanted — the square shape and natural wood face were nods to that old butcher-block clock from my childhood. Unfortunately, our first attempt at creating whimsical icons and functional clock hands was less than successful.
Our first set of icons were playful and attempted to provide a sense of activity. However, they lacked readability. Prioritizing minimalism, we created a simple set of language-agnostic icons that could be seen clearly from across a room.
Creating the clock hands took a bit more time and thought. Each hand had to be clearly identifiable even when multiple hands were pointing to a single location. In our initial design, we wanted names to be engraved on the ends of each hand. However, this not only proved to be a visual disaster, as the small letters were impossible to view from afar, the hands were also improperly balanced and the mechanics struggled to maintain accurate movements.
Many iterations later, the current clock hands are vibrantly colored, so easily viewed from a distance. The new teardrop shape of the hand tip is well-balanced for movement and provides us the opportunity to engrave letters or images.
While we loved the square shape of the first clock, it did feel a bit imposing. Opting for a squircle instead of our traditional square gave our clock a fresh feel that families loved.
This is not the end of our design journey. The Stata Clock was designed to be flexible and highly-customizable. We have envisioned many new design possibilities that we hope to bring to market in the coming months and years. Which of these concepts would you want in your home?
