No-Shado Desk Lamp | IDA Gold Winner
A desk lamp designed to remove the uneven, harsh shadows that directional lighting casts on the page.
Development
Uneven, directional desktop lighting can cause confusion and dark cast shadows on the page. No-Shado prioritizes a clean form and adjustability of the light’s angle, hue and brightness. It also needs to fit desks of all sizes to be commercially viable.
User Interaction
For UI, simpler is better. The arms can be adjusted and locked at any angle simply by lifting them into place, using an internal friction-based mechanism that avoids complex movements.
Power, hue and brightness controls sit in the center hub, letting users choose the brightness and color that suit their needs.
Prototyping
To prove efficacy, a prototype was modeled in CAD and 3D printed. Its materials and construction are not one-to-one with the intended design, but it still demonstrated the function by removing directional shadows and significantly illuminating the desk. The intended final body is bent extruded aluminum with a custom ratcheting mechanism and a thin polycarbonate sheet inset along the profile as a diffuser.
Reflection
No-Shado was the first independent industrial design project I took on outside of school. I saw that the IDA submission deadline was close and had less than a month to finish. Looking back, there are areas I would improve, and I would like to revisit and revise it one day, but I am very proud of the result. I still use the prototype lamp in my studio.
