A modular hanger
The last ten weeks of my Bachelor Industrial Design at the TU Delft were spent on the so-called Bachelor End Project (BEP). Here, having to choose from a small list, students were given the chance to pick one (design brief) of their liking. My choice was Hermeta, a company specialising in aluminium casting and producing furniture fittings and -accessories (e.g. coat hangers, door handles). The main problem I tackled was their zero brand/name-awareness whilst having a close to 100% distribution in the Dutch DIY retail stores. A lot of Dutch consumers know, or even own, their products while never having heard of ‘Hermeta’. Due to Hermeta’s relative high quality my solution was to design a product (range) that would stand out of the crowd and gain awareness. The Hermeta brand would be perceived as more luxurious and be put on the map, selling not only regular, but high end products as well.
By analysing and structuring Hermeta’s portfolio, market-, company- and user research the final design was a geometrical (modular) coat hanger. The diamond-shape product could be connected to the wall with the help of an attachment. Having one on the wall, others can be hung next to it. This way, new (bigger) shapes can be created while giving the user the freedom to organise them in the way he/she prefers it. In addition, accessories, which are no hangers, are available to increase customisation even more. At the end of the project, the three best designs/students were chosen (in non-specific order) by the company. I was lucky enough to be one of them.
