Plato’s Cave
Brief
Design a product for Visconti, an Italian luxury pen brand.
Project
A luxury fountain pen designed in memory of the renown ancient greek philosopher, Plato, a foundational and dystopian thinker beyond his time.
Opportunity
Visconti’s “Heritage” line which are limited-edition pens known for their storytelling through design.
Analysis
An intensive investigation was conducted on Visconti’s brand, history, products, materials, and artisanal manufacturing techniques. As well as an analysis on their trends, features, and common flaws. This information was necessary for the demographic research regarding their target market and the benchmark for existing products and similar brands.
Concept Evolution
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1. Piranesi by Susanne Clarke
The concept began focused on the literary work of Piranesi by Susanne Clarke, and the intricate story about shifting realities it tells.
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2. Arquitect Piranesi
This then shifted to the sketches of architect Piranesi himself.
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3. Ancient Greek Vases
Both the novel and Piranesi’s sketches reminded me of the ancient Greek vases. This resulted in the idea to incoorporate a “circular” or “wrapped” story within the pen’s design.
My Take
Considering their “Heritage” line of products I decided to create a pen that featured story-telling.
I created my own graphic representation of “Plato’s Cave” that when placed around the pen using a lost wax casting technique would result in a “circular” story that would repeat itself with the spinning of the pen.
Result
Yellow sapphire stone in place of the sun.
Fire torch pen cap clip to symbolize the on-going search for knowledge.
‘Phi’ symbol of Greek Philosphy, serves as a wax seal.
Features
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave’s first description y found in “Book VII”. Hence the 7 rings and studs surrounding the pen.
“A being in search of meaning” engraving - Plato’s definition of ‘man’.
Packaging
Leather casing with “man” detailing on the outside looking out towards the “reality” or “wisdom” which is the user of the pen.
When placed over a desk with a light on the correct angle, the shadow cast represents Plato’s theory of shadow’s involvement in the realm of illusions.