Category:
Social Impact
Client:
Eone
Duration:
3 months
Friend of the brand, accessibility expert, and author of Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions; John Samuel, wanted to challenge the stereotype of the white cane. Eone helped ideate the design, manage the production and share the story.
(IMPACT)
Although this project started as a casual discussion of making a few one-off pieces for John. The prototype cane has gone on to become John's favourite speaker engagement accessory; second to the timepiece. Business discussions and marketing campaigns were created with the Carolina Hurricanes, with custom partnership canes made as a play on their name.
(VISION & INNOVATION)
This personal project was the result of a wax lyrical discussion on how the Eone timepiece has helped John change the narrative on inclusion through his company, Ablr, and during his speaking engagements. "Accessibility can be sexy!" John would always joke, and he shared his idea of applying the same design approach to the white cane.
I wanted to bring retroreflective technology front and centre to ensure the functionality of the cane wasn't compromised, so we set design constraints around that functional integrity.
(CHALLENGES)
Retroreflective materials are more commonly seen in construction and road safety signs, with very little to no consumer applications. Finding a materials specialist willing to assist in this project proved difficult due to the small scale and abstract nature. Through pitching, I was fortuitous when the C-suite at Liberty Marking Systems connected me with their product specialist; Steve, who brought our idea to reality.
(PROBLEMS)
During the print production stages, Steve and I ran into product engineering issues which we overcame through reiterations of the printing and machine setup. Application of the wrap to an existing cane proved challenging in itself due to the diversity of canes. We opted to focus on John's cane preferences to keep the project lean.
