The premium market has proved itself to be a lucrative one. Whether it be a Panarai watch or Prada bag, every high street consumer aspires to own at least one luxury item. This ‘low volume high margin’ model was something that appealed to Nokia as they set about planning a phone targeting the aspiring premium consumer. It was my task to create a design that would appeal to them.

 

To create the desirable effect, we sought inspiration from other luxury products, paying particular attention to how valuable materials are treated to convey a sense of luxury. The Sirocco’s fluid stainless steel surfaces draws inspiration from the superlative craftsmanship of jewellers and silversmiths. Similarly, the 8800’s fine tuned details such as the glass select key borrows techniques from precision watchmaking.

 

Nokia were also interested in capturing the eye of the female consumer, hence a design language more feminine than what the market had perhaps seen before. Research shows that women are looking for phones that talk style more than screen resolution and battery life.