HP teams up with Tord Boontje

If there’s one trend we’ll never grow tired of, it’s designer collaborations. We love that what was once inaccessible is now easily attainable. We especially get giddy when we know that buying the resulting product of a team-up is tantamount to owning a piece of art.

Enter Tord Boontje (pronounced “bone-che”), the Dutch industrial and furniture designer best known for his stunning collection of meticulously designed pieces of lighting, glassware and furniture. 

His look is very distinct. Many of you will recognize his oft-copied Midsummer or Garland Lights — two different cascading pieces of delicate cutout flora, fauna and flourishes draped over a lighting element. (These remind us of those intricate pastillas wrappers from Bulacan.)

Boontje takes inspiration from nature, blends it in with his artistry and marries it with visual layering and advanced technology to create poetic design objects.

The basic tenet of his design is attention to and execution of intricate detail. With this winning philosophy, he has developed quite a following among the fashion and design set.

His client roster includes Alexander McQueen, Swarovski, British Airways, Perrier Jouet, Kvadrat, Moroso, and more recently, technology giant, HP.

Following the success of HP’s collaboration with fashion designer Vivienne Tam, HP teams up with Studio Tord Boontje to create the first three-dimensional PC surface using HP Imprint 3D.

Unique to this limited-edition notebook are 15 wallpapers designed by Boontje as well as a customized Stardock MyColors desktop theme and custom screen saver.

With a starting weight of 1.06 kilos and measuring just over one inch thick, the HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje features a 10.1-inch mercury-free LED display and 92 percent full-size keyboard that makes it the perfect travel companion. 

Built-in tools include the Windows Live Writer for blogging and the Seesmic social networking desktop client.

The packaging, Quick Setup Poster, and User Guide are all printed with soy-based inks and made of 100-percent recycled material. A reusable microfiber protective sleeve ships with the HP Mini and coordinated accessories are available to purchase separately including a PVC-free wireless mouse and a handbag made from natural materials.

Priced at P27,900, only 1,000 units are available in the Philippines.

Q&A With Tord Boonjte

ON THE RADAR: Not long ago, all PCs pretty much looked the same. Why do you think this is changing?

Ten years ago, PCs were work tools, but they have gradually become much more than that: they are a source of entertainment, they enable you to communicate with your loved ones and they allow you to store personal content like photos, music and videos. By looking at the contents of someone’s PC, you can really learn a lot about their interests and personality. The exterior of a PC should also reflect one’s personality. If someone carries a PC around, it becomes an accessory and as such, its design has to be personal and unique.

Your previous product design has largely been in the areas of home furnishings, textiles, watches, eyeglasses and product packaging. What were the unique challenges about designing a mini PC?

Designing a mini PC was certainly a challenge. Whenever I design an object, I try to make a bold artistic statement, but a laptop is a hugely complex product and a great number of considerations need to be taken into account. For example, very early on, I was interested in using metallic materials and mother of pearl for the casing but the materials I chose interfered with the WiFi signal, so I had to adapt my choice of material. I had to find a balance between funky, elegant and serious; a laptop should reflect a bold personal statement but appeal to a wider audience.

How do you use technology in your personal and professional life?

I live in a forest, surrounded by trees, birds and animals, and I certainly could not live and work here without technology. I have clients in Japan, America and Europe, and technology such as e-mail, teleconferencing and computerized files enable me to work from this remote location. I always begin my creations by sketching images and creating maquettes by hand but very quickly, I move on to computerized mock-ups to develop designs and refine patterns. I then send the files on to my clients. Like everyone else, I also use technology to communicate with my friends and family, and for entertainment.

What do you look for in a technology product?

Functionality, design and environmental impact are all equally important to me.

How would you describe your design philosophy? What are your influences?

Nature is recurring theme in my work, as well as a personal interest and pleasure. I use animals and flowers in all my designs, but I use them in a narrative way, almost like a fairy tale. I try to bring out the romantic side of nature, rather than the violent aspects, in my creations. Five years ago, my wife, my daughter and I moved to rural France and we now live surrounded by spectacular natural beauty. Although my work has always been inspired by nature, my current surroundings definitely provide new ideas and inspiration.

The layered 3D design on the HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje is very intricate. How did you do it and where did the inspiration come from?

My background is industrial design, but I try to create objects that are romantic and sensual, without being nostalgic or old-fashioned.

A very advanced molding technique was used to produce the layered, 3D effect on the notebook, giving it a resolutely modern look and feel, even if the design is intricate and romantic.

This molding process has been used in the mobile phone industry but not, to my knowledge, on laptops.

How long did it take you to come up with the final design?

The design process was relatively short. I produced 10 different proposals in the first month, then developed two of the selected designs here in the studio with my team of three designers.

Once the final theme was selected, I spent three weeks refining the pattern, then worked on the color and layering of the pattern for the last two weeks. So close to three months for the entire design process.

You designed the wallpaper and desktop theme as well.

Yes, I designed the wallpaper and icons. Hardware is a lot more complicated to design because of the technology, so I designed the mini PC first and then created screen graphics that were inspired by the exterior design. There are two types of graphics: neutral and brightly colored, depending on whether you want the screen to complement or contrast with the PC’s casing.