About this project
DUO | The Ultimate Everyday Ballpoint Pen and Stylus
£5,377
207
DUO is a dual function minimalist ballpoint pen and stylus. With it's retracting nib, the DUO effortlessly transitions between writing on paper and on touch-screen devices. It is your ultimate companion in everyday tasks across all platforms.
The slim profile and careful weighting creates a natural, yet premium writing experience. The stylus is compatible with iPhones, iPads and all other multimedia tablets and devices using capacitive touch technology. Care and attention has been taken to ensure that the DUO has no visible screw threads or fixing features, creating a truly clean and minimal form.
We took careful consideration when choosing what pen cartridge to design around. We decided to choose a ballpoint cartridge as it offers great variation in line width / strength, making it an incredibly versatile option. The industry standard ISO ballpoint cross type refill is a standard cartridge design adopted by multiple manufacturers, making it widely available around the world. Instead of manufacturing our own stylus tip, we decided to design around the 6mm Wacom Bamboo Stylus tip. It is a fantastic tip that is readily available online so no matter where you are, you will be able to easily source replacements.
Ballpoint Refill - Any industry standard ISO cross type ballpoint refill
Stylus Tip - 6mm Wacom Bamboo Stylus tip (replaceable)
Pen Cap - Machined from 6082 Aluminium, colour anodised and laser etched.
Pen Body - Machined from 6082 Aluminium and colour anodised.
Mechanism - Steel and Brass twist mechanism
Length: 132.5mm (5.33")
Diameter: 7.9mm (0.31")
Weight: 15.2g (0.54oz)
Compatible Refill Cartridges:
We have completed a number of small offline rigs to prove out key functions as well as two revisions of fully integrated prototypes prior to launching this campaign. The design is now fully refined, technical drawings have been completed and conversations have begun with our chosen manufacturers.
Although a very simple looking prototype, the key functional dimension rig enabled us to accurately calculate the dimensions for the parts in contact with the mechanism. The body needed to have the brass part of the mechanism press-fitted into it, whilst the cap needed to slide on and off with enough resistance to allow the mechanism to twist.
After trialling the first round of prototypes, there were a number of changes we wanted to make to improve the functionality of the DUO. These were implemented onto the technical drawings ready for the second round of prototypes.
The second round of prototypes had all of the design changes implemented into the design and the parts functioned correctly.
We worked with a UK based anodising company to sample many different colour and surface textures. We decided on a fine bead blasted texture followed by a colour anodising coating. The 529 Studio logo is then laser etched onto the metal cap of the DUO.
Dear Kickstarters,
First of all we would like to thank you for taking the time to read through our campaign. It has taken a lot of hard work and effort to get here and we really hope that you enjoy DUO as much as we do.
We are both professional Industrial Designers and have worked designing and manufacturing consumer products for a combined length of 11 years. This passion for creating beautiful, yet highly functional products was the driving force behind us creating 529 Studio. With standard office hour commitments, 529 Studio operates in the evenings. The name stems from the notion that rather than working ‘Nine to Five’ we are working ‘5 to 9’!
Although this our first Kickstarter campaign as 529 Studio, you can rest assured that we are no strangers to bringing high quality products to market. Not only that, Neil is a Kickstarter veteran with a 100% successful track record.
We are really excited that we can finally share this project with the world and we hope that you will help support us in making DUO a reality!
All the best,
Phil and Neil
Risks and challenges
Firstly, we will be committed to excellent communication throughout the whole campaign, as we understand the importance of keeping our backers up to date on all developments (no matter how big or small).
Our focus has been to de-risk the campaign and overcome any potential concerns for our backers. These steps have involved; funding all the research and development costs, sourcing manufacturing partners with several rounds of samples and strategically planning the process post campaign. This places us in a position of being confident that we can deliver our pledges if we reach our funding goal.
However, working with manufactures / suppliers is not without it risks. The most common risk being a delay in agreeing pre-production samples and lead times for manufacture. The one thing we won't compromise on is delivering the exceptional product that we have promised.
Thanks for your support!
Phil and Neil
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Funding period
- (40 days)