Duration: 4 months, January-April 2024
Focus: Product Design, Luxury, Entertainment Products
This is an independent conceptual student project inspired by Singer Vehicle Design, and it is only for educational purposes.
It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Singer Vehicle Design.
SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN
“A RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE”
Originally celebrated for reimagining the Porsche 911, Singer extended its philosophy of obsessive craftsmanship into high watchmaking with Singer Reimagined. Whether in automobiles or timepieces, the brand pursues precision, performance, and enduring design excellence.
Singer Vehicle Design
Childhood’s Love Sparks Passion
Just as the passion behind Singer, my resonance of childhood’s love was the sound of the Mahjong Tile.
Mahjong is the most symbolic icon of Chinese entertainment, significantly representing the culture that integrates into people's daily lives
SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN
What Is The Passion Behind
“The roots of the obsession that led to Singer Vehicle Design lie in an encounter with a Porsche 911 in the mid-1970s on a French autoroute in my father’s red VW Beetle, during a family holiday.”
by Rob Dickinson
Singer Traveling Mahjong
About precision, classics reimagined, and a relentless pursuit of excellence
Levitation Display
Interior floating up while opening
Tile Assembly
Constructed from titanium alloy and White Zirconia Ceramic, assembled through precision-fit structure.
Clasp
Slightly pressing clasp to open the case
Handle Integration
The handle is completely hidden and integrated into the case and pops out after pressing down
Handle Assembly
Painted Carbon Fiber + Silicone
360° Overview
The case utilizes lightweight metals, including aluminum alloy for the primary shell and titanium alloy for selected structural and detail components.
Tile Graphic Design
The Dot Graphic (1st row): Inspired by Singer's circular elements, like the instrument panel and exhaust pipe
The Bamboo Graphic (2nd row): Originated from the pointer on watch and instrument panel
The Chinese graphic: Inspired by the typeface Source Han Sans, a functional and traditional typeface
Home Use
Design From Passion
Extravagant
Unobtrusive
Traveling
Dragon
The right side illustrates the common size specifications for Mahjong tiles currently available on the market.
Taking A1, A3, and Mini size to make a mock-up and studying tile sizes
After mock-up studying and the consideration of portability/quality, the best size of the tile is between Large and US size
The L-size provides a better look and proportion, and the US-size makes it thinner and better in lightweight
Design Direction
Large
39*30*23
Unit:mm
37*28*22
Unit:mm
Tile Size Study
35*26*20
Unit:mm
Mahjong Set Study
There are 144 mahjong tiles in a basic completed mahjong set, sometimes with 4 Joker or any other blank tiles for backup.
In general, the whole set of tiles will be packed into 4 groups/trays
Bamboo
Dot
Component List
- 148 Mahjong Tiles in Total:
36 Tiles each for Characters, Bamboo, and Dot
28 Tiles each for Wind and Dragon
8 Tiles for Flower
4 Tiles for Joker
- 3 Dices
- Wind Trap
- Ruler
Design Consideration
Form Variation
Gallery
- Hard Chamfer with curvature
- Metallic finishing with reflection
A full-scale physical mockup was used to evaluate proportions, handling experience, and overall dimensions.
Through iterative form studies, surface refinement, and proportional testing, the final traveling case achieves a balance between portability, presence, and Singer’s design language
Curvature Adjustment
Interior Layout
A3
Mini
Based on the selected direction, I explored multiple curvature variations to define the optimal surface transition and form language
The interior layout is designed to organize a complete Mahjong experience within a compact traveling format
Proportional Study
Carbon Black
Olive Green
Champagne
Independent student concept project.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Singer Vehicle Design
Opportunity
Extravagant & Traveling
Learn From Competitor
S.T. Dupont
- The material shows the luxury; craftsmanship reflects valuable
- Too heavy for carrying around
- This mahjong is made by Tanzanian ruby, and the metal protecting the ruby is Gold Vermeil. Besides, this set used over 1000 Burmese rubies and 300 diamonds for decoration
- Price: 1 million USD
While luxury Mahjong products today primarily target indoor and home-use settings, the portable traveling market remains largely untapped
Hermes
- Hermes wants to lower the sound while playing, but the sound is an essential part of the Mahjong experience
- The front/face of each Mahjong tile is made with full calfskin leather, representing the design language of Hermes
- Price: 42,000 USD
About Mahjong
Characters
31*23*19
Unit:mm
39*30*23
Unit:mm
US
Starting with the case of the mahjong set, sketching and developing the form
Orthographic & Size
Graphic
- Redesign to align with Singer’s aesthetic and design philosophy
CMF
- How to apply materials on tiles to balance Singer’s language with Mahjong’s original character
Sound
- The sound of colliding tiles is part of Mahjong’s identity and can be defined through material choices
Giobagnara
- The size and form of its package are brilliant. This mahjong set can fit into a regular backpack or luggage and doesn’t take up space
- Price: 5,540 USD
Flower
A2
39*30*23
Unit:mm
Japan
Singer
39*30*23 Unit:mm
39*30*23
Unit:mm
Wind
A1