Gray Dawdy Design

ZEISS FUTURE CONCEPTS

Product Type: Binocular

Client: Zeiss (Speculative)

Year: 2019

Work: Industrial Design, Product Strategy

In a time where escaping to the outdoors doesn’t necessarily mean digitally disconnecting, is it time for Zeiss Binoculars to modernize or should they continue to create great, analogue products? This project, performed in under a week, takes a look at future concepts and innovation strategies for Zeiss.

I created three concepts for Zeiss to explore different strategies looking at three different potential groups and futures for Zeiss. Each concept takes Zeiss brand aesthetic and overlays it with a unique functionality and related form factor.

Purists are outdoor enthusiasts who see nature as a sanctuary from the fast paced world & technology. Binoculars are a tool to navigate and fully experience desolation.

“Nature is nature, technology has no place”

Purists value tools, so the Zeiss Pure gives users an old school experience. Value is perceived through the haptics of different textures and mechanical functions. A “jewel piece” in the middle highlights the mechanical experience.

Neo Naturalists use nature as an escape, but don’t mind bringing technology if it makes sense and doesn’t get in the way

Zeiss Moment lets users experience nature in its purest form through pure optical zoom while always being able to save the moment. A single button will record a 20 second video, 10 seconds before and after the press. Users can view and edit footage on their personal devices whenever they want

The Zeiss Moment app let’s users browse and share their recorded videos. Pressing the Zeiss Eye button will let users use AI to learn about what they’ve seen. Focusing on software also creates new opportunities for business models, including software subscriptions and paid upgrades.