Rivian Cars look like Consumer Tech products, and I Love It!
The Rivian looks like a consumer tech product (Could be a cool design for a vacuum cleaner, garden machine, or even a retro-futuristic mouse or pencil sharpener)
The Rivian feel like a Consumer tech product? And I love it.
It is no secret that the Rivian has been the talk of the town due to its polarizing yet subdued styling, gaining a score of 86% among consumers who love the brand and would buy their vehicles again, Topping the list with names like Porsches, BMW, Tesla, Honda, Ford, and more.
But keeping the driving, handling, and performance of the Rivian aside, I feel the Rivian is more of a well-thought-out consumer tech product than a car, and few reasons I love this direction of theirs-
The Styling
Rivian Stands out among a sea of cars that appear to show off an aggressive character, with dynamic swishes, acute angles, tessellating patterns, and loud RGB (gamer-esk interiors). The Rivian lineup of cars on the other hand, handles stuff differently and delicately, with more generous sweeps, and surface transitions, a softer overall body, and earthy colors — almost feeling like a home appliance I wouldn’t mind putting next to my couch, each detail seem to be catered for and aligns cohesively with the rest of the body and form.
I feel Rivian takes a more inviting approach be it the locking bird chirp or the materials used, and even the clay-like earthy colors (A huge trend within the Consumer product industry). The whole of the car is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, where the user is meant to focus on the trip, friends, night tents, and camping barbecues.
Not just the car, but the experiences unlocked by the Rivian are powerful.
Designed to innovate
Along with the usual design process that goes behind styling a brand new car and brand, Rivian went above and beyond to introduce unique features to utilize the electric platform powering their car. Some of these solutions feel ingenious and a direct result of a process well followed.
Need a place to store longer items: A storage-well under the back seat which can fit golf bags, and surf-boards and can also double up to store a whole camping kitchen add-on.
Need a place to sleep during camping: put down all the seats (In the new R2) to completely get a flat bed to sleep in.
Need a torch when camping, or a speaker to jam with friends: They have them imbedded within the interiors of the car.
Or when you need to place to store Ice/water, the spare tire divot doubles as a water-proof pool to wash equipment and pets.
The new Steering wheel on the R2 with scroll wheel to navigate different interfaces.
The new Steering wheel on the R2 with scroll wheel to navigate different interfaces.
Details Matter
Be it the Chirp lock sound, or the green charging bar when plugged in, the Rivian surprises the users with pleasant gifts and is a perfect example of how good design is in the details.
The new steering wheel on the R2 and R3 models combine the best of physical and digital controls on the steering wheel — and having used the MX master 3 mouse, it reminds me of the variable and satisfying scroll wheel, combining the functionality of a car with the simplicity and experience of using an everyday object.
With a push for a more premium and earthy feel, the material choices land on point, with the amazing wood trim that runs the length of the center console, Giving users a more natural and minimal feel while still within the vehicle.
The new Rivian R3 looks highly desirable due to it feeling more than just a another car.
Just how its common to see great examples of consumer products not advertising the feature and performance but selling a lifestyle — How the Apple watch is not only an engineering marvel for a smart-watch, with an amazing screen or a fast processor, But a health monitoring buddy on your wrist, that happens to looks stunning and tell the time, The Rivian very similarly has created a desire within a growing population of people who wouldnt otherwise look to purchase a vehicle — And this is a direct result of designing an experience on top of an already amazing vehicle.
Some sources that helped me with this Piece,
https://www.wired.com/review/rivian-r1t-and-r1s/
https://gearjunkie.com/camping/cooking/rivian-electric-truck-snow-peak-kitchen
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/5-funky-features-rivian-r1t-electric-pickup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1uYhkMRLWg&t=819s&ab_channel=MarquesBrownlee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Gt_PUyldc&t=606s&ab_channel=AutoFocus
Few Design projects I have recently been inspired by
Lighting design by Laurids Gallée
Lighting design by Laurids Gallée
Lighting design by Laurids Gallée
https://www.core77.com/posts/129569/Stunning-Lighting-Designs-by-Laurids-Gall%C3%A9e?utm_source=core77&utm_medium=from_tile_image (Core77 article on the light)
https://www.lauridsgallee.com/ (Laurids’s website)
Ideation page By Joseph Burell For his project
Kenn | Food processor By Joseph Burell
Ideation page By Joseph Burell For his project
https://www.behance.net/gallery/112048841/Kenn-Food-Processor (Behance project link)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-burrell-95b262189/ (Joseph Burrell’s Linkedin)
Experimenting with Design writing, and looking to cover topics close to my design journey. Would love to engage in a healthy dialogue over design topics, as I look to learn more about the design industry.
I am Somya Chowdhary, a Young Industrial Designer Based In the US, Designing consumer tech products, with an affinity to ideations and iterations through 2D and 3D mediums.
