Illuminis Chess Set by Bulent Unal

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DESIGN DETAILS

DESIGN NAME:
Illuminis

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Chess Set

INSPIRATION:
I have a daughter who goes to kindergarten. She has a chess lesson at school, but she asked me to teach her to play chess. While trying to teach, I realized that even though she learned the movements of chess pieces one by one, it was difficult to follow the movements when the pieces got crowded. It was not easy for her to see the points where her pieces could move and to check if there was a threat in squares. By this design I wanted to make the movement and threat areas visually comfortable.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
It is a chess set designed for children. Its difference from the other set is that all chess pieces illuminate the squares where they can move by laser light. When pressed on the chess piece, the route it can go in the area in front of it is visualised with rounds. Whichever direction the piece is turned, it illuminates the route in that specific direction. By this way, children can learn the movement of pieces visually. There is a battery in the slots under the pieces.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
There are 32 pieces in the chess set. There are parts on front surface of all pieces that will allow to reflect the light with laser. When the pieces are pressed on them a light projection appears that illuminates the squares where they can move from the area in front of them. When the piece is turned 90 degrees around itself the squares they can go are illuminated. It is necessary to have learned the direction of the movements Illumination turns off when the piece is pressed again.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
The idea of designing a chess set began in September 2019 in Ankara, and the project Illuminis created in December 2019 in Ankara, Turkey.

FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY:
Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
Thermoset plastics, which cannot be reshaped, can be not only very durable and hard, but also can be found in a very fragile structure. Therefore, in toys, they can create situations that can negatively affect the safety of use, such as breakage, disintegration, creating sharp corners. In this design, thermoplastic materials which are generally softer are preferred. It is also advantageous that thermoplastics are often recyclable.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
The chess base is 35 x 35 cm, inner squares are 3,5 x 3,5 cm. The longest king is 8 cm and the shortest pawn is 6,5 cm. All the pieces of the set need batteries for energy. The chess game can be played without using the lighting feature, but the battery is absolutely necessary to visually reveal the movements.

TAGS:
chess, chess set, chess board, light, child, game

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:
Researches about learning shows that most of the learning process takes place through visual descriptions. The contributions of computers and digital technologies to visuality increase the importance of visual items in education. Visual items; attracts the attention of the individual and motivates them and keeps their attention alive, allows them to give emotional reactions, makes it easier to organize and retrieve information through shapes, shows the potential points that may miss.

CHALLENGE:
Being attractive in form and color, adding technology to the game and learning skill created the creative challenge in this design.

ADDED DATE:
2020-02-22 08:51:02

TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
Bülent Ünal

IMAGE CREDITS:
Image #1: 3D Visualization Bulent Unal, 2019.
Image #2: 3D Visualization Bulent Unal, 2019.
Image #3: 3D Visualization Bulent Unal, 2019.
Image #4: 3D Visualization Bulent Unal, 2019.
Image #5: 3D Visualization Bulent Unal, 2019.

CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS

NAME:
Bulent Unal

PROFILE:
Bülent Ünal is a graduate of Middle East Technical University, where he received a BA in Industrial Design in between 1989-1993. After his military service, he launched his career in Ankara as a co-founder, general manager and art director of a company specialized in the field of design and advertising in between 1996-2011. In 2011, his expertise on 3D architectural visualization allowed him to include projects in one of the international company ECOU located in Libya for 5 months. In 2013, he received his master degree in the department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Atılım University. After his graduation, hefinished the Architecture PhD program of the same University and he has been studied on architectural design. He is Head of the Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Fine Arts Design and Architecture at Atılım University since 2013. He is married and a father of one.

AWARD DETAILS
	Illuminis Chess Set by Bulent Unal is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Category, 2019 - 2020. · Read the interview with designer Bulent Unal for design Illuminis here. · Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Bulent Unal. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Bulent Unal.