I designed this lantern as an experiment in how light can become part of the experience of using a product, rather than just its output. The inspiration came from dimmable light switches and other tactile controls, the kind you adjust by feel without looking down. A lantern felt like the right case study. It is a product whose entire job is to give off light, and yet it is so ordinary that people rarely give it a second thought. I find it fascinating when someone takes an object that has gone unchanged for a long time and manages to reimagine it with a new twist.
The interface came down to a single control on top. A press on the center button wakes the lamp on the front. To set the brightness, you turn the dial that surrounds it. It spins like the crown on a traditional watch or a good volume knob, with a satisfying click at every step, so each increment is something you feel in your fingers rather than something you read off a screen.
Placement mattered as much as the mechanism. The dial sits directly beneath the handle, and the handle was shaped with enough clearance for a hand to slip underneath while carrying the lantern. That means you can adjust the light on the move, thumb on the dial, without setting it down.
This was a fun project for me. It gave me a way to explore how light can be woven into my designs, and it left me with a list of ideas for how to keep experimenting with that element in the work that follows.