A Product’s Look Makes the First Impression

In this post, YouCopia Senior Industrial Designer, Ryan Biery, walks you through the process that gives YouCopia organizers their signature look and feel.

For 15 years, YouCopia has built a track record of designing solutions that organize your space and deliver unique functionality. But more than ever, there is an increasing number of products in the market that simply “do the job.”

So, what’s the difference between generic or knockoff items and ones designed by our team in Chicago, and is “good enough” even good enough? (HINT: We don’t think so.)

Our product team approaches each new item as a functional piece of art, not a cheap plastic widget destined for the landfill. So when you buy a YouCopia organizer, it was designed — from start to finish — by real product designers, not factories. Our team gives the time and care to create ingenious solutions with timeless designs you’ll be proud to display an use in your home.

Here are the elements that give YouCopia organizers their signature look, feel and presence.

Geometry
YouCopia forms are driven by the size of the items you’ll store in them. The next step is blocking out these basic volumes and maximizing space to accommodate many potential items without leaving too much wasted space. We massage these dimensions to achieve ideal proportions where possible.

*The drawings above show two different rectilinear forms with “ideal” proportions; the golden ratio (left) and multiples of two (right)

Proportions
Proportions make a product beautiful. We aim for the golden ratio: 1 to 1.618. The golden ratio is found throughout nature and creates a natural look that subconsciously puts your mind at ease. Familiar fractions like halves are also stable and pleasing to the eye.

*Golden ratio (left) and symmetry (right) are subconsciously eye-pleasing.

Radii
A radius is a segment of a circle used to round the sharp edges of a polygon. Larger radii create more rounded shapes while smaller radii create more angular shapes. We follow ideal proportions here and aim to make radii concentric for consistent thicknesses that add visual stability to the overall design.

*A radius that uses the golden ratio (left) and concentric radii (right)

Surfacing
The surfaces of a product add visual interest (or lack thereof) based on the way that they reflect light and catch shadows. Light and shadow dance across convex and concave surfaces as you turn the product in your hand or move around the room, while flat surfaces look dead and artificial by comparison. We use curvature to give our products a sense of life in your home.

*A combination of convex and concave surfaces can bring basic forms to life

Graphics
"Graphics" describe any two-dimensional ornamentation that gets molded into the product itself - think engravings, character lines, or cutouts. As with the rest of the design, YouCopia graphics are methodically proportional, stable, and familiar. If we've done our job well with the rest of the design, graphics are a pleasant consequence of the previous steps.

*2D graphics applied to a 3D product

Texture & Color
Texture is a superficial treatment that makes surfaces rough or smooth. YouCopia products use a rough texture on exterior surfaces to soften reflections and create a nice feeling in your hand. We polish interior surfaces to add variety and make them easier to clean. The subtle effect of a reflection passing from a textured surface onto a glossy one is a hallmark of YouCopia products.

The final stage of our design process is color, which is determined by a component’s material (ex. clear PET) and/or our brand direction and values. For examples, the speckled white color is a direct reflection of our Organizers Made Better™ initiative, which seeks to reduce reliance on virgin plastics by using recycled post-industrial plastic. Those irregular speckles are a consequence of this material and visually communicate our commitment to sustainability.

*YouCopia’s StoraBag™ Plastic Bag Dispenser