Intersection of music and beauty
Villo is a line of performance-driven Wi-Fi speakers designed for the modern home. Combining Shape’s in-house industrial design capabilities with our manufacturing partner’s acoustic and software engineering experience, we designed a premium speakerwith distinct style and branding to satisfy the tech-savvy and style-driven demographic.
Research & development
Take a glimpse of the home audio marketplace and you’ll find cylindrical or box format speakers in every corner. We believe there is demand for expressive and decorative speaker designs to fill the growing appetite of style-conscious consumers who are looking for something minimal and sophisticated.
The Design
We combined clean, geometric facets with subtle angular lines to form the design language for the Villo line. The back of the speakers have a smooth exterior with generous volume for the acoustic chambers, and is supported by sleek metal-alloy legs that give the speakers an elevated stance like a sculpture on display.
Acoustic tuning
Collaborating with audio engineers across continents over the span of a year, we repeatedly tested and tuned the acoustics against the competition, sampling music from popular genres until we achieved an optimal blend of rich bass with warm mid-tones and crisp high-notes. The impressive audio performance helped solidify the Villo brand during tradeshow demos and intrigued buyers around the world.
Packaging
The shape and weight of the speakers demand solid protection. We designed structural blister trays made of PET which yields lower cost and environmental impact than expanding foam typically used by the competition. We injected the brand DNA into the blister design and carefully integrated the accessory box to ensure a pleasant unboxing experience for the consumer.
App design
Villo speakers are wi-fi enabled and uses the Villo App for setup and multi-room, meaning multiple Villo speakers can be synchronized to create surround sound. Shape worked closely with software engineers to refine the product firmware and mobile app to deliver a smooth user experience.
