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Heart & Passion 3: Design and Quality Jul 18, 2020

Hope L. , Jul 18, 2020 :

Design is my north star – but that doesn’t mean my journey to OnePlus was a straightforward one. At first, I thought of creativity as just another way to express my emotions – it wasn’t until I went to university that I discovered the true power of design comes from its ability to help people and solve problems, particularly in the technology industry. So, I dropped my paintbrush and decided to dedicate my passion and expertise towards building new, exciting, and innovative products. I truly believe design is the best combination of ideas and technology.

We knew we were going to make a more affordable OnePlus phone about a year ago. The first stage of any design process is sketching out ideas on paper and aligning what kind of product we were going to make. I’m going to be honest, I lost track of how many Nord prototypes we went through before we agreed on its final design. Some were a little garish, others were a bit wacky, and others didn’t meet the kind of quality standards we’ve set ourselves at OnePlus.

Throughout the design process we were guided by our users. We held various focus groups to get feedback on early Nord prototypes that influenced our final build. Initially we experimented with a variety of different design elements for Nord’s camera, but users told us they wanted something simple and functional. So that’s exactly what we delivered.

Sure, Nord’s a more affordable product line – but that didn’t change our design and manufacturing process one bit. Nord is a OnePlus phone, so it’s built the OnePlus way. Nord’s design adheres to OnePlus' design philosophy – simple and rational, elegant with a high-end texture, and slightly rebellious. I don’t see Nord as a “lower end” OnePlus phone, and neither should you.

Naturally, we can’t talk about Nord’s design without touching on colors. The team and I think colors are one of the most important parts of any smartphone design. Color shows off character, occupation, attitude, lifestyle, and the true you.

Just like the designs themselves, we experimented with a multitude of different finishes for Nord before we ended up with the Gray Onyx and Blue Marble you see today. In fact, we adjusted the shade of blue 60 times before we had something we were truly happy with. For a bit of added context, one color adjustment can take up to three days after work has been carried out by a designer and supplier.

Nord in Blue Marble is reflective, striking, and smooth to the touch while Gray Onyx has a metallic finish under the glass. With Nord, we wanted our colors to be reflective of the natural world and humanistic attributes.

Of course, a design can’t be truly appreciated until you see it up close, examine its intricacies, and touch it for the first time. We can’t wait for you to get your hands on Nord.

Here’s to New Beginnings.