Press Release
Maxwell Brazo Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Spark Travel Guitar in Musical Instruments Design
Maxwell Brazo acknowledged for musical instruments design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Musical Instruments Design category for Spark Travel Guitar by Maxwell Brazo. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Spark Travel Guitar
Spark is a travel electric guitar designed for portability and for production at home. The body, neck, and fretboard are printed by fused filament fabrication using recycled wood fiber and aramid composites instead of hardwood. The electrical and mechanical components are widely available, and assembly uses a solderless wiring system. Spark is finished by traditional methods, including sanding, fret seating, and a nitrocellulose lacquer coating. A headless fixed bridge keeps the full scale length within a compact form.
About Maxwell Brazo
Up and coming industrial designer looking to expand into more innovative markets. Strong experience taking product from initial concepts through final production. Interests in creative expression through thoughtful problem solving in various categories. Located in the Greater New York City area.
Award Record
Maxwell Brazo is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Musical Instruments Design Award
The A' Musical Instrument Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good musical instruments by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to musical instrument designers, industrial designers, music instrument producers and acoustic engineers from all countries. Typical entries include guitars, pianos, violins, drums, saxophones and flutes. The awarded musical instrument designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/musical-instrument
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/126635
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/126635
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!126635
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/310553
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.maxbrazo.com
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Spark Travel Guitar
- Function
- Travel Guitar
- Category
- Musical Instruments Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Arts and Entertainment
- Colors
- Khaki, Wheat, Lemon Chiffon, Linen and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Maxwell Brazo
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #126635
Credits
- Image Credits
- Creator Maxwell Brazo, 2022.; Photographer Maxwell Brazo, 2022.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Focuses on sustainability, accessibility, and adaptability through use of computer aided design software and at-home manufacturing. Fully printed guitar body, neck, and fret board using alternatives to hardwoods. Recycled plastic and wood fiber composites used are able to be fully finished and assembled using simple and standard methods. All electrical and mechanical components are domestically sourced and widely available.
- Inspiration
- An exploration to replicate traditional luthier processes through new-age methods of small scale manufacturing and the pursuit of material alternatives for guitar-making. Informed by the idea that making a guitar should be more accessible and experiential; the vision for a transformative guitar able to be printed and assembled at home, inspired by vintage Fender, Steinberger, La Baye 2x4, and lap steel guitars.
- Research
- Initial research into fundamental basics and history of electric guitar construction was crucial to ensure a playable end product. Standardized dimensions of classic high-end models helped to provide a familiar aesthetic and a framework to work within, and use of widely available and popular components to inform the overall design. Influenced by concepts such as compact modularity, right to repair, and the future of at-home manufacturing.
- Challenge
- Bio-composite filaments used, while recyclable and or compostable, do not provide adequate structural support for full-scale stringed instruments under tension. Complications with recycled wood-fiber composite filaments required research and testing of additional materials with more effective mechanical properties. Key attributes considered were creep resistance (resistance against deformation under long-term load), tensile strength, elongation at break, density, and ease of printing.
- Realization and Technology
- Realized through Computer-Aided Design and Fused Filament Fabrication technologies. Domestically sourced electrical and mechanical components. Finished using traditional methods (sanding, seating frets, binding, nitrocellulose lacquer finish, etc.).
- Operation and Interaction
- Printable and playable, an innovative solution to cost-effectively produce and assemble your own guitar using recyclable materials, encompassed within a compact full-scale travel silhouette.
- Project Duration and Location
- The continuation of thesis work while at Rochester Institute of Technology, this project has spent some time in design and development. Prototyping done in 2021 and final working model and process book to be completed in 2022. Based out of Litchfield, Connecticut.
- Specifications
- Product Dimensions: Width 133.35mm (5.25in) x Depth 57.15mm (2.25in) x Height 768.35mm (30.25in), Scale Length: 25.5in, Fret-Board Radius: 9.5 - Modern C Neck Profile - Single Coil & Humbucker Passive Pickups - Body/Neck/Fretboard (Timber-fill/Nylon AF80 Aramid) - Headless Fixed Bridge and Double-Ball End Combo Headpiece - Angled Switch Tele Titanium Control Plate - Neck Plate (Bolt-On Style) - Electrosocket Jack Mount - Low Profile Truss Rod - Stainless-Steel Hardware and Threaded Inserts - Solderless Wiring System
- Keywords
- Guitar, Electric, Travel, 3D Printed, Sustainablity, Instrument, Music, Design
