chess set

5 weeks | spring semester 2025

create an abnormal chess set that establishes a new family of form. using intersection as the primary design tool, explore how to unify the set by incorporating a common piece and shared geometric elements throughout every piece.

project brief

by studying geometric forms, it helped to gain an idea of the direction that was to be headed toward.

form inspiration

concept visualization

after gaining some inspiration, initial concepts were made, with most being geometric in nature.

refined concept iteration

after critique, instead of furthering few concepts, one was chosen to make iterations of instead.

common piece iteration

originally a flat plus extruded up with gaps, through talking with peers, by adding an angle to each face, it gave the common piece a lot more movement. for manufacturing purposes, and ease of molding, the piece was split in two.

ranging from proof of concept to experimentation in common and individual piece design, these prototypes all proved to be great stepping stones towards the final design.

low, mid, and high-fidelity prototyping

after pinpointing the final design direction, steps were taken to create high-fidelity models. by using the laser cutter, along with handmade molds, the main pieces were cut out of acrylic, and the common pieces were casted in silicone.

production process

orthographic drawings

a project rooted in intersection, this chess set plays with 2d elements and makes them 3d. using the common pieces to “hold” the two sides as one, they help tie the whole set together.