EVOLUTION tube amplifiers
The collaboration with Fezz is an example of a comprehensive approach to the project. To understand the needs of the target group, we held a series of interviews with current users of tube amplifiers and audio equipment distributors. We analyzed competing products and conducted User Experience research with the client and audio industry experts. We then developed a design strategy. We conducted a rebranding of the brand and the design of a new website and a new product catalog.
As part of the design project for the Evolution family of audio equipment, we designed a total of 10 devices, including tube amplifiers, phono preamplifiers, headphone amplifiers and power amplifiers. New packaging was also created for all the amplifiers. Below we have described the design process we followed in the creation of these products.
year: 2022
manufacturer: Fezz Audio
design: KABO & PYDO design studio
design team: Tomasz Pydo, Katarzyna Borkowska, Jacek Nosiła, Jan Wilczak
technical design cooperation: Andrzej Starzyk and the Fezz design team
cooperation in the design of markings on amplifiers: Dominika Wysogląd
The challenge was to create a stylistic DNA for the products that would allow them to stand out from the competition while maintaining current production costs.
We liked the raw character of the amplifiers from before the facelift, so we decided to refer to it in the new enclosures. We left the material from which the devices were made – that is, thick two-millimeter sheet metal. Thanks to it, the amplifiers give the impression of being extremely solid. The Fezz Audio brand is a company that listens to the needs of its customers. It inevitably sticks to its values and commitment to tradition, but it is also a company that seeks and constantly develops. We decided that the best reflection of this approach would be to construct a steel chassis reminiscent of the first amplifiers, but in a very minimalist way. We left only the necessary components of the chassis and hid most of the previously visible screws, making the devices economical in their expression.
An important design consideration was to maintain symmetry – recognizable and characteristic of Fezz products. That’s why the knobs for volume control and channel selection are symmetrically arranged on the front. In the middle between the knobs, we placed a new logo, designed by our studio team, and placed the model name, which was previously positioned in the corner, in the center of the front.
Tube amplifiers are devices that are often placed in the center of a room and can be looked at from either side. The curves we designed on the corners of the chassis and the protective basket make the lump of the device perceived in a more spacious way.
To make it easier for the manufacturer to introduce such a wide range of products in different variants, we standardized selected elements.
We limited the size of the amplifiers to three chassis sizes. Two sizes of tube amplifiers and two of phono preamplifiers were created.
Only the outer casing comes in several colors. However, the top, rear and bottom plates to which all components are attached are always black. Such a solution greatly facilitates production, as the manufacturer can make a large quantity of the base part of the device later adding a side casing in different color variants, depending on orders. The cages protecting the lamps, also come in only two sizes and in one – black – color.
The design of this system has meant that the manufacturer does not have to produce and stock all the components in every possible configuration.
During the interviews, we learned that in addition to the musical qualities of tube amplifiers, users love to look at them with the lights off while listening.
What is one of the most enjoyable activities during listening is looking at the glowing tubes. For those who cannot afford to listen without a protective basket, we designed a new one that does not obscure the tubes.
We decided that all amplifiers would be matte, and the top plate on which the tubes are seated would always be black. This makes the amplifier a background for its tubes and does not draw attention away from them.
