GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone by Yu Hiraoka

GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone by Yu Hiraoka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2016 A' Design Award yn Sulver in Digitaal en Elektroanysk Apparaat Ûntwerp Competition Category.

SulverKonsuminteelektroanika· 2016

GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone

by Yu Hiraoka

Client: Yu Hiraoka Design

A' Design Award yn Sulver Winner in Konsuminteelektroanika Category

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The Design

About GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone

Book Text: De GrandWizard-smartphone wreidet de muzykmooglikheden fan konvinsjonele smartphones út troch it apparaat om te setten yn in draachbere DJ-mingstasjon. Yntuïtive lofter- en rjochterknoppen, elk wijd oan in aparte track, meitsje it mooglik om yn realtime te miksen en remixes te meitsjen. It yntegrearre systeem lit tastean dat muzyk oeral en altyd mingd en remixd wurde kin wêr't ynspiraasje ûntstiet.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Sulver

GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver, in bûtengewoan prestisjeuze erkenning foar topûntwerpen dy't prachtich en yndrukwekkend binne. Sulverwinners binne tige briljante en ekstreem kreative wurken dy't de treflike ekspertize, it talint en de skerpsinnigens fan har ûntwerpers yllustrearje. Fan GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone wurdt ferwachte dat it in prachtich foarbyldwurk is, opmerklik profesjoneel en djip ynnovatyf. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver is in tige opfallende, bewûndere útfining dy't foardiel bringt en de grinzen fan keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology ferleget. GrandWizard Primary Function: Dj Smartphone is in skepping dêr't breed oerjûn wurdt, dy't winsken wekker makket, positive gefoelens bringt en ferwûnderjen en fernuvering opwekket.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: GrandWizard smartphone goes beyond the MP3 playing functionality of other phones, turning the user into a real life mixmaster DJ!
Sure, there’s an app for that… but this is way more fun! The portable mixing station makes it possible to manipulate and produce remixes using intuitive right and left controls, each dedicated to a track. Make your own remixes while you’re on the go or at any time you’re inspired!
Bring it to a club or a party, or anywhere and play the remixes.
Dimensions & Packaging: Size: (close) 165 x 60 x H16 mm / (open) 165 x 115 x H16 mm
Tags: Smartphone, Dj, Music, Sound, Contemporary, High tec
Production Technology: Material: aluminium
Design Challenge: The trend of digital devices is less physical switches, and more utilisation of touch panel.
However, these things make users feel less dynamism of utilisation. In order to realise more authentic djing performance, I designed the interface and layout based on a real dj turntable, but the interface is not as complicated as a dj turntable and they are very interactive with click wheels and touch panels. Since a dj set consists of three components and each of them has different function, I also designed this device which has three different components and three different main screens. It is a combination of both classic and contemporary interfaces, and it gives users a pleasure to learn and master it.
I made a mock-up model and had DJs to try it out. Based on their feedback, I modified the design in the process of development.
Research: In the beginning of the project, I did research about new smartphone concepts and smartphone technologies for music.
Inspiration: Smartphones have taken the cell phone industry by storm. Coming packed with apps and features that make things seem just a touch away, it’s becoming an integral part of our life with each passing day. All these gadgets come packed with a great music player and speaker options, and many users enjoy listening tracks with them when they are out. And now there are even djing apps for music lovers to play remixes.
But there was one question which came to my mind. Do those apps really satisfy authentic DJs?
I have many DJ friends and they are all heavy smartphone users, but none of them play any of those djing apps even though they love performing in front of people.
I asked them why and they said they don’t like djing with smartphones because they don’t get the dynamic and authentic feelings of djing with them. But they wish to have a portable djing device to bring it to parties instead of bringing a big and heavy djing set.
Project Duration: This work was developed in Milan in 2013.
Operation Flow: Click wheels can be used for mixing, while the screens on the side will lay out tracks for you to edit. There’s also the touch panel at the bottom that can bring an equalizer. This is basically a portable mixing station and if you slide the fader to the left you will manipulate one track on the left screen and doing that on the right will take your music making to the right side. And, the middle screen is where the magic of remixing happens.
GrandWizard is a great item for people who want to show off their expressions and stand out!
Even though the shape specialises in djing, it still is fully functional as a smartphone with touch panels on the upper body.
Also, these three screens enable you to manipulate three different applications at the same time.
Image Credits: Yu Hiraoka Design