Valve Index VR packaging and accessories
"You only get one chance to make a first impression."
The aim of this project was not only to protect and deliver a first-class VR system in one piece, the main goal was to offer a delightful, hierarchical, and intuitive experience to our customers.
This project consists of multiple packaging pieces, base-station redesign, a stand for the base stations as well as the entire set of cables and PSU for the Index VR system.
The Out of the box experience (OOBE) of the FULL KIT is consisting of 2 trays ( 2 steps of discovery), the upper one containing all the essential elements ( Setup guide, Vr headset, Vr controllers, and base station ), the second tray containing the necessary cables, stands and accessories (facemask, cushions)
The ability to be able to see the whole necessary parts alongside the setup guide was a key feature for a smooth Out of the box experience. By placing each tray on the table, we wanted to create a visual step-by-step guide (Quick start guide). Those trays could be re-used later on for repacking your VR kit to travel or else.
This is an overview of all the elements and accessories, divided by hardware type, those smaller/dedicated packaging were developed to ship separately. they also follow the same approach of visual hierarchy, displaying the main product first while presenting all the necessary elements in an orderly manner.
Branding, identity and consistency
Once the experience design and materials were established, we needed to provide consistent design language to the entire set of packaging, this is a quick overview of the process and visual exploration we did.
It's all about the content ...
The concept of iridescence for the labels was created by our graphic design team ( Melissa Small and Christen Coomer), the idea behind this execution was to celebrate the visual experience, colors, and intensity of what the Valve index VR was capable of. The ever-changing colors were a great representation of the multiple pieces of content playable within the system. It also contrasted beautifully with the black matte paper cardboard and created a premium & vibrant visual experience / Identity.
The process
Alongside the packaging, I had the chance to design all peripherals for the VR system such as cables, PSU, base station visual simplification, and base station stands. This was a unique opportunity to provide a clean, guided, and consistent visual experience from product discovery until full setup.
The base station stands
The goal was to create a stand that could act as a standalone/tabletop stand providing stability and a full range of orientations, as well as a wall-mounted solution without any compromise or additional pieces.
Base station: a clean and understated presence
The base station was designed before my time at Valve, but I had a chance to clean up the original design and simplify its appearance, by getting rid of some decorative details and texture changes., relating to an earlier design language.
The Cables and PSU
The opportunity to design the cables, tether, and overall accessories design language was a unique way to keep the experience consistent and visually coherent, keeping the experience as intuitive as possible. My goal was to keep the necessary plug as simple as possible while guiding users through form development ( connection continuity) and subtle texture.
An exercise in restraint, Inspired by the design of the component itself, some subtle details were introduced to guide users visually as well as providing some tactile clues for plug alignments.
The final tether design is understated by design, each plug is designed to guide the user to be able to plug the entire system intuitively without being able to make any mistake
Packaging the Tether in the box was a project by itself, the complex nature of this cable paired with the design intent to limit the amount of throw-away bags led us to different solutions. The aim of the effort was to provide clear guidance to users while protecting the plug with minimal added parts at the same time.
A custom cardboard packaging was designed to keep the tether secured and protected, while we originally planned to put the tether inside the headset, the final design put this exact packaging vertically through both trays, leaving a prime real estate for the Quick start guide
The final Stacking of elements
Project : Valve Index VR packaging and accessory design
Project completion : December 2018
Design Team : Benoit Collette and John Ikeda
Graphic team : Melissa Small and Christen Coomer