NOVAK DJOKOVIC
After a year of keeping quiet about it we can now share the contribution Merkaba Designs made to this amazing project for Novak Djokovic.
This project is proof that we are only limited by our clients budget and freedom to design. It is a true testament to our capabilities as both as designers and as problem solvers.
We were hired to redesign, future proof and enhance a recovery pod for Novak Djokovic. When we first came on to the project the current state of aesthetics was pretty bad. Our first element was coming up with the look and feel, we decided that there should be no hard lines inside the recovery pod, no edges, no lines, but a free flowing form.
To future proof this pod we came up with a panel system. Each and every component (that may require updating at some point of in time) was designed to removable. This allowed for only one design of the costly fiberglass main structure. With this design approach elements could be easily updated or replaced without having to reproduce the main shell component.
Everything down to the cushion was designed by Merkaba Designs, even the materials and the color choices. We spent several months working with teams in China to create a curved LED screen that gave the appearance as if the roof was actually a window to a space craft. Working with the touch designer master Gabriel Pulecio we came up with the design for the “home page” look for the roof screen. A design that echoed the interior and upon beginning a session opened up like spaceship bay doors.
One of the main design elements we changed from the original prototype was where the seam was located. When we joined the project the original prototype was cut in two parts horizontally. This produced an ugly seam that went around the pod and created two large clunky halves that when assembling made it hard to enter doorways through etc. We redesigned the pod to be cut vertically and created interior pieces that hid the seams. From the view of the door there was no longer any visible seam nor was there any sign of the seam inside either.
We also redesigned the controls and touchscreen presentation. A sexy ergonomic panel that supported the users wrist from which they could navigate the experience. We embedded the touch screen into the main shell by giving it the look of an airplane window. Super excited to have had a chance to design something for the legendary Novak Djokovic.





















