Project Overview

This project involved designing a premium full-tang steel knife tailored for the outdoors industry, with a specific focus on field dressing deer in rugged environments. The knife features a carefully crafted blade optimized for precision and efficiency in field dressing tasks, paired with durable micarta scales for a secure, ergonomic grip in challenging conditions. To enhance functionality, the design incorporates a lanyard loop at the knife's end for added versatility and portability.

In addition to the product design, I developed a comprehensive brand identity for the client. This included creating a compelling brand name, designing the logo and visual identity, and developing a fully functional website to showcase the product and engage with customers. The result is a cohesive blend of high-performance design and a strong, distinctive brand presence.

Scales

One of my primary roles with this project was to ensure our design was comfortable, functional, and forgiving. I was tasked with designing a knife scale handle that would accommodate the majority of adult hands. Since this knife is intended for outdoor and hunting, it was important that grip was not jeopardized.

For prototyping the scales, we opted for ABS machining to ensure rigidity and realism to the intended material. We prototyped 3 different scale designs, some would have more grip and some more forgiveness. I settled for the scale that was quite forgiving of hand size. I believed it was important that the handle did not force the user’s hand location in a particular arrangement, rather a quite forgiving shape that would adapt to its different tasks and requirements.