Hattern believes in spreading happiness, one design at a time

If you were asked to capture the color spectrums of light, how would you go about it?

Hattern, a Korean design atelier established by Kyungsun Hwang, Hajin Yoon, and Minah Kim, has found the answer in a series of imaginative vases. Their translucent vessels, seemingly able to transmute light into kaleidoscopic gradients, play with luminosity and color to whimsical effect.

如果说让你设计一种花瓶，去捕捉光的颜色，你会怎么设计？

来自韩国首尔的设计团队 Hattern 设计制作了一系列多色渲染的花瓶，将光线与颜色玩转到极致。鲜艳而柔和的色彩，通过透明或半透明的容器壁折射出来，颜色与光影奇妙融合，碰撞出干净透彻又意想不到的色彩线条。

Hattern is a portmanteau of “happy” and “pattern,” and it reflects the designer trio’s belief in spreading joy through design. Their Mellow Collection, a series inspired by 19th-century impressionist art, perhaps best exemplifies this mission. Using acrylic resin as the base material, they designed a line of transparent flower holders that thrive on the interplay of light, shadow, and colors. Six different colors appear throughout the collection, with two or more often dissolving into one another on a single vessel. These vases are also available in different finishes—frosted opaque and glossy smooth—which render the textural qualities of light into a visible format.

Hattern 的本意是 Happy（快乐）与 Pattern（图案）的两相结合。这个由3位设计师组成的团队，致力于探索色彩与材料之间的和谐。作为创始团队，Kyungsun Hwang 主攻品牌，而 Hajin Yoon 主攻产品设计，Minah Kim 则专注于平面。他们表示 Hattern 希望设计出一些产品，可以使人们在生活中感受到那些真实存在的“小确幸”。

感受到光的微妙色彩就是其一。《Mellow Collection》这个系列灵感来自于 19 世纪后期的印象派版画，并以印象派画家所运用的极简主义来诠释这系列的花瓶。为了捕捉瞬息多变的自然光，Hattern 使用透明的丙烯酸树脂材质作为载体，以展现光影变幻途中色彩的交融，他们对每个花瓶都用了 6 种颜色来染色，就好像一枚枚光棱镜，会折射出彩虹的光耀。为呈现光在不同质地下的变化，Hattern 用了磨砂和光滑两种花瓶的质感去诠释。

Considering the number of designs and products the trio has churned out over the years, Kim says their joint creative approach is now fairly straightforward. Once they’ve agreed on a specific concept, they’ll search for references on their own. After everyone has gathered enough material, they’ll regroup. “We share everything we came up with found, offering critique in the process; this is where some of our best ideas are born,” he says. “After this stage, we’ll then start on sketches, 3-D models, and so on. Our final designs are built off the best prototypes.”

Color, often the most important element of their work, is decided last. “We’re constantly thinking about different possibilities,” Kim says. “The right colors can touch people’s hearts. The goal of the design and whether or not it’ll put a smile on people’s faces are some of the most important factors we consider when we decide on colors. To find the right color, we often look for inspiration in other product designs, illustrative works, photography, or even fashion.”

制作的过程不算复杂，Minah 告诉我们，通常如果决定了项目的主题以后，每个人就会先分头研究再相互分享，“比如我发现了哪些材料，从中又获取了哪些见解？好的想法都在这个过程中碰撞产生的。再然后我们会设计很多草图，进行三维建模和渲染。最后我们开发了几个最漂亮的设计和制作模型。”

虽然颜色是重中之重，但选择和确定颜色的使用，反而是他们项目的最后一步。“我们一直在深入探索‘颜色’。”Minah 说，“因为我们相信‘色彩可以启发人’。当我们需要决定颜色的时候，我们试着去思考什么样的颜色可以呈现我们的设计目的，什么样的颜色让人们感到快乐。因此我们研究了很多东西。例如，产品、绘画、照片甚至是时尚设计。”

In Merge Vase, a later collection that builds on the creative bedrocks of Mellow Collection, their flower holders are stripped down into even more minimal forms. Circular shapes, inspired by Venn diagrams, have replaced the rectangular forms of the previous designs, and different colored pieces could be mixed and matched together to form unexpected pairings. It’s a delightfully imaginative take on how people could interact with their design in meaningful ways that very much reflects the studio’s commitment to spreading happiness.

As for what lies ahead, Kim says they’re keen on creating sustainable designs that can raise awareness on the importance of environmentalism, and do it with the same sense of jubilance and optimism their studio is known for. “We truly believe in our hearts that good design and beautiful colors are able to inspire happiness,” she says. “Even if our work can only bring about a tiny spark of joy in a single person, that’s enough.”

在《Mellow Collection》之后，《Merge Vase》也运用到光影与颜色。相较之下，花器变得更为简洁，而设计感却更为突出了。它的设计来源于平时做表格时的“芬恩图”，每个色块颜色各异，而集合相交的部分，却会呈现出令人惊喜的新颜色。这就是 Hattern 一直想传达的“幸福感”。Minah 表示，未来的 Hattern 涉猎到零废物设计产品，把美好而环保的设计理念传达出去。“我们坚信我们的设计和色彩让人们感到幸福。即使是很微小的幸福，也没关系。”