Core77

Photos courtesy of Greer Garner

We've seen plenty of decent portable speakers over the years—as one of many iDevice peripherals that designers continue to revisit, "Zooka" speaker bar for iPad and fuseproject's Jambox (a Core77 2011 Design Awards notable) come to mind—as well as a resurgence in vintage speaker restoration (an offshoot of the maker movement, perhaps): Joe Dobson and Devin Ward are just two recent examples. Designer Greer Garner has combined vintage aesthetics with handheld convenience (and digital fabrication to boot) in "Sway," a portable speaker with interchangeable hardware.

Sway is designed so the user can customise parts to reflect their own personal style. The speaker grills have changeable designs, along with a silk layer that adds a splash of colour and protects the electronics. Being able to influence the look of the music player helps build a stronger attachment to the device and encourages people to think of electronics as something to be treasured.

All of the external components of "Sway" are 3D-printed: the enclosure is made of nylon, spraypainted in navy, while the buttons and knobs are made of copper-coated resin and electroplated in gold. A strip of silk conceals the 28mm speaker cones while allowing sound to pass without muffling or distortion. The device is USB rechargeable via the 3.5mm audio jack.

The leather case is also a nice touch.

The designer is currently in her fourth year in the Design Innovation program at Victoria University Wellington, working towards her postgrad diploma in Industrial Design.