Here's why Nothing's latest earbuds are making yellow flow out of your ear canal
The next time an acquaintance of yours yells at you from across the street:
You can proudly say in return:
That is, of course, if you can hear anything at all from across the street when you're listening to your brand-new earbuds.
Announced mere days ago, Nothing's latest budget earpieces are truly something – apart from the iconic see-through design and the obligatory Black or White color options, users can now go for… Yellow.
Frankly, that's the last color option that I'd imagine a company would pick for a gadget that goes up your ear canal (because… biology), but, hey, when did Nothing go for the boring and safe?
Now, there's a detailed explanation by Nothing's Senior Industrial Designer Frank Lin on the decision to make the company's new Ear (a) so colorful (via Inverse). This wasn’t out of boredom, but out of confidence:
The case on the new earbuds is also changed (it's rounder and more compact), a departure from prior more rectangular form factors.
Though the color and case may be different from Nothing’s previous products, Lin also says that in some ways, pops of bold primary colors are already a part of the Nothing design language, the story continues.
Although yellow was intended to convey a sense of fun, Lin acknowledges encountering challenges when creating a case and wireless earbuds with vibrant color. Notably, Nothing's design team opted for a glossy finish for everything to make yellow aesthetically pleasing, contrasting with previous earbuds like the Ear 2 that featured a mix of matte and shiny plastic.
The transition to a predominantly glossy plastic might be surprising for some users – matte finishes tend to be more subtle and less attention-grabbing, catering to varying preferences for making a style statement.
- Hey, what's that yellow thing coming out of your ears?
You can proudly say in return:
- It's not what you think! These are Nothing's new earbuds: the Nothing Ear (a)!
That is, of course, if you can hear anything at all from across the street when you're listening to your brand-new earbuds.
Frankly, that's the last color option that I'd imagine a company would pick for a gadget that goes up your ear canal (because… biology), but, hey, when did Nothing go for the boring and safe?
Now, there's a detailed explanation by Nothing's Senior Industrial Designer Frank Lin on the decision to make the company's new Ear (a) so colorful (via Inverse). This wasn’t out of boredom, but out of confidence:
We’re a startup, so we’re quite new to the market. Initially, we wanted to not confuse our customers, which is why we stuck to black and white in the beginning… and now we feel like we’ve established a presence.
The case on the new earbuds is also changed (it's rounder and more compact), a departure from prior more rectangular form factors.
Though the color and case may be different from Nothing’s previous products, Lin also says that in some ways, pops of bold primary colors are already a part of the Nothing design language, the story continues.
When you think of color in its pure form, that’s when you get primary colors. That’s kind of how we landed with yellow. It’s something that’s super fun and complements the geometry really well and it’s also nostalgic and futuristic.
Although yellow was intended to convey a sense of fun, Lin acknowledges encountering challenges when creating a case and wireless earbuds with vibrant color. Notably, Nothing's design team opted for a glossy finish for everything to make yellow aesthetically pleasing, contrasting with previous earbuds like the Ear 2 that featured a mix of matte and shiny plastic.
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Things that are NOT allowed: