BPL StudyLite by Studio ABD

In India, power cuts during exam time is every child’s biggest anxiety. One breaks into a sweat, starts pacing up and down and even goes to the extreme of praying to the Almighty; promising reforms, pledging away a life of sin and the long dreadful countdown to when the lights will turn back on.

This very real, and seemingly life-threatening fear is what served as a starting point for Studio ABD when they began designing StudyLite – a LED lamp, in collaboration with BPL. Studio ABD firmly believes in story telling as integral part of designing products and services; and so it seems fitting that the lamp was inspired by the ring of halo that hovers above the head of the wise and saintly. Light is the quintessential metaphor of enlightenment.  Designer Abhijit Bansod visualised a ring of light glowing over the head when a child is studying. In the StudyLite he has tried to keep things simple yet unique.

This iconic and animated study lamp embodies a smooth and seamless form to allow maximum user interaction as it’s designed especially for children. It is extremely eco-friendly with its solar charging capability and low power consumption; and has a 6-hour battery back up to provide uninterrupted source of light while studying. Ergonomically simple, portable and lightweight StudyLite has recently won the prestigious Red Dot award. Red Dot stands for belonging to the best in design and business. The red dot is an internationally recognized quality label for excellent design that is aimed at all those who would like to qualify their business activities with the help of design. This is a proud moment and a big leap forward for Indian Design, being perhaps the first Indian company to receive such critical acclaim.

Another refreshing feature of this rechargeable lamp is that every lamp is marked ‘Designed and Made in India’.  Studio ABD wanted to highlight the fact that the components of the lamp, the assembly and the design were all done here, within the country – promoting the use of locally available resources, materials, people and technology.

StudyLite came into existence by the sheer genius of the design team who worked directly with the end users without much interference from the manufacturers –BPL. The biggest challenged faced by them was to tackle the mindset of resistance from the manufacturers. While they were extremely supportive of original design and idea, the concept of having a halo head for the lamp seemed a tad unnecessary. Fortunately, it was nothing a little patience and persistence couldn’t contend with.

Another problem they had to deal with was the pricing of StudyLite. At the moment, being marketed at a little more than Rs, 1500, there seems to be a slight apprehension to spend that much, despite its pleasing aesthetics, functionality and sheer practicality. Again, it’s a matter of tackling mindsets. Studio ABD hopes that the right marketing and publicity will go a long way in helping them do so.  Winning the Red Dot has done wonders for StudyLite in making its presence felt in the Indian market. Currently available throughout the country, it is now gearing up to be hopefully exported and retailed internationally.

To know more about Studio ABD, please visit – http://www.studioabd.in/