“Currently, we design 3D ergonomic iPhone cases and custom toilet seats” may read like some random word salad spit out by the AI-operated ChatGPT, yet it is the genuinely strange descriptor greeting visitors at Bailey Hikawa’s site dedicated to the disparate category of objects. As weird as that may all seem, the designs themselves are even more surreal…
The self-taught industrial designer takes a sculptural approach to iPhone case design unlike any others out there. Far out there. How else could one describe the Ishi iPhone Case in Lil’ Shrimp as anything but a sizable gummy bear that seems to have indulged in enjoying a shrimp cocktail (or spaghetti) before melting into a slightly amorphous blob reminiscent of colorful indoor rock climbing wall grips? We’d imagine Matthew Barney would be rather envious of these designs.
Or how about the Geta Phone Case in Marigold, a large vented back design that operates as a very secure grip, phone stand, possibly the most protective case we’ve ever seen… and a pressure point massage tool?
“Wave” in Japanese, the Nami phone case’s soft waved edges allow for fingers to slide into each groove for a secure grip while also making it easy to prop up.
My personal favorite is the Nami Phone Case in Onyx, a wavy gripped case made to order and amusingly Hikawa’s “slimmest phone case yet!” Not quite subtle, but compared to this eye-catching design, practically under-the-radar.
Bailey Hikawa
We’ll leave the toilet seat selection to your own imagination.
Source: design-milk