I designed this iPhone 4 skin - What do you think?

[hokka]

Dear fellow Oz iPhone/Apple fans,

UPDATE 2:

Hi all,

As promised, LEAF is ready to be shipped, those whom pre-ordered will be send TODAY (1st October). Thanks for all your support and pls leave comments or photos when you've received your goodies, love to hear from you!

UPDATE:

Hey guys, the site (I-AM-LEAF-DOT-COM) is up: LEAF : Custom iPhone 4 Skins - you can pre-order* now and I hope to get these babies into your hot little hands in 2-3 weeks from now.

Thanks for all your support!

* pre-orders will be shipped free

In the past, I've had my (last 3 gens) iPhones nude as I've always wanted to show off the amazing industrial design of the phone, I always thought "why bother covering up the beautiful design if it's meant to be slim and sexy from the get-go?" Also I've not been happy with the various cases/skins in the past from the iPod days, and to this day there's still not a case/skin I would buy as they either add bulk, not durable or are overly designed, though I've always being on a look out for that one design that do touch my heart.

Being a designer myself, and being a perfectionist, I've decided to put on my thinking cap on this time as I've thought about what I'd like and also any proud iPhone user would want, also practical and different to what's available now, here's the brief I gave myself of what I would like on the iPhone 4 if it's to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing:

1]. Not another vinyl, polycarb, silicon skin/case, or a leather case that bulks up the over-all dimension;
2]. Ties in with the overall design of the phone, does not cover the whole phone up, speak of class and well made;
3]. Something that is super-slim, so slim that the dock, free bumpers (thanks Steve!) or any other case would still work if the user choose to use in conjunction;
4]. It needs to be durable and protects the back when put down horizontally when the user sit down somewhere, eg. on a table when not in transit;
5]. Add grip to the phone so it's not so slippery, but not so grippy that it's hard to slip into a pocket where it resides most of the time in transit

After many moons of thinking and designing since the launch, I think I have got to a pretty good product on my hand that fills those requirements I've just listed, so I'd like to share with you on a few shots of the prototype and get some feedback before I put it into limited prodcution as every person that have seen it tells me I should, so here we go:

#1: Wave



A little bit more information on the design itself:

1]. It is called "leaf", because it is thin and light as a leaf, add "shade" but also organically connect to the industrial design of the phone itself (like leaves to a tree);
2]. It is very thin, only a hair thicker than the clear vinyl stickers you get from the likes of Invisible Shield so it will fit Bumper/Dock/Case, no extra bulk at all;
3]. It is strong, being a piece of hard metal, there's no chance of glass scratching, can handle dent and the corner/edges will not lift like any sticker film over time, it should last the life of the phone;
4]. It is precisely etched from a thin sheet of stainless steel which matches the metal antenna band around the phone, the pattern add aesthetics and also functions as extra grip - it feels really really nice in hand (and in pocket) plus it prevents the slippery glass back from sliding on any slight angle.
5]. There's no antennagate issue as I've been testing it. Because the antenna is on the "outside" of the phone now the skin will not interfere with any radio signals - yes, in this case it actually helped my design, thanks Jony!

I'd love to hear what you guys/gals think - whether you like it or not and any other comments or questions etc. I have added 3 more designs' photo below. If you'd like to get one, I will be listing some info on pricing soon and I hope to have a small website up this week for those that like to pre-order as initially batch will be produced with 4 designs in total and in a very limited quantities (I've already got bombarded from family and friends, hehe). Or if you'd like to email me to register your interest for now I can be reached on tallfella@gmail.com.

#2: Maze



#3: Fold



#4: Fern



Love to hear some comments from you and pls tell me what's your favourite design...

Thanks for your time! Happy days!

[TJA77]

I must say that does look good!! How does the case actually seal to the back of the phone? and also is there any chance of dust getting in there? If so is it easy to remove and clean behind it?

Id love to be kept in the loop on these so please PM me with details once you are ready

[Devil rolla]

cool looking skin

[bennyling]

Same question as tja77 - because it's a piece of hard metal, how does it seal to the back of the phone?

Also, because it's a piece of thin metal - wouldn't it be fairly easy to bend?

[hokka]

How does the case actually seal to the back of the phone? and also is there any chance of dust getting in there? If so is it easy to remove and clean behind it?

Thanks for your comment, the case will be fixed with semi-permanent tape for easy removal and install (eg. a warranty issue with your phone) that also shouldn't harden or leave residuls, I will make sure it's repositionable and if kept clean can be reused, plus I can supply more if needed so no worries there. They are only a few micron-thick and will run very close to the edge so they shouldn't catch too much dust - it shouldn't run right to the edge or the tape edge will actually attract dust particles, plus it'll make lining up for install much easier, also being a metal cover you won't see it if it does , I'm testing 2 manufacturers' tape now.

The install is very quick, in seconds as oppose to clear films that needs to be squeegeed etc. and there won't be any bubbles issue

Also, because it's a piece of thin metal - wouldn't it be fairly easy to bend?

No, it's a thin sheet of stainless steel, it is very strong, does not bend very easily even at that thickness, stays very flat and stiff, so there's no chance the corner will catch and lift.

[dotnet]

If you need beta testers, sign me up!

Cheers
Steffen.

[Lockley]

its looks nice, please post the other designs

[bitingmammal]

I love it!

[Erwin]

Looks great - will there be a companion for the front of the iPhone?

[lama323]

Looks great mate will you sell the ones you make in limited production?

I would be very interested if you needed a trial users and to buy!

[questionmark]

want want want

Would it laser engrave well? fancy designs time!

-?

[hokka]

Thanks guys for the comments so far! I will upload some photo of the other designs tonight.

Looks great - will there be a companion for the front of the iPhone?

I'm thinking about it, for the initial limited production I'm keeping it simple, just the back for now.

Looks great mate will you sell the ones you make in limited production?

Yes they will be available for you to buy, I will post pre-order info shortly.

Would it laser engrave well?

Don't see why it wouldn't, I'd suggest laser before applying to the the phone first

[matthew858]

I love it! It would be great to have a circle around the Apple logo though, from looking at other cases is it a requirement to have an Apple logo visible?

[bitingmammal]

I love it! It would be great to have a circle around the Apple logo though, from looking at other cases is it a requirement to have an Apple logo visible?

I personally would dislike if there was a circle cut out to expose the Apple logo. How about just engraving an Apple logo into the case itself with the laser? So it would look almost like a steel iPhone. Just an idea and all IMHO. :-)

In any case, I think these designs are awesome and very interested in seeing the pricing/further designs!

[hokka]

Thank you for all you guys whom emailed me on your interest, I will contact you when more details comes to light, for now you can see all the designs above and decide which one you like - which is probably the hard part

...from looking at other cases is it a requirement to have an Apple logo visible?

No, requirements from Apple are no metal contact with iPhone 4 metal band and not to cover any acustic openings, camera, flah and sensors only.

... How about just engraving an Apple logo into the case itself with the laser? So it would look almost like a steel iPhone. Just an idea and all IMHO. :-)

I have thought about Apple cutout or engraving but in the end I think it would not lend much to the overall design of the case (also a cutout will ony defeats the purpose of protecting the full back), I want a clean look and let the material & pattern themselves speak of quality. There will be a small tasteful leaf logo towards the bottom of the case and that's all.

[bitingmammal]

The wave and the maze are my favourites.

[bennyling]

I like 'em all.

[Topher87]

I love it,

I think I would love to grab some off you.

I am setting up an online store to sell Original iPhone parts, as well as iPhone Accessories.

I think this would be be a great addition. I will be in contact with you! Depending how much these are I will defiantly be purchasing some

EDIT: Sent you an email

[123]

the maze version is very beautiful and definitely my favourite followed by the wave. the whole range is the most classy set of skins i've seen. i think i'd need to see more clearly how they fit to the phone and how that transition looks and feels to be completely convinced though, they almost look too good to be true.

re: apple logo. i don't see a need for the apple logo to be engraved or cut out. i think part of the beauty is in the simple repetition of the pattern and an engraving or cut out would disrupt that.

good luck with production

edit: i can't un-see this now i've seen it. i want one so badly.

[tom5955]

I really like them all.

Will buy a couple from you when they are ready!