Design Stories | Trinity
We sat down with Trinity’s designer, our own Robin Baines, to discuss the story behind Trinity’s innovative design.
Robin is our in-house furniture designer, and heads our Design team. Always well-dressed, his passion for his work is clear to see in his beaming smile, as he walks us through the Trinity project with an accent he affectionately refers to as ‘Wiganese’.
Thank you for sitting down with us today. Let’s get straight into it: could you tell us about the concept behind the Trinity range?
“Trinity’s concept was inspired by modular seating that could be reconfigured and added to with end- and add-on- units.
On analysing the products on the market at the time, we found that other ranges could be somewhat overly engineered, and required extensive manufacturing and construction processes. My aim was to explore what we could do to put a different spin on the concept, and bring new characteristics to the modular seating model. At the same time, we strived for highly modular functionality while engineering a much simpler, less costly manufacturing process, in terms of both time and finances. The faster manufacturing process also meant that we could have a prototype of the product much sooner.”
Fantastic, thank you. Would you say that the manufacturing process is what makes Trinity stand out in the office furniture world?
“While, yes, I would say that the manufacturing process does make Trinity highly competitive, what truly makes Trinity stand out are its linking brackets, and the way they are utilised.
When we were first considering how the screens and units of Trinity would connect, I wanted to engineer a bracket that would be very simple to use, and again very cost-effective when compared to die-cast or injection-moulded components. To achieve this, we designed interlinking butterfly brackets (or as I refer to them, tie-brackets, as to me they resemble tie-wing fighters at a side profile – a happy accident!)
Designers don’t usually invent, but in this case we have engineered a unique style of bracket with a pleasing end design, that functionally makes the installation process much easier.”
What are your personal thoughts on the design process?
“From day dot, we’ve achieved in a short period of time a product that functionally ticks all the boxes.
Something I always focus on when developing seating products is ergonomics, so the lumbar support is something I try to introduce into anything I design, and Trinity’s integrated lumbar support is a key feature for me.
The functionality of Trinity is brilliant, it’s easy to manufacture, easy to assemble. When designing a product, I’ll always take into consideration strength, stability and ease of manufacture, more than just aesthetics, and Trinity is typical of all of those ideals.”
It sounds like the process of designing Trinity was quite smooth, but were there any particular challenges?
“We did have some challenges, yes – particularly with the writing tablet component of the Solo pods. Originally, the tablet unit was just a fixed panel, but later revised this to be a hinged product for better functionality. There’s a lot involved in making such a change during the process, but it was well worth the time taken to ensure the best product possible.
We had another point – not necessarily a challenge, but something that did take extra care was the cable management. Currently, the cable management is built into the seat base, with pre-cutout circles for ease of access in the production process. Some extra consideration was needed, in order to retain the durability of the seat while allowing production teams to easily remove the cutouts to install power units.”
Was there anything this design process taught you to take forward?
“Primarily, the process of designing Trinity taught us that listening to our instincts is always worth it, and the return on our investment of extra time spent on reworking and expanding on the range was extremely valuable in the end.
Initially, we didn’t have plans for a mobile range for Trinity, but in a stroke of last-minute luck I managed to locate castors that were (more or less) the same height as the legs we had already developed. This allowed us to quickly develop the mobile range, and although the last-minute nature of the addition was a minor additional challenge, the return on investment of that extra effort has been well worth it, according to our sales figures.
The same goes for our writing tablet design – although it did cost us some time in the development process to get that element right, the response that particular section of the range has received is well worth our efforts.”
Is there anything you particularly enjoy about the design process in general?
“For me, Trinity was a fun product to design and build, as there’s a lot involved with the connections, the metal brackets, the way it fixes and assembles.
There’s a lot you discover along the way, for example Trinity’s base form initially had radius curves at the back which, visually, worked very well, yet when it came to constructing the prototype we realised it didn’t quite work functionally. In response, we revised it and squared it off, so the base would align better with the rest of the frame.
When the product transitions from concept to mock-up, you’ll often find things that need to be revised, as components that look good on paper don’t always translate well in manufacturing – and I find it very satisfying to identify these areas, go back to the drawing board, and return with a design that’s leagues above the previous version. I very much enjoy the sense that there will always be unexpected twists to respond to, and in responding you develop a much better product than before.”
Robin, thank you for your insights and your time.
“No problem, thank you!”
Trinity is our star modular seating product, with a range of styles and forms to meet any commercial interior requirement. Particularly suited for breakout, reception, and collaborative areas, the product’s flexibility grants exemplary versatility, allowing spontaneous configuration and endless reconfiguration. With Trinity, craft the perfect spaces for meeting, learning, focusing, or relaxing.