Ticket Split AC range

Blue Star is one of India’s established air-conditioning brands. Its room-AC line spans inverter, heavy-duty, smart and window units across a range of tonnages, star ratings and price points.

Ticket Design worked with Blue Star on the industrial design of the range. The brief was a clean, contemporary look for the indoor unit, suited to the higher end of the market and consistent across the different models in the line.

The category

An air conditioner in India is a considered purchase. It is researched in advance, discussed within a family, and compared against other brands in a showroom. Buyers weigh cooling, running cost, durability, after-sales service and brand reputation.

The look of the indoor unit is part of that judgement. It is the part of the product a household sees every day, for years, so its appearance matters alongside its performance.

The Indian market is also competitive and price-sensitive across tiers. A design has to suit the premium end of the range and remain practical to produce across high volumes.

The design work

Ticket Design worked on the industrial design of the indoor unit: its form and proportion, the front fascia, the display integration and the CMF. The same treatment was developed to carry across the range, so the models read as one consistent family.

The cooling technology and engineering are Blue Star’s. Our work was the design of the unit’s appearance and its physical detailing.

Design features

The fascia was kept simple, with a clean horizontal line so the unit sits quietly on the wall. The surfaces, detailing and finish were developed to give the unit a more premium, contemporary look that suits the higher end of the range. The display is integrated to stay unobtrusive when the unit is idle and clear when a setting is being changed. Controls and indicators were kept minimal and easy to read.

The design treatment carries across the range, so the different models read as one consistent family, with the V Series sitting at the premium end of it.

Designing for a high-volume range

A room AC is made and sold in large numbers, so the design had to hold up well beyond a render. It had to be practical to tool, sensible on cost, easy to service, and stable enough that new models could join the range without redrawing the design language each time.

These considerations were part of the work as much as the look of the unit. A design that performs in a showroom but is hard to manufacture, or that suits one model but not the rest of the range, does not serve a product line like this one.

The project is an example of the appliance design work we do with manufacturers: a clean, contemporary product, designed for the premium end of its category and practical to build and sell across a full range.

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