In 2015 I met a team from LA with decades of experience in the marijuana cultivation industry. We partnered together to design our first grow light, the DE1000w.
The Luxx Lighting DE1000w HPS grow light was crafted to optimize uniformity and PPFD output, outperforming competitors' lighting by pulling +0.3 / +0.5 lbs per light.
The visual brand language was shaped by addressing the unmet needs of indoor commercial cannabis cultivators. A low-profile reflector and ballast were employed to maximize the distance to the canopy. Additionally, a solid, cast aluminum reflector arm facilitated easy mounting to Unistrut and effectively dissipated heat away from the reflector and canopy.
A defining surface crease along the casted reflector arm provided simple, level mounting to Unistrut. Smooth, simple forms and surfacing were easy to clean and redefined the aesthetics of a grow light.
The value of Industrial Design in a stagnant, commercial category instantly disrupted the economically designed, commoditized grow light market.
The DE1000w took significant market share from the long standing market leader. Luxx Lighting’s sales went from $71,000 at launch in 2017 to $105 million in 2021 and was acquired for $215 million in 2022.
The Moji Heated Roller combines heat with a foam roller to deliver effective massage and 30 minutes of therapeutic heat to relax and relieve muscle tightness, reduce pain, and improve circulation and flexibility.
In 2016 the foam roller market was highly commoditized with little innovation or unique selling points.
Heat offers the ultimate therapeutic results in muscle therapy, warm up and recovery. It’s the American College of Physicians’ #1 treatment for muscle and back pain.
We were assigned to develop both the visual brand language and the thermo-mechanical engineering aspects related to heat creation and retention.
Moji launched with a successful $100,000 Kickstarter campaign and immediate positive reviews and is still on the market today.
The 18w Clone LED disrupted the propagation lighting category and instantly became the industry leader for cultivators and genetics breeders.
Spectral layouts, diodes and beam angles were tested over thousands of clones. A tailored 9000K spectrum of red, white and blue diodes delivered quicker rooting, stronger growth and drove the plant into a healthier vegetative cycle.
LED technology allowed us to put out more PPFD with less ambient heat while being 60% more energy efficient than T5 fluorescent fixtures.
Quick installation and cable management were addressed by integrating a zip tie slot, quick release mounting bracket’s and daisy chain-able power.
Featuring a mono-material, airtight packaging innovation, the Revitalift Filler (HA) Ampoule in Cream preserves the formula's efficacy, eliminates external pollutants while upholding the heritage and iconic silhouette of L’Oréal Paris.
Taking on the challenge of introducing a novel packaging solution, our Innovation Packaging team aimed to incorporate an airtight dispensing system that met the brand's marketing, sustainability, operational, and e-commerce requirements for a China launch.
The prior packaging comprised of a substantial glass outer jar with inner jar and cap components made from plastics. While our airtight solution delivered a new dispensing experience for the consumer, it introduced new filling, assembly and locking challenges.
Our choice of a lightweight, mono-material plastic packaging solution was guided by our understanding of Chinese supply chains, manufacturing processes, and government-mandated recycling practices.
Store and preserve all your cultivars in a very small space. The Athena Tissue Culture Procedure reinvigorates old genetics and cleans plant material to outgrow infections like hop latent viroid (HLV).
A tailor made solution and first in the industry, the portable flow hood with true HEPA filtration and built-in accessories allow for tissue culture on the go. Designed for consultants to be able to come to you.
It’s an all-in-one solution for a novice or someone with limited space. It’s for emerging markets where access or budgets make full size flow hoods inaccessible and genetics are difficult to access and preserve.
The stainless steel cooling head enhances the ultra-smooth, spa-like sensation while applying. Reduces the formation of wrinkles caused by skin pulling and proven to smooth out 9 major wrinkles from the eyes to the face and neck, achieving an immediate 46% reduction in wrinkles.
We were challenged to deliver a cooling, massage like experience through the primary packaging, but roadblocks in intellectual property constrained us from developing anything novel and with little to no cooling effects.
Our Innovation Packaging team discovered a new way to manufacture the metal used in the packaging and allowed us to deliver a cooling experience while avoiding long-standing intellectual property barriers in the beauty packaging industry.
The “Little Purple Iron” became the nickname in Chinese social media, where it is the best-selling line correction product.
While working with Athena Ag, Inc. on their new Cuts rooting gel, we wanted to introduce a better packaging experience for the cultivator compared to traditional bottles and jars that the market was used to.
Athena Cuts features an inverted pouch design with a flip top silicone closure. This packaging innovation allows for one handed operation, mess/utensil free dispensing into a secondary container, eliminates the chance of cross contamination and allows you to use 99% of the rooting gel.
WAVE combines modern music-driven meditation content with physical connected products to deliver an immersive experience in the comfort of your own space.
The Athena VPDome is the most efficient way to clone. The easy-to-install, two part fabric rack cover can hold 16 standard clone trays without the need for individual domes.
Achieving the optimal VPD for plants allows them to properly transpire, uptake nutrients, uptake CO2, and prevent stress. VPD stands for Vapor Pressure Deficit, a direct correlation between the temperature and humidity of an area.
Designed to insulate standard steel wire shelves with a two-part system that securely fits and seals your environment. A series of magnets and velcro to allow the doors to operate in three positions - closed, burped and open.
Athena VPDome has proven to maintain the perfect VPD throughout the cloning process. Using VPDome for large scale cloning requires much less labor than ventilating individual domes every day.
Thomas is an Industrial Design and Innovation Packaging Consultant based in Boston.
His experience spans corporate, agency, and start-up environments where he’s managed creative teams and launched successful products globally.
For nearly a decade, he consulted in Chicago across a wide range of industries, including consumer electronics, medical devices, power tools, laboratory equipment, and sporting goods.
For three years he lived and worked in Shanghai, building a disruptive cannabis grow lighting start-up that was acquired in 2022 for $215 million, working in L'Oréal China’s Innovation Packaging team, and launching WAVE Meditation, a VC-backed direct-to-consumer meditation cushion that was recognized as one of Time Magazine's top 100 inventions in 2019.
Thomas grew up in Metro Detroit and received his BFA in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies. He’s lived and worked in Chicago, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Boston where he currently resides with his wife and two poodles. His passions include playing hockey, watching the Red Wings, scuba diving, motorcycles, bicycles, and photography.
