CREATING A NEW LOVI FIGURE
Releasing a new Lovi figure is a result of a multifaceted design process. After all the sketching, design work, drawing, prototype cutting and various color experiments, getting to release a new product is always wonderful and exciting.
CHOOSING A NOVELTY PRODUCT
Product ideas brew and evolve inside our designer Anne’s mind for a long time. Which sketch ends up becoming an actual, new Lovi product in the end is a sum of many parts.
A new Lovi figure must be compatible with the Lovi joint. The most important factor shared among Lovi products, the joint’s design has remained more or less unchanged since the release of the first ever Lovi product, the Lovi Bauble. Having a functional joint and the fact that all of our products can be assembled act as cornerstones of our product line. The joint type developed by Anne forms the core part of our operations, and it can be varied according to product size. A great example of this would be the largest variant of our Lovi Spruce, which features a joint with an identical operating principle compared to our smallest, letter-sized products despite the significant difference in size.
A new Lovi figure must also comply with the existing Lovi product line and the design style they represent. A good example of this would be the recently released Lovi Dachshund which slots in nicely with the rest of the pack of Lovi dogs. The dachshund figure spent a long time at Anne’s design table, and it was the most desired dog breed to be added into our product line. It’s always nice when there’s an alignment with our customers’ wishes and our designer’s timetables, and we wish to see the pack of Lovi dogs grow with new breeds in the upcoming years as well.
The releases of Lovi Decor Star in autumn 2022 and Lovi Decor Flower in spring 2023 heralded the beginning of an entirely new product line, wall art, and we’re going to be releasing more wall-attachable products in the future as well. They make a fresh, great-looking addition to the selection of Lovi products.
When designing a new Lovi figure, another thing to consider is how to fit the parts onto the plywood sheets in a way that creates as little wasted space as possible while keeping the product at an appropriate size and maintaining the beauty of its form. The product must also fit the existing packaging sizes. In the case of Lovi products, this means our letter-sized S, M, L, L+ and XL packages or larger MAXI- and tree/spruce packages. Read more about Lovi packages from a blog post called An Easy-To-Send-Gift from Lovi where you’ll be able to find out about the sizes and weight of our packaging options.
ALL-IMPORTANT DETAILS
Details that fit together make for a well-balanced end result. It’s details that make a product interesting, recognizable and memorable. Since Lovi products tend to be very clearly defined, the significance of details becomes even more prominent. Small, carefully considered subtleties bring added value to a product’s design.
It’s interesting how big of a difference the tiniest of changes can make. Adding a half-millimeter tapering in just the right spot or an additional part to a figure can have a significant impact on the appearance of a product. In the picture below you can see two prototypes of the Lovi Dachshund in the front and the finalized version behind them. Pay attention to the snout, ear size, the back of the head and the hind legs. Small changes make for a big difference.
The functionality of a product must also be ensured. When it comes to wall art products, Lovi Decor Flower and Lovi Decor Star, design must be done in a way that all parts stay together while hanging a decoration on the wall. The arcs and shapes of the branches in our Lovi Spruces are the result of careful consideration. The idea has not only been to create beautiful shapes but to ensure that they provide a steady platform for our Lovi Birds and Lovi Swallows and that they also allow for hanging Lovi Baubles and Lovi Stars onto them.
You can play with small details by switching the ears between two differently colored Lovi Dachshunds. The essence of a tiny dog figure changes completely depending on its color. You can also paint the ears of the natural wood Lovi Dachshund. Details do matter indeed.
OWN PRODUCTION
The significance of having our own production gets emphasized while designing a new product. Being able to test every single change to our designs immediately reduces a significant amount of time spent on designing a product. As soon as we’ve cut a prototype, the durability, ease of assembly and functionality of the design of our products can be verified while quickly making any necessary adjustments.
Having our own production and highly skilled employees provides immeasurable help also when it comes to choosing colors and creating the correct hues. Sometimes we opt for a color that already exists in our product range and other times we end up creating completely new color tones.
We’re once again in for a nice autumn! Our social media channels and newsletter provide the quickest way to keep up-to-date on any Lovi-related news, so remember to follow us at @lovi_finland_ on Instagram and @LoviFinland on Facebook! You can subscribe to the newsletter here: Join Our Newsletter! When you subscribe for our newsletter, we’ll send you a coupon for a 15 percent discount into your e-mail. Welcome along!
