Spark

November-December 2025

Duration: 5 weeks

Project Description:

Design and create a prototype of a battery-powered lamp that follows a self-created set of goals. Lighting options for the prototype were an LED bulb or LED strips.

Project Goals

Based on the inspiration boards I created at the beginning of the ideation process, I knew I wanted to create a lamp that blended a sharp and architectural exterior with a warm glow that mimicked the temperature of fire. My vision was that this lamp could be placed in an outdoor patio area and extend the warmth of a nearby fire.

Soldering joints: 30

Feet of LEDs: 5

3D-printed components: 19

INSPIRATION

IDEATION

Refined Ideation

MODELS

Early Physical Models:

Early paper models confirmed my belief that evenly spaced rings worked better than differing gaps.

My first 3D-printed models allowed me to test proportions and eventually joinery between parts.

Adobe Illustrator sketch rendering - led to more experimentation with colorways and texturing.

CAD Models

Base - contains structural components to hold battery pack, button, lower diffuser, and internal light frame in place

Lower diffuser - diffuses lowest light for ambient effect

Internal light frame - holds LED strip in order for light to shine directly through bottom diffuser

Body component #1 - holds lower diffuser in place from above and snaps together with body component #2

Ring #1 - holds LED strips that shine downwards through diffuser

Ring #1 diffuser - diffuses LED light from Ring #1

Body component #2 - snaps together with body component #1 and #3

Body component #3 - snaps together with body component #2 and #4

Body component #4 - holds upper diffuser in place and snaps together with body component #3

Upper diffuser - diffuses scattered light from lower LED strips for a soft glow

Colorway analysis: Settled on a dark gray between the black and gray models below, a color that resembles smoke. Black: too artificial White: too bright Blue: too busy