Leonard Gorges

Portfolio

Lamp Study

White geometric lighting object with a black power cord against a white background.

2025

Part of the interdisciplinary design courses at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd.

  • Sketching
  • Prototyping
  • Material exploration

A lighting object developed through sketching, iterative prototyping and material exploration. Moving between drawings and physical models, I translated initial ideas into a tangible design and refined them through making. The study formed part of an interdisciplinary programme at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, exploring product, communication and interaction design through hands-on studio work.

Lamp Study in raw aluminum.

One form, three materials

Design and prototyping mostly took place using thick black cardboard and white paper. Black powder-coated aluminum was a natural material choice, giving the lamp a refined, high-quality feel. Raw aluminum was also interesting to explore as a material that is easy to work with and can be recycled.

Frosted acrylic plays with light differently, offering something completely different from both raw and powder-coated aluminum.

Design process

  • Concept development
  • Form and light studies
  • Material exploration
  • Physical prototyping
  • 3D modelling and visualisation
View into the aluminum lamp, showing the light source and internal construction against a dark background.
Horizontal line
Close-up of the cooling fins beneath the LED module.Front view of the heat sink and central LED module.
Detail of the raw aluminum housing and folded edges against a black background.
Transparent view of the lamp showing the internal heat sink, LED modules and wiring.

Prototyping

Black cardboard and white paper lamp prototypes alongside sketches, with light cast onto the table.Black cardboard lamp prototype on a workbench with sketches, tools and wiring.