Company:
Philips
Year:
2021
Duration:
1 Week
Overview
Named after the Japanese word yoru, meaning night, this project reimagines the baby monitor as a lasting companion rather than a short-term gadget. YORU is designed to bring comfort, color, and calm into the child’s environment, offering not only practical functions, but also emotional reassurance. The aim was to create an object that feels both joyful and serene, blending seamlessly into everyday family life while quietly supporting the child’s well-being.
Brief
As part of a Master Class with PHILIPS, I was invited to redesign one of their baby monitors. The challenge was to quickly define clear creative directions and generate multiple design iterations while maintaining the core features: smartphone connectivity, health sensors, and sleep-assisting functions. The product needed to appeal emotionally, feel intuitively safe, and adapt to a child’s space over time - all without compromising on manufacturing feasibility or user clarity.
Proposal
My response to the brief is YORU, a connected baby monitor designed to grow with the child, from birth to age 10. It features a camera and health sensors for remote monitoring, along with a night light and lullaby function to ensure peaceful sleep. Drawing inspiration from two opposing moods - Night Buddy and Silent Night - the final design finds harmony between playfulness and calm. With its colorful, movable head, YORU evolves with the child’s space while preserving its comforting presence. Made through PET injection for a clean and cost-effective finish, the product balances joyful aesthetics with long-term usability.
