Straight out of New Zealand, here is a unique tournament dart case called the Geo Dart Case, brought to you by the team behind Shot! Darts.
This unique design has a triangular 3-slot holes that you can park your darts fully assembled and ready for play immediately. Lined with magnets, the Geo case snaps together firmly at the front to form a compact triangular shape. This gives you the highest level in dart protection while securely holding the darts when not in use.
It is available in six colours : Black, Red, White, Green, Blue and Silver.
Designed by fourth year Industrial Design student Josh Bruderer, the Geo Case is part of an on-going initiative to develop original design with School of Design, Massey University at Wellington, New Zealand. Students have a yearly field trip incorporating a visit to the Shot! Darts factory in Bay of Plenty, a region in New Zealand's North Island. Following this brief but immersive introduction, the students then develop concepts for a new product for the dart market.
Intrigued by the product design, we arranged an interview with the designer, Josh Bruderer (below), about his new creation.
Q. What inspired you to create a triangular shaped case?
Josh: The triangular shape was a result of trying out many different folding techniques, with the aim of creating something that was both versatile in use and striking in design.
Throughout the design process, I visited local darts halls in New Zealand to look for opportunities where I could create something new. I noticed that everyone did something different with their three darts between games. Some people had necklaces to hold them, some just held them in their hands and some people even put corks on the tips so that the darts could go into their shirt pocket without making holes.
I don’t play darts habitually myself, but I think that approaching the sport without preconceptions was really helpful to let me see where there could be room for improvements. My final design gives all of these players a way to keep their darts safe and secure. In addition, the triangular design can be folded out, or snap closed depending on how you want to use it.
Q. Darts is an old game with the basic equipment generally remain the same. What other dart accessories would you love to redesign?
Josh: Darts is a really social game and I think it would be great if it were brought into the heart of the home. In New Zealand, people tend to keep steel tip dart boards in their garages because a bad throw could result in a damaged wall.
There are some challenges around this, but I think it would be interesting to design some kind of cabinet that looks great when not in use, stores equipment and provides protection for the walls and furniture.
Q. Your product is now distributed by Shot! and sold in Singapore and around the world - how do you feel about your creation being used by players around the world?
Josh: It’s an amazing feeling! The team at Shot! took on my design while I was still studying at University and I put a lot of work into it, so it’s especially rewarding to hear that so many people like it and are using the case!
We also asked the Sales Manager of the Shot! team, Pete Edmonson, about his thoughts when he first saw the original design by Josh.
Q. What were your initial thoughts when you first saw the original design by Josh ?
Pete: We absolutely loved the design, it reminded us of the quiver used in old times with the traditional bow and arrow so it had a fun yet practical appeal. We especially liked how compact the case is and it made complete sense to add the Geo case as a slim case option to our Shot! dart case range.
Q. Do you have any plans to enhance the Geo case further ?
Pete: We are looking into other colour schemes and patterns in collaboration with a local designer here in New Zealand. The versatility of the Geo with the carabiner hook means it can be used in conjunction with other accessories such as the Spectrum Tip Case to hold your spare soft tips.
This unique design has a triangular 3-slot holes that you can park your darts fully assembled and ready for play immediately. Lined with magnets, the Geo case snaps together firmly at the front to form a compact triangular shape. This gives you the highest level in dart protection while securely holding the darts when not in use.
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| Shot! Geo Case |
It is available in six colours : Black, Red, White, Green, Blue and Silver.
Designed by fourth year Industrial Design student Josh Bruderer, the Geo Case is part of an on-going initiative to develop original design with School of Design, Massey University at Wellington, New Zealand. Students have a yearly field trip incorporating a visit to the Shot! Darts factory in Bay of Plenty, a region in New Zealand's North Island. Following this brief but immersive introduction, the students then develop concepts for a new product for the dart market.
Intrigued by the product design, we arranged an interview with the designer, Josh Bruderer (below), about his new creation.
Josh: The triangular shape was a result of trying out many different folding techniques, with the aim of creating something that was both versatile in use and striking in design.
Throughout the design process, I visited local darts halls in New Zealand to look for opportunities where I could create something new. I noticed that everyone did something different with their three darts between games. Some people had necklaces to hold them, some just held them in their hands and some people even put corks on the tips so that the darts could go into their shirt pocket without making holes.
I don’t play darts habitually myself, but I think that approaching the sport without preconceptions was really helpful to let me see where there could be room for improvements. My final design gives all of these players a way to keep their darts safe and secure. In addition, the triangular design can be folded out, or snap closed depending on how you want to use it.
Q. Darts is an old game with the basic equipment generally remain the same. What other dart accessories would you love to redesign?
Josh: Darts is a really social game and I think it would be great if it were brought into the heart of the home. In New Zealand, people tend to keep steel tip dart boards in their garages because a bad throw could result in a damaged wall.
There are some challenges around this, but I think it would be interesting to design some kind of cabinet that looks great when not in use, stores equipment and provides protection for the walls and furniture.
Q. Your product is now distributed by Shot! and sold in Singapore and around the world - how do you feel about your creation being used by players around the world?
Josh: It’s an amazing feeling! The team at Shot! took on my design while I was still studying at University and I put a lot of work into it, so it’s especially rewarding to hear that so many people like it and are using the case!
We also asked the Sales Manager of the Shot! team, Pete Edmonson, about his thoughts when he first saw the original design by Josh.
Q. What were your initial thoughts when you first saw the original design by Josh ?
Pete: We absolutely loved the design, it reminded us of the quiver used in old times with the traditional bow and arrow so it had a fun yet practical appeal. We especially liked how compact the case is and it made complete sense to add the Geo case as a slim case option to our Shot! dart case range.
Q. Do you have any plans to enhance the Geo case further ?
Pete: We are looking into other colour schemes and patterns in collaboration with a local designer here in New Zealand. The versatility of the Geo with the carabiner hook means it can be used in conjunction with other accessories such as the Spectrum Tip Case to hold your spare soft tips.
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| All the 6 different colors of the Geo Case - Black, Red, White, Green, Blue and Silver (Pix © Shot! Darts) |
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| A view of the carabiner at the back of the casing. The size of the carabiner makes it easy to snap it open and close. |
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| View of the case from the bottom angle |
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| Top view of the case. It uses a contrasting thread color as design element and to hold the inner felt to the case |
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| View from the top of the case |
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| The "spring" to close the case is quite strong, so another case is needed to hold it down to prevent it from closing |
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| This is how a dart looks like when slotted into the case. As the case is magnetised, the dart is easy to pull out, yet it doesn't drop by itself. |
