Search

Art

The Classic, Centuries-Old Game of Chess Gets a Modern Redesign

07.21.17 | By
The Classic, Centuries-Old Game of Chess Gets a Modern Redesign

The first semester students from the ‘Design in der Digitalen Gesellschaft’ program at the University of Arts in Braunschweig, Germany took the centuries-old game of chess and gave it a modern, parametrically-designed facelift.

So how did they do it? Using Rhino and Grasshopper (two algorithmic modeling softwares), the students chose a single algorithmic definition that would be used to create a complete set of chess figures. After creating a set of laser-cut cardboard mock-ups, a final set was selected, refined and 3D printed at Shapeways, an online 3D printing service. The chess board is made from a laser-cut 8mm thick sheet of acrylic with milled cavities that are filled in with black and white plastic tiles. Lastly, the students created posters to communicate their creative design approach.

Rendering by Manuel Kretzer

Poster by Moritz Boos

Poster by Tim Luders

Poster by Leon Ehmke

Credits:
Supervision: Dr. Manuel Kretzer / Visiting Professor Digital Crafting

Students:
Lydia Jasmin Hempel, Moritz Boos, Maximilian Dauscha, Tim Daniel, Ingo Lüders, Leon Ehmke, Florian Schulze, Anna Ocklitz, Elina Mishina, Benedikt Schaudinn

All photos by Maximilian Dauscha and Benedikt Schaudinn unless noted.

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She's probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.