Before smartphones co-opted all social aspects of the shared human experience, mobile phones were just that - a way to get in contact with people on the fly, and nothing more.
But instead of getting hung up on the past, we dialed up Heineken to see if we could remind people of the life they were missing out on.
With that, The Boring Phone was born. Built from the ground up, equipped only with call and text functionality, and featuring a see-through design that exposes its components, what you see is what you get.
Unveiled at The Offline Party, a 3 day event we threw at Milan Design Week last month, disconnecting from our screens and living in the moment was front of mind, a tone we set the second guests stepped through the 'bodega' facade into the Heineken green-lit Teatro Alcione. Surrounded by 8-bit graphics and messaging paired with old monitors, attendees got a healthy dose of nostalgia while drinks and DJ sets kept the party going late into the night.
Not weighed down by pings, dings, and red notification bubbles, the feeling of freedom was palpable, allowing people to simply enjoy the night out unconditionally. After all, our products aren't supposed to own us.
So if memories of talking with friends, meeting new people, and just being present in the moment overshadowed the phone itself, all we can say is mission accomplished.
