This project is a collaboration lead by Cicada, an architecture firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cicada designed and created 3D printed miniatures of iconic architectural staples in New Orleans like the Superdome and the Plaza Tower. As their collection of New Orleans buildings grew, they explored creative solutions for sharing the project with the public. Trough their exploration, the chess set of iconic New Orleans architecture was born.
My role in this project was to create a leather chess board and a carrying pouch for the playing pieces. After developing many concepts, we landed on a simple one-piece board and a suede roll-top pouch. Once the pieces are placed in the pouch, the opening can be rolled and fastened by the attached lace. The board is also rolled and secured with a leather strap.
The checkered pattern is screen printed onto the leather board by Four Finger Letter Press, a local screen printer. The chess pieces were designed and 3D printed by Cicada.