Cleat A 1
Cleat A 2
Cleat A 3
Cleat A 4
Cleat A 5
Cleat A 6
Cleat A 7
Cleat A 8

Cleat A

Question
How can a utilitarian hardware component be distilled into its simplest symmetrical form while maintaining its structural integrity?
Medium
Industrial Design
Year
2026
Role
Industrial Designer

An industrial design study focused on reimagining a yacht cleat as a minimalist, high-precision object using Rhino and Blender.

Cleat A, project view 2
Cleat A, project view 3

A yacht cleat is a humble, purely functional hardware component. What made you choose it as the subject for a high-precision design study?

Cleats are everywhere on a boat—they're the most fundamental piece of hardware because you rely on them to secure the vessel to the pier. I wanted to challenge myself by taking this essential element and stripping it down to its simplest form. What started as an exercise in refining one object ended up sparking a whole series of new concepts for cleats and hardware mechanisms.

Cleat A, project view 4
Cleat A, project view 5

In bringing an Apple-inspired minimalism to maritime hardware, how did you approach the geometry?

It was about finding where symmetry and harmony live in a functional tool. I wanted to discover a 'plateau-like' universal shape—something simple with clean lines and rounded edges that still feels comfortable and usable. While this specific study focused on a smaller cleat, the underlying form language can adapt, whether that means adjusting top curves for heavier lines or exploring retractable cleats that hide in the side of the hull when not in use.

Cleat A, project view 6
Cleat A, project view 7

Your process paired Rhino with Blender. How did those two tools shape the design?

Rhino was where the object was built with high technical precision. I used it to develop the exact NURBS geometry and draft full technical documentation, making sure the design was grounded in real production specs. Once the geometry was set, I moved into Blender to focus on surface performance, lighting, and tactile qualities.

Cleat A, project view 8
Cleat A, project view 9

What did you discover during those material and finish studies in Blender?

I wanted to test how subtle changes in color, finish, and texture affect the object's presence. Marine equipment needs to feel trustworthy, so I evaluated different combinations to see how surface treatments altered the cleat's visual weight and perceived durability—finding the balance between consumer-electronics refinement and rugged maritime hardware.

Looking back at the study, how has this exercise shaped the way you view utilitarian objects?

It proved that even the most basic functional component can be distilled into something pure without losing its structural integrity. Refining a single cleat down to its core geometry didn't just produce a clean final object—it opened up a much wider territory of mechanical ideas and integrated hardware concepts that I'm excited to develop next.

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