Building a security camera comes with a serious design challenge: Since these things are always watching us, their makers better be darn sure we feel comfortable having them around. Which is why I was so interested in talking to the team behind Canary: An Internet-enabled security camera that has designs on living in your home with you—and even aims to be a sort of hub for the smart home (it hooks up with the Wink smarthome platform, and contains other abilities, such as air quality detection). I spoke to James Krause, Canary’s lead industrial designer, about what it takes to make a security camera that people can live with, and the story behind the device’s design decisions.
Overall Design
“To some people, putting a camera in their home can feel intrusive, so it was important to us that we create a design that helps people become comfortable with the idea. So instead of designing a product that announces itself as a security camera, we created a beautiful object that people would be happy to put on display. For Canary’s flagship product, objects like a pure white cube and the Gherkin Tower in London—a simple, organic shape—were our initial inspiration, though the final form evolved beyond this early inspiration. At one point in the design process we considered a rounded square, but we decided to avoid this direction not only because it’s a form that is overused in this industry, but because the flatness seemed to dictate the need to place it against a wall. We ultimately decided on a cylinder because it doesn’t imply where the device should be placed and helps it to blend in with the home.”
Camera Treatment
“Security camera products have always placed a lot of emphasis on the lens so the product feels intimidating to potential intruders. We took the opposite approach and went through a lot of pain to actually de-emphasize the camera in the design. We created a custom lens housing that we could hide behind the cover glass on the front of the device. We also tried to eliminate unnecessary parts and therefore reduce parting lines on the face of the device. These are details that other camera companies overlook.  It was also important to us that we chose a top-of-the-line image sensor and lens assembly that could record in 1080p HD. The placement of the lens on the device was strategic too. We purposely put it higher on the device so it would be able to see over the edge of the surface it is placed on, and record everything more clearly. And finally, we deliberately designed the front of Canary to be flat and therefore avoiding using a fisheye lens.”
Lighting
“The average person has a living room full of electronic devices with flashing LEDs that create a lot of visual noise and distraction. We didn’t want to add to this distraction, so its status light is designed to reflect off of whatever surface the Canary is sitting on, allowing it to communicate device modes without adding visual noise to the home. One of the metaphors that guided us as we designed Canary was the concept of Canary having an unassuming exterior shell with a beautiful and intelligent core inside. Designing the light to illuminate through the bottom, as if it’s glowing internally, was a way to emphasize the intelligent core technology inside the device.”
Materials
“We wanted Canary to have the premium feel of a high-end piece of audio equipment. We chose aluminum because of its beautiful finish and premium feel. We used high-gloss plastic in the center of the device as a contrast to the matte-finish of the aluminum shell. Another very conscious material choice was the rubber ring around the bottom. This rubber ring provides a gentle sound when the device is placed on a surface and also helps to keep it set in place.”

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