FINCH
empowering an uninhibited life

Design Team
Arjun Kalyanpur, Jenna Witzleben, Will Lentz

For those who want a wearable to augment their life and not just document it, finch RFID fingernails are ID card, payment method, and passkey everywhere the user goes. Simply apply them like regular nails, touch them to the personalized writing device, and watch the world open at the tap of a finger.

choosing our opportunity

What is the next step for wearable tech? 

If you look at mainstream consumer products, the answer is in newer, smaller wristbands, watches, necklaces and other wearables.

On the other end of the spectrum lies "transhumanists", those who believe human advancement will be accomplished through the implementation and embedding of technology in human bodies. A subset of the transhumanist movement, "grinders", take this belief one step further–they actually implant technology under their skin. These implanted RFIDs allow them to unlock doors, use public transportation, and perceive invisible electromagnetic waves, seamlessly. 

Recognizing this disconnect in the adoption spectrum, finch was envisioned as the bridge between“grinders” (people with embedded tech) and the mainstream wearable market. 

In order to accomplish this, the finch team sought to find a product that could easily accept technology yet remain above the skin, giving users the benefits of wearable tech, while retaining privacy without having to implant tech underneath the skin.

Inspired by research done at the Central Saint Martins art school in London, the team decided to bridge this wearable gap via the form factor of the press-on nail. Designed to be gender neutral, finch nails are embedded with RFID tags.

BRANDING

In branding finch, the team settled on the mission statement of "Empowering an uninhibited life". In order to reference and project this vision of an obstacle-free future, the team wanted the brand to evoke motion and grace. Given it's unique position between the fashion and technology space, finch needed to be both beautiful and modern. Shown below are the moodboard, final branding template, and brand mark that the team decided to use moving forward.

product...

Utilizing an RFID reader/writer combination device along with a proprietary mobile application, users are able to scan and assign cards to individual nails. The types of assignments are only limited by the existence of an RFID chip, and examples of scanned objects include credit cards, metrocards, mailbox keys, house keys, and grocery cards. The team built out the nails, reader, and product application as part of their exploration and prototyping of the business.

...and app

PACKAGING

At the convergence of technology and fashion, the team looked for packaging inspiration from cosmetics brands, fashion brands, and high-end technology packaging, ultimately developing a set-top box with a band of color. The packaging maintains a sleek, modern look, while the band of color represents the ever present dynamic motion finch seeks to instill in its users.

EXPERIENCE

The finch team envisioned selling through various channels at various scales—minor brand point-of-purchase elements such as towels and small displays at nail salons, a larger Sephora endcap where an aesthetician can converse with the user, and a larger pop-up shop at larger stores like Macy’s.

With the wearable tech market expected to be $31.27B by 2020, finch’s high-end branding, packaging, and intuitive user interface is poised to be the next advancement in wearable technologies. Free from the burden of clunky watches, bracelets or eyeglasses, finch fulfills its brand promise of empowering an uninhibited life.