Project Goal
The goal of this chess set is to aid in popularizing Cliff’s work and similar pottery works of the time.
Possibility Matrix
Who?
What?
When/Where?
Why?
How?
- Art collectors and fans of Cliff's work
- A chess set made in the style of Cliff's collections of pottery.
- Dinner parties, small social events, at home, or in art galleries.
- To introduce the work and style of Cliff to a new audience.
- Made traditionally from spun clay and hand painted, much in the style of Cliff herself.
The Pawns
Disposable, replaceable, and large in numbers, the Pawn piece is often the most simple piece. With their front row placement, a shorter stature is in order. As well as a simple overall design as not to take away from the more important and powerful pieces.
The Knights
The Knight piece is commonly associated with horse imagery due to its ability to jump other pieces. Form language that would convey this special ability was key to the new design.
The Rooks
Often depicted as strong and sturdy, the Rook piece is representative of castles or towers. Utilizing straight lines in the design directly translates how the piece moves on the board; only moving in straight lines.
The Bishops
Again, linking piece movement to the design of the piece, the Bishop moves in a diagonal pattern. To translate this aspect, angled pieces were utilized.
The Queens
A large aspect of the design for the Queen piece was creating a feminine figure. This would differentiate it from the King piece.
The Kings
Shown in a lot of the sketches, is the inclusion of crown imagery. This is a necessary addition as it represents nobility, regality, and adds a slight bit of height to the piece. The King piece is in fact, the tallest chess piece.
Sketching Exploration
Overall, nine chess sets were created with Cliff’s pottery pieces in mind. The goal of each set, while imitating art deco pottery, was also to make a family of shapes. That way, the set felt cohesive and the pieces would make sense when compared to one another.
