To design a star is almost an impossible task. The pure representation of a star for so long, has been the five-pointed object that seems to resemble an inscribed pentagon. Stars have also taken forms in every religion as something else. So to design a star that is not religious nor scientific, nor diagrammatic or realistic, is interesting in itself.
How to represent to much power, figuratively and literally, and how to make it recognizable and relatable? This was a huge challenge to create an icon for the Studio Daniel Libeskind and Swarovski brand. Though my personal part was less of the branding and the inspiration, but in the image making, technical, and mostly translation. Interestingly enough, the star as a symbol of power, hope, and future is the strongest of all in that it is so ephemeral and so hard to grasp, yet we all know and can relate.
The major inspiration for the star was that of a burst of energy, something random, unique, and ever changing. Something that is seen as different in every context, yet somehow the same. It is a phenomenological object that when put atop the most famous tree, draws the most attention across the world.
Not only does the star need to maintain its light, it needs to be strong and resilient against many factors. The simplicity of the star was one thing to behold, but the complexity behind it was on another level.
With three million Swarovski crystals, 72 spikes, and one huge illuminated core, the star’s main focus was to be strong and large enough to reach millions.
The internal geometry is dictated by a single object with 74 faces, two of which were taken up by the stand and the anchor on top.
The core is wired to hold all lights for the spikes themselves and small LED’s on the core. Each spike is mechanically fastened to the core in a triangular brace that holds it in place. Each of the spikes is based on six permutations but rotated randomly so that each spike is oriented differently.
The glow that the spike gives is something strange. It is a milky white when illuminated by the sun or from the exterior, but a brilliant rainbow of color and sparkle when lit from inside.
The challenge to create a shape that could harness all this energy and mechanics was a true struggle because the attempt to make the core any smaller or the spikes any bigger would result in a failure.
The crystals were placed by hand and baked onto laminated glass for strength and resilience. The tips were also chamfered so that the ends could catch light from inside resulting in the tips illuminating slightly more than the rest of the spike. This extends the light and the shine past the star itself and into its context.


