FEATURE
HOW THEY ARE MADE: B E L L H E L M E T S
P88
W
hile Bell says that its main goal is to build
an "essential performance tool" that
doesn't mean that aesthetics are aban-
doned. They have both in-house and outside de-
signers to create graphics and designs for curb
appeal. But that's at the most superficial level.
Aesthetics goes beyond the graphics on the hel-
met. There's an art as well as a science in the
design of something so utilitarian as a helmet.
When Bell designs a helmet from the ground
up, a lot is done by hand – from concept sketch-
es to foam models to clay.
After Bell finds what it's looking for it goes to
the next phase that gets more into the tech mode
- a plastic model - that still gets some hands-on
help to meet approval. When that's approved it
goes full engineering mode with the CAD model.
So while we live in a hi-tech world, it's low-tech -
a.k.a. working with your hands – that still plays an
important part in development.
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
1
