Foald’s Pillar Laptop Stand Remedies Poor Posture
A portable, lightweight structure that will help relieve aching spines
If you’re reading this article on your laptop, chances are your back is hunched, elbows are scrunched and your neck is craned. The invention of the portable computer has been a boon for mankind, but as laptops become the preferred machine of choice for many, posture suffers and fatigue sets in after longterm use. One solution is a stand that lifts the laptop up to eye level—and a lightweight, portable option is finally here. Pillar weighs just over five ounces, and when collapsed, fits into most notebook sleeves, messenger bags and backpacks.
Those responsible for helping fix the posture of laptop users are former CH contributor Brian Fichtner and Reykjavik-based designer Sruli Recht, who met in 2009 at Iceland’s DesignMarch fair, and their friendship evolved into a new partnership named Foald. “Our combined experience in design, and our commitment to finding poetic solutions to problems, led us to join forces,” Fichtner tells us. Tentatively calling themselves a “design lab,” Pillar is their first project.
Die-cut from a single sheet of fluted stock, then laminated with a matte polypropylene finish, the Pillar uses the weight of the computer to reach its fully supported position. By putting more distance between you and the screen, your vision benefits in addition to your posture.
“Most stands aren’t portable and the few that are are often cumbersome—and of those, even fewer appealed to us aesthetically,” says Fichtner. “The beauty of Pillar is that, while it’s actually a complex structure of folds, it looks simple at a casual glance, which is exactly what you want in a product. It should be elegant, calming, but also have a desirability and emotional value—and become more interesting each time you see it.”
“Of course at the end of the day it could just be another functional object,” he says. “But when you use Pillar daily, you are constantly reminded of how it improves your daily flow each time you set a notebook on top of it. It’s really nice.”
Foald’s Kickstarter campaign launched today; snag a Pillar for just $18. They’re also offering an attractive laser-cut Icelandic reindeer leather sleeve designed by Recht as incentive.
Images courtesy of FOALD
