Welding shields specially designed for women welders are finally here. The expressive, intricate graphic designs reflect the precision welds that women are known for. The design team at Ergonomidesign has developed three shields; Steel Rose, Steel Eyes and Skull Jewels for 3M Speedglas.
Using a vibrant color palette and detailed, decorative patterns, the design team's goal was to create welding shields with highly expressive, personal identities.
"Since the shield covers your face, it becomes a strong bearer of your personality. When worn, it reflects your identity," explained Nicola Chamberlain, Industrial Designer and specialist in color, material and trend forecasting at Ergonomidesign.
"Women welders are often experts on very detailed tasks," continued Chamberlain. "When we discovered this we were inspired to work with detailed pattern and graphics, which creates an interesting layered effect. You can see different images appearing in the patterns, when looking at them from different distances and angles."
The new shields not only offer eye-catching appearances, they also provide an exceptional safety aspect, optical quality as well as a reliable auto-darkening when the welder strikes an arc. High-end features include the ergonomic, super-comfortable headband. The headband also uses an articulated design for better conformity to the welder's forehead.
Welding has long been a male-dominated occupation, but there is a growing interest from women. The Ergonomidesign team has focused on design patterns that balance gender aesthetics: they express characteristic welding aesthetics, but with a little more feminine expression.
The three graphic shields include:
Steel Eyes
Projecting inner strength, with focused eyes looking through a blaze of lilac flames.
Steel Rose
Toughness and patinated grace. Strong, fearless yet feminine at the same time. Steel aesthetics emphasize the protective qualities of the shield.
Skull Jewels
An elaborate floral grill motif emerges into a decorative skull. The skull and flowers engage in visual interplay as one becomes the other.