The project originated from a precise design reflection: new technologies had made previous terminal interfaces obsolete, making it necessary to define a new language centred on a 7-inch touch screen as the primary point of dialogue with the user, supported by keypad modules, fingerprint sensors and optional additional 3.5-inch and 5.5-inch displays.
Access control system
In 2021, I designed for Kronotech a family of products dedicated to access control, time attendance, canteen booking and production data collection. The project was developed to rethink the terminal as a clearer, more intuitive and more spatially coherent object, moving beyond the purely technical image that often defines this product category.
The range was structured around three formats, driven by the presence of 3.5-inch, 5.5-inch and 7-inch screens, with different configurations intended for different use scenarios: receptions, entrances, internal checkpoints, meeting rooms and operational areas. The proposal also considered the use of recycled plastic materials, within a more responsible development logic. Although the family reached an advanced stage of definition, it never went into production.
Within this framework, the selected Design Proposal 03 — the one presented here — follows a clear direction: minimalism and essentiality. The user interface becomes visible when the terminal is active, while the front finish is conceived to evoke a back-painted glass surface, increasing both perceived quality and product elegance.
This approach does not concern form alone. It also redefines the relationship between product and space. The terminal is no longer treated as an intrusive technical device, but as an integrated architectural presence: compact, legible and able to sit naturally within reception spaces, controlled thresholds, internal access points and contemporary office environments.
Strategy
The strategy behind the project was to build a coherent access control system able to combine time attendance, data collection, canteen booking and access management within one product family. For this reason, the series was structured around three display sizes, allowing it to respond to receptions, entrances, internal checkpoints and operational areas. At the same time, the project focused on user experience, formal language and recycled materials, turning a technical device into a clearer, more intuitive and more architectural presence within the workplace for daily use.
Design
The design of the family is based on a flat, ordered and almost graphic composition in which screen, active surfaces and reading modules are organised through a rigorous grid. The selected proposal follows minimalism and essentiality, making the interface visible only when the terminal is active and giving the front surface a quality close to back painted glass. In this way, the product gains compactness, elegance and legibility while maintaining a coherent identity across the different sizes, functions and installation contexts envisioned for the range consistently.
Results
Although the series never reached production, the project clearly defines a different way of conceiving the access control terminal. It shows how a device for time attendance and data collection can integrate into contemporary interiors with greater precision, improving legibility, user relationship and perceived quality. It therefore remains a meaningful project in both method and vision. If you are developing new products for workplace technology, access control or integrated professional systems, get in touch to build a coherent family shaped by function, identity and spatial quality.
