Venture · product system
Bastion No. 01
One object. One 45-degree rule. A venture carried from product definition through identity, packaging and launch.
A product and its world, built together.
Bastion began as a father-and-son venture in Kansas City. The brief was to develop one precise object and the world around it: the product language, identity, packaging, films and launch surfaces.
Mason led definition, design direction and production across those disciplines. Dr. Chuck Barry brought prototype review and an advisor’s perspective. The project made the relationship between a product and its brand tangible.
45 degrees. A rule with a job to do.
A repeating diagonal gives the product, identity, packaging and campaign a shared direction. Instead of adding a different visual language at each touchpoint, the same geometric relationship carries through the work.
The Angle of Intent film turns that rule into a concise piece of communication. It gives the object a visual explanation before the viewer reaches the details.
From drawing to a physical object.
The form was drawn and modeled in Kansas City, then printed, handled and revised through prototype reviews. A specialist production partner in Taiwan handled production engineering and manufacturing.
3D became both a design tool and a way to explain the finished object. The exploded film makes its relationships visible; photographs and footage bring the result back to physical scale.
Three finishes. One consistent presentation.
Glassbead, Stonewashed and Black PVD give the same form three material readings. Each finish receives a matching view and motion treatment, so the differences remain easy to compare across the product pages and campaign.
The system continues beyond the object.
The presentation box, serialized insert and printed material carry the same graphic restraint. Opening the box becomes part of the product experience, rather than a separate branding exercise.
The schematic also became a print study. Line, colour and hierarchy translate the object into a different medium while preserving the relationships that define it.
One system, adapted to the launch.
The films connect the visual identity with the finished object. A controlled set of angles, materials and transitions supports both a longer story and short, repeatable product moments.
The 2026 Kickstarter launch brought the object, packaging and films together in one public introduction to Bastion.
A finite edition, clearly specified.
The Founder’s Edition was defined as 510 serialized units, with 170 in each finish. The materials are M390 blade steel and milled titanium.
Designed in Kansas City. Made in Taiwan.
The outcome shown here is an integrated product, identity, packaging and film system, from the first design decisions through launch.
Roles & credits
Mason Barry, Co-Founder & Design Director: definition, design direction, 3D, identity, packaging, films and launch.
Dr. Chuck Barry, Co-Founder & Advisor: prototype review and advice.
Production engineering and manufacturing: specialist production partner, Taiwan.
Bastion Collective / Barry Creative.
Start a project
Discuss a product or venture system.
Tell me where things stand and what needs to happen next.