Through researching Nintendo's joyful values and design drivers, Switch Pen translates the iconic visual brand language of Nintendo into a functional writing instrument. Utilizing a slide-click mechanism and soft geometry, the pen's silhouette embodies the form language and function of the Nintendo Switch.
To decode Nintendo's iconic recognizability, I analyzed the brand from the ground up — identifying its core values and how they manifest in physical form. A commitment to universal joy, blending nostalgic legacy with portable innovation to create entirely new ways to play.
The pen body is a pill-shaped cylinder — a direct translation of Nintendo's core geometric language. Every edge is filleted; there are no sharp corners anywhere. The two-tone color split at the barrel-to-cap junction mirrors the iconic Joy-Con parting line of the Switch, making the pen instantly recognizable as a Nintendo object even out of context.
The slide-click deployment mechanism is the conceptual heart of the project. It directly mirrors the Joy-Con attachment interaction: just as the iconic mechanical click signals that the Switch is locked and ready for play, this tactile slide-and-click signifies the pen is locked and ready to write. The mechanism uses an internal rail and cam-track system, adapted from a reverse-engineered Pilot FriXion Clicker.
Four dome-shaped grip buttons cluster at the lower barrel — a direct reference to the Switch ABXY button layout. Their slightly raised, bubble-like profile matches Nintendo's signature tactile language. They serve a dual purpose: a visual nod to the controller, and a natural thumb-rest that aids grip orientation while writing.
An embossed Nintendo logo wraps the barrel just above the grip zone. The colors are matched exactly to the official Switch JoyCon PANTONE swatches: PMS 2035 C (neon red), PANTONE 801 C (neon blue), and Caviar 19-4006 TCX (charcoal). The result is a pen that reads unmistakably as Nintendo before a single word is read.
With a firm understanding of Nintendo's design ethos, I shifted to ideating how their aesthetic could be translated into a product category Nintendo has never done: the pen. Through sketches I explored how Nintendo's simple geometries, ultra-soft forms, and subtle parting lines could come together in a cohesive silhouette — while also thinking about how pen mechanics could mirror the Switch's playful user experience. Concepts focused in on slide-click pens with pill-shaped forms.
The bulk of this pen's development was completed through SolidWorks. Starting with three refined sketch concepts, I iterated nine distinct CAD versions — each pass tuning the proportion relationship between the blue cap and red barrel, refining the slot geometry for the slide mechanism, and calibrating button scale relative to hand ergonomics. The goal was finding the exact balance where every dimension felt inevitable.
To build a working slide-click mechanism, I reverse-engineered a Pilot FriXion Ball Clicker 07. Deconstructing the assembly revealed the intricate cam-and-track interactions required for the tactile click I was looking to replicate.
I re-used the proprietary track and security peg directly, modelling my custom chassis around them — copy-moulding the internal track geometry to house the mechanism precisely.
Multiple waves of 3D printed prototypes were essential to getting the pen's function and handling right. Prints started in filament for fast iteration, then moved to resin for final tolerance testing. Each round focused on mechanism fit, ergonomics, and the proportional balance of the two-tone split — ensuring the pen felt as right in hand as it looked on screen.
The final model was fabricated on a colored resin 3D printer. To ensure the colors came out exactly as intended, I identified the precise PANTONE swatches Nintendo uses for the Switch JoyCons.
After printing, the resin left a tacky residue that affected the mechanism tolerances. All components were sanded smooth — interior and exterior — before assembly. A final coat of semi-gloss paint restored surface consistency after sanding, giving the pen its clean finished appearance and ensuring the slide mechanism ran freely.
Eight components, one cohesive object. Every part — from the resin-printed chassis to the adapted FriXion mechanism — comes together into a pen that functions as well as it looks, and looks exactly like it belongs in Nintendo's lineup.