Red Bull is much more than an energy drink. It is a true lifestyle icon; extremely recognizable in the sports and cultural contexts it is involved in. The correspondence with the Red Bull identity is the basis spurring the cooperation for the design and manufacture of can holders for the Italian Serie B league, which the brand founded by Dietrich Mateschitz is the official sponsor of.

The concept design, shared by Protocube Reply and the Austrian company, aims to highlight the product characteristics by using a light and “invisible” solution that, at the same time, could promote the brand image, and in particular the unmistakable “red bull”. A minimalist product is, in its final version, often the result of an intricate design process: the “behind-the-scenes” that the end user is not of course made known about, but always fascinating for challenge lovers. An element – the search for the extreme – that bonds the spirit of design and that of extreme sports. The Red Bull Can Carrier is certainly not an exception.

The story behind the Red Bull Can Carrier involves “pushing to the limit”, to exploit the mechanical and aesthetic properties of the materials to the fullest and reduce the load-bearing portions of the various elements to a bare minimum. The result was obtained through a number of design optimization cycles, with the parts undergoing an incessant series of stress tests.

The final can carrier design consists in a central methacrylate (Plexiglas) element, rounded at the handle, where the “bull” is highlighted by means of a red silk-screen print. Wings then extend from the main element, and 6 Red Bull cans are placed in each of them. The base stability is guaranteed by three Lexan mounts. The use of 3D technology throughout the design process has proved to be crucial in cutting time and costs – both in development and in final manufacturing – allowing to simulate all modeling and assembly changes following the prototyping phase extremely swiftly.

Red Bull Can Carrier – 3D model. The digital model reveals the design’s simplicity: the result of a cycle of shape and material optimizations (credit: Protocube Reply)

Red Bull Can Carrier – Design ideas for the base mounts: (A) Aluminum (B) Steel (C) Lexan (credit: Protocube Reply)

Red Bull Can Carrier – final rendering of the model (credit: Protocube Reply)

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