monty charlotte preston



Product Designer 

I help brands translate complex ideas into approachable, consumable products through storytelling, cultural strategy and design thinking.

I have over a decade of experience in curation, creative production, sales, copywriting, merchandising and product marketing at startups democratizing luxury goods. I’ve worked on marketplaces, editorial product releases, and designed community-driven experiences in art and tech for clients including Saatchi Art, Ledger, Boys Club, and Cohart. My work has shown up in NYT and Elle Decor, and I’ve written about art and emerging technologies.


Client Work
  1. Ledger
  2. Boys Club Zine
  3. Biometric Wearables
  4. The Other Avatars


Personal Work
  1. BAGGS
  2. Snuffy
  3. Entangle! (MFA Thesis)


Contact


    Biometric Wearables



    Biometric Wearables



    A Concept Collection for an Internet Community



    Boys Club worked with Privado.iD co-founder, Evin McMullen*, to explore the future of privacy and biometric wearables.  They published The Data Manifesto, hypothesizing that consumer wearables will shift toward personal privacy and delivery of self-knowledge, putting an end to big-tech data farming. 

    I was hired to develop form-factor and style alternatives that better reflect individual style in a future where smaller, faster components liberate us from chunky circuitboards.




    Duration:  
    January, 2025

    Client:  
    Boys Club

    Credits:
    Evin McMullen: Concept Direction
    Monty Preston: Industrial Design
    Alana Yolande: Graphic Design




    Research

    Market research and a componentry analysis was conducted, exploring popular wearables. Facial anatomy was explored to identify dense networks of blood vessels where a pulse could be reliably taken. The helix and ear lobe, as well as lip and nasal septum were chosen.








    Form Exploration

    I examined how septum rings, ear cuffs, and grill/tooth jewelry are secured in place, finding opportunities where sensors could make contact with the skin and measure blood flow underneath. Sketching directly on top of faces helped me to consider the broad variations in facial features before moving into Rhino3D. 

    Final Collection 

    For its lightweight and hypoallergenic properties, platinum was chosen to make up the body of the jewelry, and encase the sensors and circuitry. 


    Ear Cuff

     Ear Cuff sits on the wearer’s ear of choice. Interior LEDs rest against the inner and outer helix, and use PPG sensor technology to measure blood flow in the ear. Ear Cuff houses an accelerometer and temperature sensor, providing accurate and continuous biometrics data.


    Dimensions: 5.8mm w x 10.7mm h x 6.1mm d

    Features: 2 LEDs, accelerometer, temperature sensor

    Materials: Platinum cuff and sensor encasement 








    Tooth Cap

    Tooth Cap sits on the wearer’s left canine. A formed sensor bar rests above on the upper gum, and uses PPG sensor technology to measures blood flow in the upper lip. Sensor bar houses an accelerometer and temperature sensor, providing accurate and constant biometric data.


    Dimensions: 8.6mm w x 12.2mm h

    Features: 1 LED, accelerometer, temperature sensor 

    Materials: Platinum tooth cap and sensor bar




    Thanks to Shiyu (Lynn) Zhang for support with this model.





    Septum Ring

    Septum Ring sits inside the wearer’s nose. Sensor bars make contact on both sides of the nasal septum, and use PPG sensor technology to measure blood flow. In addition to red and green LEDs, sensor bars house an accelerometer and temperature sensor, providing accurate and continuous biometric data.


    Dimensions: 16 gauge, 10.8mm w x 12.5mm h 

    Features: 2 LEDs, accelerometer, temperature sensor 

    Materials: Platinum septum ring and sensor bars










    Collection Drop


    The collection was dropped on IG and X on Feb 6th, 2025, to 10k+ views. The full deck with Evin's Data Manifesto is available here.





    ~ Thanks for stopping by ~