The Portal Phantom from The Progression Project on Vimeo.

Being able to do something and understanding how you did something are two different things.  You can walk, but if I asked you how you walk, you can’t explain it.

I designed the Barra through a process similar to evolution.  Trial and error.  Lots of error, picking what worked and adding.  The final product accomplished the design objectives – it is a breakthrough board.

But I believed it could be improved.  I tried.  And I failed.  Many times.  It became apparent that before I could move forward, I first had to understand what I did.

To understand the Barra, I started to strip away design elements.  To get to the core of where the Barra feeling exists.  Design by subtraction.  Do you need a hip in the tail?  Do you need a step deck?  A normal nose?  The exaggerated tail rocker?

Through the process, I realized that the Barra was over-designed.  It worked in spite of the flair.  By streamlining the design, the core board became better.  And better.  When you take a Barra and shape away the excess, you get a better board – The Phantom.