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Phone (3a) Community Edition: A new model for co-creating products with fans
Nine months. More than 700 submissions. Four emerging creators. One smartphone that shows what’s possible when a company builds with its community, not just for them
- PUBLISHED: Fri 30 Jan 2026, 7:32 PM
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Nothing today unveiled Phone (3a) Community Edition, the result of its latest Community Edition Project—an initiative designed to rethink how consumer tech products are made by inviting talented fans to help shape real devices.
Rather than treating community as a simple feedback loop, the programme uncovers emerging creative talent and gives them the opportunity to shape the product’s design, software, and marketing. The 2025 edition spans everything from hardware design to custom lock-screen elements, packaging, and marketing—giving the next generation of creative talent a platform to shine. The 2024 edition previously won a prestigious iF Design Gold Award.
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This year’s edition attracted over 700 submissions across design, software, accessories, and visual storytelling, highlighting a growing appetite among creators for deeper, more meaningful collaboration with the brands they love.
The four winners — Emre Kayganacl (Hardware Design), Ambrogio Tacconi & Louis Aymond (Accessory), Jad Zock (Lock Screen Clock & Wallpaper Design), and Sushruta Sarkar (Marketing Campaign) were selected for their originality, craftsmanship, and ability to push Nothing’s design language forward. Each represents rising talent in their field, and the programme gives them a rare platform: the chance to co-create with a global tech company and see their ideas brought to life.
They worked side by side with Nothing’s Design, Software, Marketing, and Creative teams in London, turning concepts into production-ready work—another example of Nothing’s belief that great ideas can come from anywhere, and that co-creation can foster a new kind of relationship where fans contribute as part of the team.
For this edition, Nothing refined the process by releasing all briefs simultaneously and giving participants more time and resources to iterate with its teams. The company also introduced a £1,000 cash prize per category to support creators in developing their work.
Blurring the line between fan and team member
Beyond co-creating products, Nothing is building a broader model where its community helps shape the company’s direction. Alongside initiatives such as Community Edition and the elected Community Board Observer, who brings community perspectives into Nothing’s Board meetings, the company continues to expand the ways fans can participate in its future.
Last week, Nothing opened a new $5 million community investment round at its $1.3 billion Series C valuation, giving supporters the opportunity to invest at the same price per share as institutional investors. The round reflects Nothing’s shift from establishing its hardware foundation to building AI-native operating systems, and its belief that the next era of personal technology should be shaped with the people who use it.
Early access opens on 10 December via Wefunder (US) and Crowdcube, with public access from 11 December.
Product details
Stage 1 – hardware design
The winning hardware and packaging design by Emre Kayganacl draws inspiration from the aesthetics of late-1990s and early-2000s technology—a time when devices looked starkly different from today’s market. The result is a bold, nostalgic colour exploration that feels like a game toy from the past, while staying true to the futuristic identity of Nothing Phone (3a).
Stage 2 – Accessory
The winning accessory design, a new category for 2025, is Dice. Used for over 5,000 years across cultures, dice symbolise chance, strategy, play, and shared moments. Each face features numbers rendered in Nothing’s Ndot 55 font, blending the classic dotted aesthetic with the brand’s precise, technological identity. The accessory taps into a universal language of play with a distinctly Nothing signature.
The design was created by Ambrogio Tacconi & Louis Aymond (Reveland), who worked with Nothing’s Brand & Creative team to bring it to life.
Stage 3 – Lock screen clock and wallpaper design
The winning software element is a custom clock face composed of multiple font weights. The design reduces visual clutter and intuitively guides the eye to key information, aligning with Nothing’s ethos of intentional, functional aesthetics. The result ensures users no longer instantly forget the numbers they just checked.
Created by Jad Zock, the clock design was developed in collaboration with Nothing’s Software team in London.
The device also includes an exclusive wallpaper designed by Jad as a visual bridge between the rear colour and texture and the front interface. Four versions are available — two blue and two purple referencing alternate colour explorations and playful hidden easter eggs.
Stage 4 – Marketing campaign
“Made Together” is a campaign that celebrates collaboration and the creative process within the Nothing community. Its design language and activations reflect the brand’s core philosophy: making tech fun to inspire human creativity.
Rather than being tied to a specific final phone design, the campaign celebrates collaboration itself, remaining relevant and impactful regardless of the chosen design. The campaign was created by Sushruta Sarkar, who worked closely with Nothing’s Marketing team to bring it to life.
Availability and Pricing
Phone (3a) Community Edition is available across all markets and is based on Phone (3a) 12+256 GB.
Nothing will produce just 1,000 units worldwide. The device is priced at Dh1,399 and will be available exclusively on noon.