Last year, we met the 30° Ruler, a ruler designed for designers. Crafted with the needs of designers in mind, it was easy to read, practical, and promised to even improve designers' posture. If you thought that the world of rulers couldn't get any better, you'd be wrong. The 30° Ruler 4.0 is here.
The original 30° Ruler was created by design grad group Orangered Life, and it soon smashed its modest £500 goal by 2,000 per cent. Clearly there's a demand among creatives for a better ruler that will help them to improve their art techniques, and pairs nicely with the best pencils. A year later, Orangered Life have had three successful Kickstarters and raised over £90,000 in funding. They've also delivered more than 10,000 products.
Big, bold numbers make the 30° Ruler easy to read. Image: Orangered Life
So what's so special about the original 30° Ruler? As its name suggests, the ruler is built with 30° slope that makes it straightforward to use. Made out of Aerospace grade aluminium, the 30° Ruler is strong enough to cut against. Its 3D construction also means it's non-slip, so you won't have to worry about drawing wonky lines on technical drawings.
Measurements are picked out with laser-engraving, which results in a deep everlasting finish. "The 30° Ruler does away with teeny measurements, instead opting for large fonts and clear indications," the creative team explained on their original Kickstarter.
"This means you can read the measurements at a distance and you'll always be sure to make your mark." Not only is this good for the accuracy of work, it also means that designers can improve their posture by no longer having to stoop over flat rulers.
Who knew a ruler could be so good looking? (Image credit: Orangered Life)
Even more features have been added for the 30° Ruler 4.0. There's now a new wider design for better grip, and to make it easier to read. And the larger font size and non-glare surfaces also makes reading quicker and easier. A new colour has also been added, the ruler is now available in black with white markings.
The ruler is available in three sizes: 6, 8 and 12 inches, and has metric and imperial measurements on either side.
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If this looks like the ruler for you, you can pre-order your desired size and colour on the 30° Ruler 4.0 Indiegogo page. Rulers are expected to ship in February 2021.
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
