HTC One M8 Phunk limited edition released

HTC in collaboration with Phunk Studio have unveiled 64 limited edition HTC One M8 phones, available for select markets. Phunk studio is a an art and design collective from Singapore and they have a nice track record in creative design, having 20 years of experience in the field. Phunk has worked with widely acclaimed actors like Rolling Stone Magazine, Nike, Levi’s and MTV as well.

The HTC One M8 limited edition series’ theme is called Wonderment, with the phone available in gold and silver versions. The design consists of etchings on the back plate of the M8 surrounding the  HTC brand name and looks much like a tattoo. The limited edition was introduced as a preview of what Phunk can do with its new exhibition series coming up in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. You can watch the promo video, if you’re interested in the collective.

Jonah Becker, HTC’s Head of Design says that “PHUNK is a hugely talented collective of designers and artists whose global perspective and attention to craft mirrors our values on the HTC design team”, justifying why HTC chose to collaborate in the release of limited edition M8 with the collective. The collective said that their inspiration comes from traveling and interacting with local communities and their traditions and from visiting libraries, book stores and museums. The design on the HTC does remind of Mayan and Chinese tattoo art in some way, but that’s just me.

Besides exterior design, the limited edition One M8’s come with two custom wallpapers available to the public here and here. The wallpapers are certainly not as stunning as the phone’s design, but they are worth to try nonetheless. The limited edition phones, on the other hand, might be subject to giveaways or contests, so keep your eye out for those.

Besides being a sort of advertisement for Phunk, the limited edition Phunk M8 comes as the starting point of HTC’s new “Here’s to creativity” initiative which will feature known and undeground designers’ artworks, each with its own theme and story. Since this initiative seems to be a longer collaborative project, we should expect lots of new limited edition HTC smartphones appearing in the near future, with designs that make the phone pop (not that it needs to, considering that it’s a successful flagship).

Here’s the phone with the etchings and the box, designed accordingly: