Hangman by Rakumba: When a Childhood Game Becomes a Design Icon

It started with a line. Inspired by the classic word game from all of our childhoods, the Hangman is a line drawing that comes to life.

Designed by Adam Goodrum for Rakumba, Hangman transforms the familiar lines of the classic pencil-and-paper game into a striking lighting collection. A handful of simple lines, drawn one stroke at a time, slowly forming a recognizable figure. It's a concept built from restraint, where a few deliberate marks are enough to create something instantly understood.

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That deceptively simple idea became the foundation for Hangman, a lighting collection designed for Rakumba that transforms a two-dimensional sketch into a sculptural object inhabiting space.

Watch Design Stories: Hangman by Rakumba.

Rather than treating light as a static object, Goodrum approached it like a drawing. Each articulated arm acts like another pencil stroke, connected through precision-engineered joints that allow the fixture to pivot, rotate, and be reconfigured into countless compositions. At the end of every arm, a polished illuminated tip becomes both the source of light and the visual punctuation of the design.

The collection feels less like a conventional luminaire and more like a line suspended in mid-air.

Goodrum has described the project as an attempt to capture the moment when pencil first meets paper, that point where every possibility is still open. Hangman embraces that sense of creative freedom. Its adjustable geometry invites designers and homeowners alike to shape the fixture into something uniquely their own, making each installation feel like an original three-dimensional drawing.

That flexibility extends well beyond aesthetics. Available as a table lamp, floor lamp, and dual-tipped pendant, Hangman adapts to a wide variety of interiors and applications. Different finishes and adjustable configurations allow it to shift both the quality of light and its graphic presence within a space, from a subtle accent to a striking sculptural centrepiece. It's an approach that reflects Rakumba's longstanding commitment to thoughtful Australian design, objects that balance technical precision with emotional resonance.

Since its launch in 2021, Hangman has received significant international recognition, earning a Good Design Award, a WILD Design Award, and a place on the Dezeen Awards 2022 longlist. The accolades speak to more than its visual appeal. They acknowledge a piece that successfully bridges engineering, artistry, and play.

There is something refreshing about a design that doesn't hide its inspiration. Hangman reminds us that innovation doesn't always require complexity or entirely new ideas. Sometimes it comes from looking at something deeply familiar with fresh eyes. A childhood game becomes a sophisticated lighting system. A simple line becomes sculpture. And a playful concept becomes a contemporary design icon.

Watch Design Stories: Hangman by Rakumba.

Discover Hangman.

Explore Rakumba.