Core77 2013 Design Awards

BIG JAMBOX

1. The Nutshell: In plain language, tell us what your project is, what it does, and what it’s comprised of.

The BIG JAMBOX is a break-through bluetooth, wireless audio speaker and speakerphone that employs the latest noise-cancelling technology that Jawbone is famous for. After the success of their first Jambox speaker, Jawbone wanted to secure the market and fill unmet needs with a new and different offering. BIG JAMBOX is a chic, portable, audio powerhouse that is the ultimate embodiment of the Jawbone brand. BIG continues to revolutionize the Bluetooth audio speaker segment by allowing users to express themselves and their lifestyle by offering a compelling package of compact technology and iconic design.

2. The Brief: Summarize the problem you set out to solve. What was the context for the project, and what was the challenge posed to you?

• Technology Heralds Utilitarian Design
While the speaker category has made strides over the last few years, the JAMBOX still stands as the only speaker that truly incorporates lifestyle design considerations without sacrificing quality of experience. Most options for more sound are still black, utilitarian and techy. Jawbone saw the opportunity to deliver a premium audio experience that people will love to carry around and show off. How could we meet needs in the market for lifestyle technology with a next generation offering? • Work and Play Don't Mix
Most devices are designed either for use for work, or for play. Work devices like the Polycom or computer speakers look out-of-place outside the workplace. But, these days people don't have a hard stop between work and play and want the flexibility to move between the two. How can we design a product that can live comfortably in both places?

3. The Intent: What point of view did you bring to the project, and were there additional criteria that you added to the brief?

• Brand Extension in Product Category
The JAMBOX signified a new kind of portable speaker in the audio category, and BIG JAMBOX built upon that established reputation. For Jawbone, the Jambox family represents an extension of the parent company Jawbone’s expertise in high quality sound in a small package. How could we extend BIG JAMBOX’s audio credibility after the success of the original Jambox, and still design the product to be a recognizable member of the Jawbone brand family?

4. The Process: Describe the rigor that informed your project. (Research, ethnography, subject matter experts, materials exploration, technology, iteration, testing, etc., as applicable.) What stakeholder interests did you consider? (Audience, business, organization, labor, manufacturing, distribution, etc., as applicable)

• Maintaining the Jawbone Brand Legacy
As a brand, Jawbone is known for making products that not only use breakthrough technology, but also offer elegant, fashion lifestyle designs. This approach continued with the BIG JAMBOX. Using key elements of the Jawbone signature design language, we made BIG JAMBOX identifiable as part of the larger Jawbone brand. The grill textures echo the patterned shield designs used in the Jambox and ICON bluetooth headsets.

• Setting People and their Audio Free
Inherent to the Jambox family’s philosophy is the idea of ultimate portability; BIG is no different. BIG JAMBOX makes audio obstacle-free and even with the larger size, it is easy to carry around. BIG JAMBOX enables people to listen to music without ever separating from their phone, playing audio from anywhere in the room. Users can still enjoy all the functionality of their phone. With BIG, users can even share the DJ responsibility with a friend.

• The Only Speaker You Need For Work Or Play
We wanted to communicate the versatility of BIG JAMBOX by specifically highlighting how it could be used in different contexts and with different devices. The product combines multiple functions to give the user a new experience of music, games, movies and phone calls. Marketing messages and art communicated these brand tenants, showing how it fits into all of your day-to-day environments. Meeting audio needs with dynamic and stylish design makes the BIG JAMBOX the ultimate lifestyle product, fitting seamlessly into the user's day.

5. The Value: How does your project earn its keep in the world? What is its value? What is its impact? (Social, educational, economic, paradigm-shifting, sustainable, environmental, cultural, gladdening, etc.)

• Advanced Technology Wrapped in Lifestyle Design
Every aspect of BIG JAMBOX’s design contributes to maximizing the acoustic performance while minimizing unnecessary obstructions. A single sheet of perforated metal wraps the front, top, back, and underside of BIG JAMBOX, creating a lightweight, tactile design and an extremely portable product. A series of patented dot, hex and wave textures on the metal grill provide a visual playfulness when the light catches and defines the subtle relief. The seamless edge-to-edge transitions of the perforated steel require considerable manufacturing innovations, resulting in a proprietary process that pushes the boundaries of art and engineering.

• Bridged the Gap Between Work and Play
Before Jawbone launched its distinctive headset designs, headsets looked like they belonged exclusively to the world of the business road warrior. But with its lifestyle-centric designs, it changed all that. With BIG JAMBOX, we again proved that the best technology and beautiful design appeals to everyone for all types of uses. We gave the product flexibility through different screen textures and color options for different tastes, making it appropriate for any setting, and its connectivity to any Bluetooth device makes it an easy complement to any audio source at home, in the office, on the go, or anywhere.

6. Did the context of your project change throughout its development? If so, how did your understanding of the project change?

• Successful Jawbone Brand Extension
Jambox marked Jawbone’s successful entry into a whole new product category, and the BIG JAMBOX extended this. BIG touches on all the things that make Jawbone products distinctive: compact technology, exceptional performance, and a lifestyle aesthetic. With two different offerings in the wireless speaker segment, Jawbone can ensure that they are meeting all needs, whether it be for a smaller form factor with Jambox or a larger sound, with BIG. Framing BIG around these core brand tenets allowed us to celebrate the new and still maintain its strong identity as a Jawbone product.

fuseproject

BIG JAMBOX

Jawbone

BIG JAMBOX

BIG JAMBOX