Belkin has become a world leader in the design and manufacture of smart home electronics and computer peripherals, but it hasn't always been that way...
At Karten Design, a multidisciplinary strike team of designers and engineers was assembled to infuse the Belkin product line with a dose of world-class design, their bulk computer cables were the first recipients of an all new boundary pushing design language.
I was fortunate to have been a member of that design team...
Why Redesign?
Remember these? Sold in plastic bags at Fry's? Yeah, this is really what they looked like.
The redesigned product. Same technical specs as the original, now easier on the eyes.
Generic styling with little to no family resemblance within the product line.
Diminished market share as a result of too many 'copy cat' manufacturers.
How did we go about redesigning a product that had no inherent personality? By creating one of our own of course! After exploring and rejecting the most predictable solutions, our design team focused on a direction much more cerebral...literally!
'Make them personify synaptic connections!' we said...
concept development
Many directions were considered, some more literal than others!
manufacture
With teamwork and clear vision the design team at Karten inject the Belkin product line with a shiny new personality. Behold...Digital Neurotransmitters!
