About the project

My role:

Creative Director
Art Director
Designer

The assignment was to launch the Motorola Tao—record scratch. Yes, you read that correctly. We were never asked to create Droid. My partner, Tiffany Smith, and I knew that going up against the iPhone on its own turf would be suicide. So we started with the name. We decided to call it "Droid" as shorthand for Google's operating system, Android, and because almost everyone already knew what a Droid was thanks to Star Wars. A robot sidekick? Yes, please.

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how we ended up selling Droid to Verizon. No lie—it involved meeting a black car outside in the middle of the night, the exchange of a "top secret" manila envelope, a 72-hour brainstorming marathon, and ended with the entire team being snuck into Verizon’s headquarters through the loading docks.

Let’s just say they loved the new direction, and the rest is history. We got to build an entire brand from the ground up.

Droid Does

iDon't Teaser TV Spot

We struck an emotional chord with frustrated iPhone users (like myself) and the legions of people holding out for their very own hero phone.

We left them with only a date and a website. It was Droid vs. iPhone, and it was what everyone was talking about.

iDon't Teaser Print

The one that started it all.

Droid Launch TV Spot

Capitalizing on the mystery created by the teaser, we deployed stealth-like bombers on a cinematic scale to introduce the world to their new robot companion. It was the first time people laid eyes on a Droid.

Launch Print

Penn Station Takeover

Droid Red Eye Boot-up Sequence

One of my absolute favorite parts of handling design for the Droid brand, was the fact that we actually got to impact creative assets on the device. Every Droid powered on would greet their user with a unique red eye and iconic robotic voice.

Beyond red eyes we also created backgrounds, ringtones, alert tones
and widgets unique to each device.

Droid Does Website
Look at everything Droid does.

Droid 2 TV Spot

People loved the dedicated keyboard on the first Droid. So the revised unit focused on a more tactile keyboard that could satisfy even the fastest fingers.

Droid X TV Spot

Droid X was a full-screen beast. It ditched the keyboard to sport the largest touch screen on the market. With added real estate, you could stretch out your fingers and kick back to a movie in the palm of your hand.

Droid X TV Spot

The next generation of Droid also sported another first. Users could launch their very own hotspot directly from the device creating a wireless network for up to five additional users.

The next generation of does.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Using the name "Droid" came with one obligation: at some point, Lucasfilm (who actually owned the name) wanted a Star Wars-themed device. There was no deadline, but when we launched the white Droid 2, my nerd alert went up to eleven. I immediately knew what our Star Wars device would be—we would reskin the white Droid 2 chassis and call it R2-D2.

I had the pleasure of leading the design. My original concept looks almost identical to the final unit you see below. Instead of a red eye, we created a special boot-up sequence featuring Artoo-Detoo himself, complete with all his wonderful beeps and boops. A dream come true.

Droid goes global.

With Droid being one of the hottest brands in America, it was time for global domination. The introduction of the Droid 2 Global and the Droid Pro allowed users to wander effortlessly across the globe. We focused on print advertising and plastered airport terminals with our message.

The all new Droid.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Droid had evolved into a sleeker, sexier device. It was time to refresh the brand and move away from its sci-fi roots. From the startup animation to the photography and print design, we overhauled the entire brand to align with the premium design of the latest device.