Droid Does
About the project
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 going up against iPhone on their own turf would be suicide. So we started with the name. We would call it a Droid as shorthand for Google's operating system named Android, as well as the fact that almost everyone 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 through 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 brainstorm marathon, and ended with the entire team being snuck into the Verizon 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.
My role:
Creative Director
Art Director
Designer
The one that started it all.
iDon't Teaser TV Spot
We struck an emotional chord with frustrated iPhone users (like myself) and legions of people holding out for their very own hero phone.
We left people with only a date and a website. It was Droid vs iPhone and it
was what everyone was talking about.
iDon't Teaser Print
Droid Launch TV Spot
Capitalizing on the mystery that was started with the teaser, we sent out
stealth-like bombers on a cinematic
scale to deliver to the world their new robot companion. It was the first time people laid their eyes on a Droid.
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.
Launch Print
Penn Station Takeover
Droid Does Website
Look at everything Droid does.
The next generation of 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.
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, so when we launched the white Droid 2, my nerd alert went off at an eleven, and I 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 comp looks almost identical to the final unit you see below. Instead of a red eye, we designed a special boot-up sequence featuring Artoo-Detoo himself with all his wonderful beeps and boops. 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 Droid users to wonder effortlessly across the globe. We focused on print and plastered airport terminals.
The all new Droid.
Fast forward a couple years and Droid had evolved into a sleeker and sexier device. So it came time to refresh the brand and move away from our sci-fi roots. From the startup animation to the photography and print design, we overhauled the entire brand to match the premium design of the latest device.
Let’s talk.
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