Welcome, this is the raw text I wrote during the development of the FRAME_ product line. No generative AI was used in the process.
This product is for someone who takes music with them everywhere. Its owner is likely young, loud, and passionate about their music. They listen to music very frequently, and at high volume. This speaker finds most use when they are spending time with friends, typically outdoors. They live an active lifestyle and find having to “take care” of their belongings annoying. They picked it because they worried about breaking a more fragile looking option and liked the unique styling. It provides them with a different, and very distinctive alternative to the common competitors which are rounder and softer looking. For them, the product must play music as loud as they want and be able to take a beating without breaking.
The industrial style connects to many of the industrial and machine motifs present in electronic music. This product should match prices of similar devices, if not be slightly more expensive. It is targeted towards a more specialized audience and should not be pushed towards the general consumer. It exists to fill a gap in visual style, and extreme functionality, as the best brands for portable speakers all design similar round, soft shaped objects. Typically tech products with polarizing or unique styling tend to sacrifice durability and quality, which this product will not do.
The denotation of my object is a portable speaker. It is meant to be used on-the-go and utilizes Bluetooth technology to play music wirelessly. This speaker line primarily signifies extreme durability. The exposed reinforcements protect the main body of the speakers from harm, while also creating a distinct visual style. Reminiscent of a roll or crash cage, the exoskeleton on these speakers should provide connotation of a rugged, safe device. Rather than using traditional protective materials and styling on tech devices such as rubber bumpers, and chunky, round forms, these devices will use lightweight aluminum cages as they are both longer lasting and more sustainable. Its industrial appearance will be polarizing. This product is not necessarily designed for everyone. The design conforms to codes by taking on a similar size, shape, and weight profile to competitor speakers. However, the futuristic exoskeleton and exposed drivers create a unique mythology and storytelling opportunity.
The exposed driver is iconic of a speaker itself and immediately tells the user what this object is. The buttons to control the speaker use symbols, such as a plus/minus for volume, equilateral triangle pointed right for play, etc. to communicate their function. The sound produced by the speaker, as well as the motion of the drivers while in use are indexes for the object. The scratches and wear that appear on the outer cage over time are also indexes of both the durability of the speaker and the owner utilizing it.
This product is valuable due to its unique styling and impressive durability. Its polarizing design, featuring an exposed structural exoskeleton, along with its unique color schemes make this speaker an appealing product for certain individuals. It is targeted specifically towards younger consumers with an alternative or unique taste in products and music. These consumers do not “baby” their technology, and expect a good product to withstand such abuse. Competitors tend to be more tame from both a visual and structural standpoint. Most similar is Skullcandy, but FRAME_ aims to push the boundaries even further.
An interesting opportunity for the brand could take inspiration from energy drink brands such as Red Bull, Monster, and Rock Star, and make sponsoring weird and extreme sports events a priority. The unique styling and durability of frame products ties in well with the world of extreme sports. Sponsorship opportunities can demonstrate the nature of each product and their performance in extreme environments.
The CMF of this product would also reflect this “extreme” branding. Exposed aluminum framing the body relates the speaker to roll cages in race cars and crash bars on stunt motorcycles. The aluminum will be anodized for corrosion resistance and to allow different colors to be applied. Over time, the scratched and dented alluminum creates an interesting “worn down” look, similar to scuffs and marks on a skateboard or old sneakers. The main body will be made from a thick PLA shell. PLA is biodegradable in certain conditions which makes it a sustainable choice both in its longevity and end of life. A slightly rough texture applied to the PLA removes any gloss and makes the object look tougher. All products in the line would come in a variety of color schemes, most with a monotone primary color and an aggressive accent color(s). These design choices convey a to the consumer that these products are primarily: high energy, durable, and interesting.
Users and reviewers tend to focus on 3 categories: Sound quality, battery life, and durability. JBL and UE tend to be recommended on review sites significantly more. I think the portable speakers category is dominated by durable, outdoorsy trends and the less rugged looking Bose falls short here. UE and JBL use oversized, exaggerated proportions to make their speakers look more rugged and strong as an index. Their use of soft outer meshes also inspires confidence in their durability. They all use similar icons and symbols to indicate function, though UE is notable for their massive plus and minus volume controls. In many ways, these buttons act as an advertisement for their brand, despite having no iconic reference to it. UE’s other buttons are mostly blank.
The sleeker, single face gives a connotation of a more refined, expensive device. Because of this, and the codes and myths surrounding portable speakers, Bose seems to be substantially less recommended. Bose likely focused on sound quality and performance when designing this speaker, which is not the key features the market looks for in a portable speaker. Had they focused on the aforementioned categories, they may have been more successful, yet would have been sacrificing the image of Bose as a high quality refined company.
This difference in company connotation plays a huge role in the marketing and success of each product. All three companies originated as hi-fi music companies, focused on producing audiophile level gear. However, time has passed, and trends have changed, UE and JBL have mostly pivoted their focus away from high end audio equipment and towards more casual, portable listening devices. Bose, on the other hand, has maintained its higher end market position. While it may not be producing audiophile grade products, Bose still makes expensive, high-quality products. Their focus has never been on durability, portability, or any other features that could interfere with sound quality. For this reason, Bose’s portable speakers get minimal traction compared to their competitors.