Expanding the Unique Heritage
of an Established Recording Brand
The Yeti USB Microphone: Packaging legendary and premium studio recording into a prosumer USB desktop microphone for the aspiring garage band artists... and everyone one else in the world.
CLIENT Blue Microphones, LLC (Logitech International S.A.)
CHALLENGES
Translating the brand personality and its well-known recording quality into new digital categories.
OUTCOMES
Created a design icon and arguably the most recognized and popular USB microphone (500k units sold in 2019 after 2010 launch). Its popularity generated a family line of products, custom skus, new retail channel partnerships, and reached into adjacent industries (entertainment, media, vlogging, podcasting, gaming, sports commentating, influencer streaming, etc).
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Lead Industrial Designer and Design Strategist
• Successfully transcribed and merged two distinct brands (Blue, Apple) for final design
• Led concept development to manufacturing in cross-functional environment (ME, EE, Acoustic Engineering)
• Familiarized in metal fabrication techniques/production
RECOGNITION
International CES, 2011 Design and Engineering Showcase Honors - Yeti Pro, USB Microphone
INTRODUCTION
Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics, better known as Blue Mic, was a boutique, profession studio microphone manufacturer located in the San Fernando Valley, CA. It was founded by Skipper Wise, a former musician, and Mārtiņš Saulespurēns, an audio engineer, to evolve their love of quality sound and music into a successful niche brand. It was acquired in 2009 by a capital investment group hungry for growth.
In the same timeframe, Apple's continual improvement to the GarageBand software gained more credibility as a recording tool. GarageBand became popular for beginner-level musicians and aspiring artists because it was an easy to use software and, perhaps even more importantly, it was bundled with the other free software on every new Apple computer. With only a single USB mic offering designed for the MacBook user in mind, Blue Mic's new ownership looked to expand into opportunities and pair a product with the all metal MacBook Pro.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Blue Mic became well-known and well-liked not just for it's premium recording technology but also it's unique, friendly, and whimsical narratives for their microphones. Their brand was very much in contrast to the vast majority of the industry's technical, almost sterile, consumer electronic themed aesthetics. It was important to find the right balance between Blue Mic's brand characteristics and those of the MacBook Pro for guiding design development.
Concept development focussed on capturing the spirit of Blue Mic. Each concept aimed to encompass that certain essence and personable demeanor to showcase for the audience. Although manufacturing capabilities and limitations were respected, concept exploration pushed these parameters during this phase. Making sure the brand heritage was properly curated required a certain level of freedom. The timeline made room for a later DFM-only effort.
As the concept development continued, a critical acoustic engineering criteria emerged which required immediate adjustment. For the preferred innovative acoustic design to be achieved, the mesh housing around the internal microphone (capsule) configuration required a full 360 deg clearance; limiting the shape to be a simple nose cone as other shapes were achieved by fusing two halves together via a solid metal band or ring.
Another development challenged appeared later as the chosen concept moved towards manufacturing collaboration. The original design incorporated a mic stand with a single stem protruding from the base and transitioning into a configuration to hold the microphone component. Intending the stem and base to be casted as one sturdy piece, manufacturing argued it could not guarantee the stem would be strong enough to support the rest of the mic stand and also could be more difficult to produce without a high level of reject. Design got back to work to examine possibilities and address manufacturing concerns. The final solution saw a design with two contact points with more surface area for a stronger connection with the base. With this more robust design, the two-point connection allowed the new stems to be assembled as two separate components which removed the risk for defects.
LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
The Yeti usb microphone was received well and sales with a fair inaugural year of sales. The design became a platform to develop a family of products including the Yeti Pro, a variant with an XLR output rather than usb. Different color schemes helped to keep the Yeti design fresh, generate custom appeal, and form unique retail partner relationships.
The Yeti product line steadily gained traction with well-recieved reviews for both design and acoustic quality. The Yeti also made inroads beyond the intended core of GarageBand as it was a good investment for beginner and aspiring content creators. Yeti sales continued to climb and arguably became the top performer and marquee portfolio piece for Blue Mic by the time it was acquired by LogiTech.
Yeti Pro
The World's Most Versatile ultra-high resolution USB and XLR microphone.
The Yeti was able to generate significant publicity from its iconic design. It has been front and center during numerous live or pre-recorded events including being the featured microphone on "Sheen's Korner" by Charlie Sheen during his well-publicized meltdown following his firing from the hit show "Two and a Half Men." The Yeti's appearances with a variety of cable and online media personalities allowed Yeti to constantly be in the eyes of the public and no doubt furthered the legacy and heritage of the Blue Mic brand.
