The first time I met Steve was at the Stanford Design Conference during the summer of 1981 when I was a design intern working at Hewlett Packard. Steve was only 26 at the time. He was the successful wunderkind of the Silicon Valley and it was exciting to have him speak at a design conference. Apple had just gone public so he was in the news a lot and everyone was curious about him. He utterly bewitched the audience with his charisma. At the conference lunch break he dashed outside, took his shoes off, and sat on the grass with a small group of us lucky young designers. He began to prophesize about technology, culture and design. It was more like a lesson, not a conversation. It was both fascinating and entertaining to see how he delivered his message with such enthusiasm and believability. What I appreciated most is that he was crazy about design, especially how design could compliment technology. I related wholeheartedly to this belief and ended up pursuing this interest in my own career.

My second experience with Steve Jobs came years later when I worked with him in 1989 & 90. Up until then I had been designing computers and electronics for Olivetti, AT&T and Polaroid while at Henry Dreyfuss Associates. During this time I observed the ascent of Apple, and I remember being especially moved by the Apple IIC, designed by frogdesign. It was light and friendly, had a very cool form factor, and it spoke volumes of where Apple was going. I was inspired by this and many other frog creations, so I joined frogdesign in 1989 (just after Steve was kicked out of Apple and started NeXT). One of my first assignments was to work on the NeXT account.

I’ll never forget re-meeting Steve just prior to a big group meeting at the NeXT headquarters in Redwood City. I said “it’s great to meet you again”. He peered over his glasses at me for a few seconds and just barked “ditto”. The following group meeting was bizarre. Steve controlled it completely and berated his staff whenever he perceived the slightest mediocrity or indecisiveness from anyone. I wasn’t sure if his anger was real or if by design, for affect. I had never seen this behavior before in the workplace, but as a designer intent on creating quality products I sort of respected it, for he could move mountains with it. He was a dream client.

Hartmut Esslinger and I presented concepts to Steve and his staff on Friday afternoons. I had butterflies before each meeting because Steve was always accusatorial, acerbic, tempestuous, and picky. I figured I would be targeted sooner or later. He had an uncanny ability to see right through a concept, whether it was in the form of a vision statement, sketch or model. If there was any weakness or omission at all he would find it and demand improvements. One day I entered a big meeting and the first thing Steve blurted out was “who designed that new AT&T digital answering machine?” I said “I did” and winced inside, getting ready for a grilling. He smiled and said “It’s Great”. From then on I was OK.

Many NeXT employees seemed afraid of Steve but we designers soon liked him. He was passionate, analytical, creative, and critical – like us. He loved design so I think he cut us designers a little slack. He reviewed every tiny detail with us and there was never small talk. One thing was crystal clear when working with him: his irrefutable genius. Even though he flaunted it, we respected his bravado because he was usually right.

My third climactic encounter with Steve Jobs was six years later in 1996. I was still at frog consulting for Larry Ellison, CEO Oracle, on the then futuristic “Network Computer” or N/C. Larry preferred working secretly one on one, and wanted all meetings to be at his grand Japanese style house in Atherton, away from the prying eyes of his staff and the press. My final N/C presentation was to be at Larry’s house on March 19, and dinner was going to be served. I pulled into Larry’s long driveway after passing the security gate and noticed a silver Mercedes sedan with the license plate “PIXAR.” It was Steve Job’s car. Larry had invited his buddy Steve over for dinner and an N/C design show-and-tell. My pulse raced. Larry alone was difficult enough; now I had the two biggest and baddest titans of technology to present to.

After a quick meal I unveiled five computer models. Steve immediately challenged every assumption we had made about the future of computing. “The network can’t handle the speeds or data throughput and the designs are too big and clunky…but keep going because anything is better than Microsoft” he said. Larry and Steve discussed and argued about the future of computing, and coerced about their shared hatred of Bill Gates for another hour while I humbly inserted my design views when appropriate. It was one of those “pinch yourself is this meeting really happening?” moments. I wish I had recorded the conversation because almost everything Steve and Larry had predicted that night came true.

At one point in my presentation Larry dropped one of these very expensive models, shattering it dramatically into a dozen parts. I was stunned but neither Steve nor Larry said anything at all…they just kept talking about network computers and product strategy. I needed CPR. I nonchalantly and slowly picked up all the pieces without breaking eye contact. I always found their unfazed reaction rather curious. I guess they were just too big to worry about a broken model.

The evening concluded on a more personal note, with Larry urging Steve to rejoin Apple as CEO. He was persistent, exclaiming “That Amelio is an idiot…you must go back and run it!” Surprisingly Steve just listened and smiled. He was a different person than I had seen before – he was serene and it was nice to see that side of him. He was between his two Apple stints at that time focusing on NeXT and Pixar, and he must have been contemplating his next move. Nine months later NeXT was purchased by Apple and Pixar’s Toy Story became a huge box office hit – and of course he went back to Apple. When I left Larry’s house that night I recall saying to Andy Laursen of Oracle (the fourth person that was there that night), “Wow that was a pretty cool evening, wasn’t it?”

My fourth encounter with Steve Jobs was six years later in 2002 and it was very abrupt. He lived a few blocks away from me in Palo Alto and one morning I was walking past his house when a Mercedes SL came screaming up into his driveway, nearly hitting me. Out jumped Steve in a panic. He barely recognized me in my sweats and hat, and said “oh hi Dan sorry about that”, and then took off in a hurry. No “how have you been”, “long time no see” or “that was funny when we broke your model wasn’t it?” He was brief and aloof like always. He was on a mission.

Steve died on my Birthday, and again, like a comet entering my consciousness he came and left swiftly, only this time for good. I am going to miss those coincidental visits even though like a comet he always passed at a distance, never getting too close. I am fortunate to have known him and saddened by his early departure. He contributed so much to the fields of computing, communication, entertainment, and Design. Steve empowered all of us designers around the world by elevating design to its rightful place. He showed the world how to do it right; how essential it is to a company’s success; and how utterly wonderful good design is. Thank you Steve Jobs, we’ll miss you and we’ll be sure to carry the torch the best we can.

Eton introduced Rukus, a solar-powered Bluetooth stereo. Rukus pulls off the novel feat of playing music without connecting a cable or inserting an iPod, and it’s powered by the sun. We made it bold and iconic to express great sound, which it produces in volume. Beatweek Magazine gave it Best of Show 2012 CES. Digital Trends stated: “The design is fun and user-friendly; there’s no set-up to gather solar power since the panel is right on top, and an intuitive handle makes it easy to transport anywhere”.

Eton also introduced a new field radio line called FRX. A few years ago we designed the FR line, which was a big hit, so our challenge was to one-up something that was already great. The FRX line is even better. It features a more agro appearance, a stronger crank turbine, better reception and a more robust X-frame chassis. FRX is destined to become the new gold standard of radio product design.

Responding to the continuing popularity of the iPhone, Eton featured the new Mobius rechargeable battery case with solar panel, the first of its kind. One hour of solar charging provides 25 minutes of talk time or 145 minutes of music.

Dropcam, a new client in 2011, announced our Dropcam HD, the world’s smallest wi-fi video monitoring camera. Video is viewable from your phone or the web, keeping you on top of what’s going on at home, great for checking in on the kids or pets, or to make sure your home is safe when you are away. We designed it to be infinitely adjustable in every axis, so you can aim it anywhere, whether it’s sitting on a table, wall-mounted, or stuck to a window looking outside. The press loves it: “Dropcam HD is the height of elegance” said John Biggs, Techcrunch; “This product really got my attention”, James Floyd Kelly, Wired.com; “I think it’s a breakthrough in this category, ingeniously designed”, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities Pioneer Press; “Not only have they come up with a stylish, unobtrusive and minimalist design, the setup process has also been simplified” said Ganesh T S at Anandtech.com.

Phone Halo introduced the Cobra Tag, a security device that works in conjunction with your smart phone to prevent you from losing your stuff. Attach Cobra Tag to your keys, purse or backpack and if any of these objects are separated from you your phone will alert you immediately and give its GPS location. Cobra Tag won a CES 2012 Design Innovations Award.

TP Link, our Chinese networking client, introduced our ADSL2 modem router, the ultra-powerful N750 dual band router, and the NAS network-attached storage device. These products are already on track to set sales records.

We are happy that the Whipsaw website not only meets this standard of excellence but is rewarded Best in Class.

First about our logo. Our original logo personified the passion and ambition of a young company with aggressive goals; it served us well and was truly the masthead for our success thus far. In recent years, we have evolved into a more established company and we decided it was time for a new masthead. The new logo is concise and clear, yet bold and iconic. These attributes are evidenced in the many successful products we have brought to market, and in our daily outlook toward the work we do. Robert Murdock, Principal of Design at Method, stated “We wanted the core of the logo to represent the timeless and sophisticated work that Whipsaw produces.”

Similar to the logo, we have completely changed our website. During the last 12 years we have amassed a large portfolio with lots of interesting projects, strong client relationships and many accolades. You will find an intuitive and organized navigation model enabling you to peruse all this content with ease. The site has many other nice capabilities including faceted project browsing, instant cross referencing, filters, project pdf downloads, custom views and search functions. It also highlights extraordinary business results and testimonials from our esteemed clients. Whipsaw.com gives us more exposure via social networking sites and this new blog format, which will enable open and regular communications with peers and colleagues.

We have designed the site to function as a museum environment, where open, light-filled spaces enhance the viewing experience of the artwork on display. We believe this website allows one to fully experience our work while also providing a pleasant atmosphere.

We would like to mention the wonderful experience that we had working with Method. This was something of a magical pairing between two design firms. Beyond speaking a common language of design, Whipsaw and Method had a working dynamic that was extremely collaborative and quite frankly, amazing. A sincere thanks to the Method team – Paul Miller, Creative Director, Mark Roudebush, Lead UX Designer, Katie Beneike, Program Manager, Tomi Lahdesmaki, Graphic Designer, and a big thanks also to our own Graphic Designer, Ting Yen.
We hope you enjoy the site – it was created for you!

To change, companies need to take a deeper look at their customers needs, empower their people to act, and to think in new ways. They need to invent, develop, and improve their offering in order to survive. This type of change benefits the profession of design, and it benefits the end product itself. Having suffered layoffs, lower sales, and plummeting stock value, some companies reach a point of desperation. Management is awake, listening, and willing to try something new. They’re in a teachable moment, so if there was ever a time to push for more innovation, cultural relevance, sustainability, and meaning, this is it. A designer’s shot of innovation is just what many companies need now more than ever before. When corporations need CPR, revival comes in the form of Creativity, Passion and Reason.

Contrary to logic, a good economy compromises quality more than a bad one. In good times corporations seek to supply rising demand as fast as possible for non-discriminating consumers that have more disposable income. Flush with R&D budgets, companies fund programs that keep the current best sellers buoyed by tweaking the brand message with advertising, and designing new products as fast as they can.

Three years ago when the economy was good, one consumer electronic client in a rush to market said to us sensitive designer types “I don’t care about meeting the needs of the left-handed blind ethnic woman, just hurry up and get it done!” That same week another client asked us to design, engineer and tool a product from scratch in time for the Consumer Electronic Show–which was one month away. This mad rush to fill the market with product can compromise creativity and shortcut development, which ultimately affects quality. It also encourages a “wisdom-of-the-crowd” mentality, where everyone wants to get in on the design act, including the CEO’s spouse. Conversely, a bad economy forces us all to take a breath and think harder about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. There is more at stake because your solution absolutely must provide results.

Corporate survival in a bad economy includes cost-cutting on all fronts, including product cost. During development, designers view product cost reduction as if it’s the plague. When a procurement specialist or cost engineer enters the room, designers get out their crosses and garlic. They see cost-cutting as a limitation on product features, performance, part count and material selection. This is partly true, but when designing inexpensive products for a very discriminating budget-minded consumer who now demands good design too, design reduction has even more relevance. The same or more needs to be done with less. Simple solutions are good, and usually cheap.

It’s harder to design simple inexpensive products than complex expensive ones. One needs to focus more on the essential user needs and less on the endless feature possibilities or extraneous embellishments. It requires more purity, so that no matter how much they take away from it, it’s more likely to survive intact through its development. Simple inexpensive products are also better for the environment. They consume less material, have fewer parts, and use less energy to manufacture and ship.

Mies van der Rohe’s mantra, less is more, has become something of a cliché in design circles, but learning to do more with less is a design philosophy that is newly-relevant, creatively-rich, and economically-viable. Constraints stretch flabby design muscles; the results are often surprisingly buff.