Microsoft Zune
Raw deluxe
2007
Zune was a hardware and software entertainment platform introduced by Microsoft in 2006 to compete with Apple’s ubiquitous iPod and iTunes.
GRO was hired to collaborate on an extensive exploratory project to refine Zune’s product personality and study potential new design formats that could set the direction for future products.
To differentiate from Apple’s somewhat sterile aesthetic at that time, a more realistically human, layered and nuanced design language was developed called Raw Deluxe. It contrasted robust, engineered quality with refined, magical and rebellious touches.
“GRO’s creative design thinking and approach, infused with Raw Deluxe, brought a fresh and inspiring perspective to what Zune hardware could be for Microsoft”
Carl Ledbetter – Executive Creative Director at Xbox, Microsoft