CRUCIAL X8 & X6 / WHOA / 2019–20
Beginning in 2019, I worked with Micron’s product team to help bring their first portable storage products, the X8 and X6 to market under the Crucial brand. Both were fast moving programs – in the case of the X8, six months from program inception to mass production.
CRUCIAL X8 & X6 / WHOA / 2019–20
The X6 followed immediately after and was developed within a similarly ambitious time during the height of the pandemic. At present, the X6 holds 4.5☆’s with 9,000 reviews on Amazon.com, the X8 4.6☆ and 10,000 reviews.
The initial foundation stage of the program involved alignment on users, performance / price point and other constraints. Importantly the decision was made at this early stage to utilize aluminum extrusion in the construction for thermal, cost and aesthetic reason.
CRUCIAL X8 & X6 / WHOA / 2019–20
The selected design featured a pebble like form with highly tactile surfaces featuring soft touch on the caps and a soft finish to the aluminum core. The only flat surfaces are formed where two planes intersect the form and reveal a polished interior that serves to anchor the Crucial branding.
This included CMF studies as well as explorations in a number of potential variants enabled through different secondary processes.
The X6 was ultimately simplified due to cost pressures, resulting in the removal of the integrated cables. The final design featured a cap and sleeve construction that mimicked the X8’s extruded construction.