JBL EON500
A Portable Professional Speaker solution that disrupted the category with world-class industrial design, sonic performance, and integrated utility and portability.
What We Did
The JBL EON speaker was created to advance portability for the professional musician and DJ without sacrificing the sound quality to enable a great entertainment experience. The system was designed to reduce the weight of the speaker solution and has integrated handles to allow easy setup for events in different locations. This JBL speaker led the portable PA market and was the best-selling powered speaker in professional audio history.
Psycho-Aesthetics™
The design phase was marked by our commitment to integrating modern aesthetics with functionality. At RKS Design, we employed our Psycho-Aesthetics methodology to ensure the JBL EON 500 series resonated emotionally with users while fulfilling its technical roles. The design featured sleek lines, a balanced form, and strategically placed handles that made the speaker easy to maneuver and position in various setups. We chose injection-molded materials to offer a lightweight yet sturdy structure, incorporating design details that would protect the speaker from damage during transport and use. The design not only maintained JBL’s iconic look but also brought a fresh, contemporary feel that stood out in the market.
During the execution phase, we collaborated closely with JBL Pro to bring our design vision to life. This involved rigorous testing and refinement to ensure the speaker met all functional and aesthetic standards. The use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques allowed us to achieve a lightweight design without compromising on strength or sound quality. We focused on precision in every aspect, from the structural integrity of the speaker’s enclosure to the clarity of its sonic output. The final product, the JBL EON 500 series, successfully combined innovation in design with practical usability, setting a new benchmark in the portable professional speaker category. The result was a highly functional, visually appealing speaker that meets the dynamic needs of professionals in the audio industry.
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BABY BARISTA
“The RKS approach was not only creative, it was objective and pragmatic. My team and I were allowed to be active participants throughout the entire process and our voices were heard. Working collaboratively deepened my understanding of our target consumer. The RKS seven-step “Psycho-Aesthetic” process that is the cornerstone of their design philosophy allowed my team to do a deep dive into the psyche of our end-user and inform key design decisions. It was this inside-out approach that allowed us to build a truly disruptive product.”
— CEO of Baby Barista
What We Did
Psycho-Aesthetics
Product design is more than just winning awards; it’s about creating emotional connections between the product and the user. Our human-centered approach, Psycho-Aesthetics, helps us understand and quantify these connections. We found that the opportunity zone for Baby Barista was in the enriched quadrant providing higher levels of interactivity and self-actualization than the competitive set. Here we wanted to provide parents with the tools to make a baby bottle in thirty seconds while making sure the bottle would never be too hot for the baby.