PRODUCT DESIGN, BRANDING, engineering, Packaging, Web DESIGN

Overview

Take back your privacy
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Today, increased domestic government surveillance and corporate tracking threaten to undermine many of our fundamental liberties, privacy chief among them. Winston founder Richard Stokes partnered with MINIMAL because of a shared passion: We believe that your information is just that: yours, and no one has the right to record your life without your permission. Winston is the answer to Big Brother’s watchful eye, a plug-n-play hardware device that stops tracking in its tracks.

The Winston works by completely anonymizing your online activity and geo-location, protecting you from unwanted data collection and advertising. Winston is faster and more reliable than a VPN, safeguarding your computer, phone, tablet, and other smart devices by encrypting your browsing and stripping out malicious code before it reaches your wifi.

Design

Simple and symbolic
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Winston’s form reflects its philosophy and function. As a guard against prying eyes, Winston stands at attention, facing forward to present its name…and nothing else. Winston purposefully hides its inner complexity, offering instead a minimalist aluminum shroud that protects the owner’s privacy.

The vents on the top and bottom are a subtle motif used across the brand. On the surface, they reference the black lines used to redact text in sensitive documents, but on a deeper level, they represent both the metaphorical lines that we do not cross and the physical barriers that act as a protective wall between public and private life.

Branding

Redacted
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What is more symbolic of privacy than the iconic black bar? This simple shape, used to hide classified information in documents and cover eyes in photos to conceal identities, is the DNA of Winston’s design language. Traditionally used to hide the actions and personnel of government agencies, we boldly use it as a symbol of citizens taking ownership of their personal information back from these very agencies.

We chose to reference the imperfect nature of the hand drawn lines, by slightly angling the Winston logo, which gives it character and individuality. We also wanted to speak to the modern nature of the Winston device, and use text and line motifs that felt modern, clean, and precise. The result is an instantly recognizable logo, rich with meaning and visual impact.

Engineering

Inside and out
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Winston was fully engineered by MINIMAL. Every detail, from the extruded aluminum housing to the detachable foot was designed in house to the highest standards. We designed, prototyped, engineered and sourced manufacturing partners for the final product.

Website

A seamless experience
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In addition to being a product showcase and web store, MINIMAL’s web team built the Winston site as an educational platform that discusses the importance of privacy in today’s big data arena. Having designed the brand from the ground up, the website was a great opportunity for MINIMAL’s design team to showcase Winston’s bold visual language and message.

Packaging

Detail oriented
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MINIMAL focused on creating a packaging solution that balanced protection, simplicity, and environmental considerations. The result is a compact cube that presents the Winston device beautifully and responsibly.

Process

Start to finish
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From the start, we knew that the key to Winston’s form was simplicity and geometric precision, but finding the right shape to differentiate it in a market full of boxy tech products was a difficult challenge. In the beginning stages of design, we gravitated towards the idea of being able to position Winston upright or flat depending on the use case. From this foundation, we developed the upright square form into something with a unique and recognizable character.

Social Impact

The good fight
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Winston was a special project for the designers at MINIMAL. This device is a shield against those groups that believe your personal information is theirs to sell. The erosion of our civil liberties, especially privacy, will be a central focus in the 21st century, and as spying techniques become more advanced, so must our efforts to block them. We were thrilled to work with Winston founder Richard Stokes to bring his vision to life and imbue it with the same passion that he exhibits in his fight to protect our fundamental rights.

Protect yourself
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Interested in joining the movement? In addition to removing tracking and ads, Winston devices work together as part of a mesh network that scrambles and further anonymizes your browsing; the more devices are used, the more impossible it becomes to trace the origin of encrypted data within that network. Together, we can be truly invisible.