A product launch at Boosted feels like controlled chaos, with short deadlines, a small budget, loads of questions, and a small team, we had a lot to solve. Boosted being a startup means everyone on the team had to wear a lot of hats and that we had less time to do more.

PROBLEM
Boosted has always been a single product brand with only the electric longboard. We needed a lower price point and a new form factor.

SOLUTION
We created the new form factor of Boosted Mini, and communicated the same thrill as Boosted’s other products, as well as being the affordable action packed option. All of this was done with a revamp of Boosted’s identity, to include an expanding family of products.

This launch made updates to the following:
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1. Website
Updated web styles
Created a multi-product site
Product story on product page
Homepage
Social/Ads/Email collateral

2. New Product Branding
Defined target demo
Brand strategy
Branding
Packaging
Photography

One of the most complicated parts of this product launch was the website. With limited time, limited budget, and moving over to a new CMS and new dev team there was a lot to do. The site before launch was all built in wordpress with a small team and had a lack of consistency across the it. One of our first tasks was to define and design our new design system and web-styles. From the grid to the typeface, we looked at how it applied from homepage to product-page. We looked for a system that would be loud when it needed to be and let the photography stand out as well. All of this needed to be done in a four month period so it could be ready for the jump to our new CMS Contentful with the new team Underbelly.

Our unique challenge
Boosted is not a cheap product nor is it a product that people have easy access to. Our product pages have to communicate a lot without having people lose interest.  One of my personal tasks was to create the product story and have it be engaging. It also had to solve what our last site failed to do which was get consumers to farther down the page.  I developed the product storytelling for Boosted Mini into a card system that shortened the page by more than half.

An updated homepage and navigation
With a family of products and a growing number of accessories, Boosted’s homepage also needed to be geared to hold a revolving door of content.  With these changes came the need to add a drop down menu or ‘Mega Menu’ as we called it. This allowed quick access to all of Boosted’s products and also allowed us to surface up more type of information above the fold of the page.

Unlike the Boosted Longboards, Boosted Mini has a kicktail that lets you make sharp 90 degree turns and pivot for ultimate maneuverability. This means Boosted Mini would attract a new group of riders, from traditional skateboarders to the surf and snow market. One of our first tasks was to define the target audience to give Boosted Mini an epic platform to start from.

1. URBAN EXPLORER
After your alarm goes off, you’ve got somewhere to be. Commuting is the necessary evil that hangs over your mornings each and every weekday and despite how often you have to do it, you haven’t found a good solution. When traffic is unpredictable, buses have delays and take forever, and app rides are adding up, you need a dependable solution to get where you’re going.

2. CORE CARVER
As a skater, surfer, or snowboarder, you know the feeling of flying into deep, sensuous carve. This is at the heart of all the board sports - go fast and turn. It’s what we love and crave. But sometimes it’s flat, the snow isn’t flying, or you just don’t have time to hike the hill or make it to the beach. That doesn’t mean you have to sit idle. After all, you’re an adventurer, a thrill-seeker and you’re always up for trying something new.

3. RAD DAD
Age is not going to stop you in shredding like you did when you where 13. As someone who loves spontaneity and letting the day lead you on new adventures, you know there’s a lot to see out there.  And as someone who doesn’t like to be held back, expensive app rides or traffic can be a real downer. You need something that feeds your wanderlust while keeping you up close and personal with the world around you.

From its start on kickstarter in 2012 Boosted was known as the electric longboard company that had orange wheels and a bamboo deck, which were not produced by Boosted. 2018 was the first time the company planned to do a major update on their product line. With that update we needed to make sure that Boosted’s branding system could fit the four new products and allow the creative team the ability to differentiate the products.

BOOSTED IN 2017
Known for orange wheels and bamboo decks
Single product company
Focus on commuting

BOOSTED IN 2018
Multi-product family
New in house decks and wheels
More ownership of the category and less of the color orange
Focus on the emotion of getting from A to B

With new boards and with a new form factor of the Boosted Mini we needed to develop a new way to communicate Boosted. Kyson and I worked together in the majority of the product and lifestyle shoots for Boosted’s second generation longboards. For this new generation we knew that something new had to be crafted. The kicktail of the Mini and the small size gave it movement that the longboards didn’t have before.  From there we dialed in on how to photograph the Mini S from Mini X and communicate that movement.

MINI S
Bright colors on the wheels and background.
Lifestyle photography use blue and orange to communicate action and riders that are riding in the suburbs or on campus.

MINI X
High-end and moody with darker lighting and soft shadows.
Less focus on the rider and the rider’s reaction, more emphasis on riding in an urban setting with use of shadow and pavement.

Not only is Boosted one of the best companies to work for it, it also has a product that I believe in. I have been riding my own Boosted Mini from early 2018 and just hit 1000 miles on the beast. It was an honor to work with such a talented team and to create so much with very limited resources. From start to finish this was just over 8 months of work and it was some of my most proud work. Credit to the team below that made it all happen.