Ziba Design

OVERVIEW:

Ziba Design is a global innovation and design consultancy headquartered in Portland, Oregon, known for creating love between people and brands.

Since its founding in 1982, Ziba (Persian for “beautiful”) has created some of the most iconic products and industry disruptions including the USB flash drive, while also defining satellite radio for the mainstream, and redefining the retail banking industry.

As pioneers in consumer insights and research methods, and human centered innovation, Ziba works with its clients to harness the power of empathy, and the role that brands play in their delivery of meaningful and authentic customer experiences.

Drawing from a wide range of expertise representing global backgrounds, the firm consists of anthropologists and strategists to engineers, architects and designers across disciplines. These varying perspectives allow Ziba to leverage and apply insights to solve complex problems across industries, cultures and generations, developing products and services in both digital and physical environments, creating industry shifts while mitigating the risk of innovation and delivering impactful solutions.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:

Ziba Design has worked on projects in the Consumer Goods, Entertainment, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Transportation & Logistics, Healthcare, Retail and Technology industries. Some examples of projects include creating the:

• Nike Monitor 500, Nike, 1988
  • The world’s first wearable fitness monitor
• Cleret Bathroom Squeegee, Cleret, 1989
  • The first squeegee designed to be both functional and beautiful
  • Results: $16 million in revenue in the second year
  • Recognition: Acquired into the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

• Intouch System, General Magic, 1993
  • The precursor to the Modern Day Smartphone

• Natural Keyboard, Microsoft, 1995
  • The first ergonomic keyboard for the mainstream consumer
  • Results: This keyboard established Microsoft in the physical product market, selling over 600,000 units per month at its peak
  • Recognition: Won the Business Week/Industrial Designers Society of America + IDEA Industrial Design Excellence Awards, Silver Award

• M-Systems Flash Drive, M-Systems, 2000
  • The world’s first USB flash drive

• Heinz Ketchup Bottle, 2012
  • Reinvigorated the iconic brand to create instant product recognition on grocery shelves
  • Results: Saved $10 million a year in packaging costs

• XSTAT, Revmedx, 2013
  • The first hemostatic device for the immediate treatment of gunshot and shrapnel wounds; transformed approach to gunshot and shrapnel triage
  • Results: Received immediate FDA approval for military use, and less than two years later received clearance for civilian use
  • Recognition: Popular Science Invention of the Year

These are just a few iconic projects, among many others, that Ziba has produced in its over 35 years.

HISTORY:

Sohrab Vossoughi founded Ziba Design in 1982 while he was working at HP. His first project was for the world’s first system for cashless gasoline purchases, the ATM 500. When Ziba took on Proform as a client, Vossoughi moved Ziba’s operations from his home into a space in the Proform warehouse. The current Proform logo is still the same that Vossoughi designed for them at back in 1983.

In 1986, Ziba rented 1,187 square feet in a Beaverton business complex to house its expansion. By 1988, the client roster included Dow Chemical, Nike, and Intel. An Oregonian article from that year rattles off early (and very ’80s) Ziba projects: “an exercycle designed to encourage women and older persons to get more exercise ... a rowing machine for amateur and professional oarsmen ... a transparent electronic panel that turns any personal computer into an overhead projector.” The company had six employees, with plans to add a few more.

Decades of growth, acclaim, and prolific creation followed. Ziba overhauled FedEx’s retail centers (discovering, in a research epiphany, that visible, precarious towers of packages made customers uneasy). It created utility winches and medical devices and cosmetics packaging. Vossoughi was named Entrepreneur of the Year (by Business Week, 1992) and a Global Leader of Tomorrow (by the World Economic Forum, 1994).

For many years, Ziba has evolved into an all-purpose idea whisperer. For example, the firm created a new in-house brand for Best Buy, complete with products—Bluetooth cable, phone case, and a speaker—a candy-bright color scheme, graphic design, packaging, and a retail strategy.

With over 3,400+ projects and solutions delivered, 15,000+ people engaged in research, 270+ patents granted and 250+ awards and accolades awarded  - Ziba isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Today, Ziba has employees all over the world and primarily focuses on providing solutions in the Brand Experience, Customer Experience and Future Experience spaces.

ZIBA HQ:

Ziba has been an anchor and a champion to Portland’s design industry for over 35 years. And the city has returned the favor, providing a welcoming home base that makes it easy to attract talent from around the globe.

Together with Portland-based Holst Architecture, Ziba set out to create an office building that would serve our work and our clients, as well as the local community where we’d laid down our roots.

From the outset, we knew we had a great partner in Holst, and they helped us refine our vision of a dramatic but serene workspace, that actively encourages the chance interactions that drive creative inspiration. The project rooms, workshops, and communal spaces that make up the three-story space are full of deliberate intent and passion. But especially, it’s the details that show this is a place by and for designers: from faucets and door handles to sightlines inside and out, everything’s considered, no matter how complex or mundane.

Vossoughi is a big believer in local community, and the need to staying connected to it. So the building reflects local values of sustainability and efficiency, with reclaimed wood and a LEED Gold rating. And the building’s auditorium invites hundreds of participants every year to exchange ideas and solutions.

References

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