There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
First, thank you for taking the time to chat and thank you for making some really great products! How was Peak Design created and how long have you been making awesome gear?
Back in 2010 our founder, Peter Dering, returned home from an around-the-world trip. He had been toting a brand new DSLR with him and was frustrated with how clunky and unwieldy it was to carry around with him. He quit his construction management job and set to work designing a solution. In May of 2011, Peter launched our very first Kickstarter campaign for the Capture Camera Clip, and Peak Design became known to the world. Since then we’ve launched five additional successful Kickstarter campaigns.
We have no true investors...it’s just us, and our community of customers and backers. In a sense, we view our community as our board of directors. We frequently poll them when making product decisions. Their feedback has greatly influenced our product roadmap over the years. And their support during our Kickstarter campaigns enables us to raise the capital we need to continue developing new solutions to their problems.
For us, Kickstarter has always been a platform for funding as well as marketing. Back in 2011 Kickstarter was still relatively new. Peter happened to learn about it right about the time he had come up with his final prototype for the Capture Clip and thought “well, this seems perfect.” We essentially used Kickstarter as a pre-sales mechanism, as well as a platform for communicating and building a relationship with the people who were most passionate about what we’re doing. That strategy has remained the same ever since.
Kickstarter (and crowdfunding in general) lets us maintain a laser focus on doing what we love: designing beautiful, functional products. By crowdfunding instead of seeking outside investors, we’re able to raise the capital we need to continue developing new products without having to adhere to investment-maximizing revenue goals and timelines. We launch products when we believe they’re ready, and we launch them to the very people who are the most passionate about what we do. We believe that our crowdfunded business model yields better products and a much deeper relationship with our customers.
Perhaps one of the most exciting bits of news from Peak Design is the recent launch of not one but three new products! Can you take a moment and tell us about the new Everyday Backpack, Tote, and Sling and where people can find more information?
The release of the Everyday Messenger in 2015 was a game changer for Peak Design. We went from a camera accessory company to a bag company. Immediately after that campaign, our community spoke out and demanded we make a backpack. We don’t like disappointing people, so we jumped right in. The Everyday Backpack takes everything we learned from the Messenger Bag and takes it to another level. The Maglatch returns to make expandability a cinch, the Flex Fold Dividers have been redesigned to provide even more flexibility in how you organize your gear, and the side access panels with pockets galore means you’ll have fast, easy access to all your gear, no matter how you pack it.
Finally, the Sling is our answer to those who need a quick grab-and-go bag that only carries the essentials. A camera body and a couple of lenses, your iPad, or just a change of clothes you’ll need after hitting the gym. It’s light, easy to pack, and of course functional.
People can find out more at pkdsn.com/ks, which will take you to our live Kickstarter Campaign. There you’ll find overview videos, specs, as well as Design Deep Dive videos that get into the nitty gritty of our design process and features of each of the bags.
How does Peak Design ensure such a high-quality standard for all its products?
Anyone who has made mass-produced products will agree that maintaining high quality levels is darn difficult and often thankless. There are few congratulations when things go as planned, but there are plenty of haters when things don’t. Our team devotes huge effort, including a lot of time on the ground with our partners working to ensure every detail is addressed and expectations are clear. The fact that we are all inspired by the products we make is a huge help in the relentless drive for ever better quality.
Every product requires tailor-made testing and quality checks. There are standard tolerance checks at every step of manufacturing, and third-party QC teams performing AQL tests to our specs. That’s typical. But what’s unique is the thought that goes into how these products will be used. What are the fail points, and where are the pitfalls? Our ability to sniff these out beforehand isn’t unique to us, but it’s something that any company hoping to make it at scale needs to get right.
We're also all heavy users of our products and not just designers. We're product obsessed, and we put our gear through its paces during the development stage knowing we've got a lifetime guaranty we need to stand behind.
First and foremost, the function IS the design. The degree to which function pushes form versus the other way around varies from product to product. But by and large, each of our products solves a problem. If you’re not solving problems, you’re just making pretty things. And that’s not enough, in our book.
Megapixels (but respectfully). Mirrorless (replete with nostalgic longings). Divided (but Nikon, really). In this digital world...the grail camera is always the next one around the corner. But we like Sony for now. Whatever DJI has up their sleeves.
It seems like a majority of your team loves to get outside and hike/explore. Where do members from the Peak Design team love to take pictures?
We seem to end up in three places with great regularity: Angel Island (local), Desolation Wilderness (anytime), and Yosemite (in the shoulder season). Many of our adventures, as well as those of our Pro-Team, are documented in the Journal portion of our website. Head over to journal.peakdesign.com
Thanks so much for your time!
peakdesign.com / https://www.instagram.com/peakdesign/?hl=en / https://www.facebook.com/peakdesignltd/
-Mike