Xbox was the Hulk, 360 is Bruce Lee
There's an interesting article up on FastCompany.com concerning the design of our beloved white box. By now, the iconic "inhale" design is well known by the game industry in general and 360 fans in particular. What you may not know is the inspiration of the famous design: Bruce Lee. During the design process, Microsoft had narrowed down its design candidates to three firms. Among these was JDK, the design firm created by Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards. Microsoft had agreed to see all three presentations and choose the winner from among them. JDK went first. By the time the presentation was over, the Xbox team already knew who had won.
According to JDK's Michael Jager, the original Xbox was about power. Not just power, but brute force. To demonstrate this, Jager sliced an "X" into a piece of paper and thrust his head through it, shouting, "X today is all AARGGHHH!" He compared it to the Incredible Hulk. Taking the paper and reversing it, Jager demonstrated that the "X" could also be a doorway, something more inviting. Jager convinced Microsoft that the Xbox 360 would have to demonstrate power, but show a hint of grace and elegance as well. In other words, the "new" Xbox had to be Bruce Lee, not the Hulk. In fact, the "inhale" design was derived from Bruce Lee as well, mimicking an inhalation of breath before a powerful strike.
The rest of the article details some of JDK's background and a few more bits about the Xbox 360 process. It's not exactly as exciting as say, Devil May Cry 4, but it's worth reading for those curious about the creation of the Xbox 360. Hit the "read" link to check it out.
