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Surprise! In the spirit of the New Year and 10 years of open ears, beginning today, our brand name has officially changed from AfterShokz to Shokz.
It all started with an idea and technological discovery. Shokz introduced bone conduction technology, a new way of transmitting sound to consumers with their debut product line in 2011. For the first time ever, Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz) made its unique open-ear listening experience provided by bone conduction technology available to the general public, and it was all quite literally history.
From its inception, Shokz has seen a number of significant milestones that have helped the company see unprecedented growth. Since opening for business in Syracuse, NY, (and since relocating the company to Austin, TX) the North American team has helped to solidify Shokz as a global brand with worldwide recognition.
As the company grew, so did its product line of bone conduction headphone models. Although not the company’s first product available for consumers, Shokz unveiled its first advanced wireless bone conduction headphones, aptly named Titanium after the durable and lightweight metal comprising its signature wraparound frame in 2015. Titanium was launched on Indiegogo and quickly garnered brand awareness and funding to begin mass-producing for consumers around the globe. The overwhelming support for the product launch resulted in a dedicated community of customers and supporters, affectionately referred to as the #ShokzSquad, who spread the word to their friends, families, training buddies, and more.
Over the last few years, Shokz has launched preceding models and aimed to perfect the technology in the existing product line.
Today we launch a new logo and brand name, but we keep our same mission and core values. Shokz celebrates 10 years of business in October, and as we approach our second decade of disrupting the headphone category, making bone conduction technology accessible to all, and creating a safer listening experience for everyone, we felt that AfterShokz was no longer fitting.
The “after” component of our name was always just that, an afterthought. The word has never easily fit within our core messaging (our community is referred to as the ShokzSquad, while our ambassadors are known as ShokzStars), and because we and our community are anything but an afterthought, we decided to drop the “after” and just go with one word: Shokz. Shokz is modern, easy to remember, and straight to the point, just like us.
Just like our branding is getting a makeover, some of our best-selling products are, too! Our top-selling Open-Ear Endurance Headphones formerly known as Aeropex will be upgraded with a new Quick Charge feature and will go by a new name: OpenRun. Additionally, Xtrainerz, our Open-Ear Swimming MP3 Headphones, will be renamed to OpenSwim. Although our products are getting a new name, you can count on the same comfort, durability, sound quality, and safety.
It still has and always will be about solutions that promote openness and connectedness for us. We still aim to enhance the lives of those who need or could benefit from bone conduction and open-ear solutions. Our focus is to welcome current customers and new audiences into our culture, which continues to center around a healthy lifestyle, revolutionary technology, innovation, passion, and human connection.
While at first glance it may seem like not much has changed in terms of our new design, these changes were all made deliberately and with meaning. Allow us to further break it down for you:
- Our new logo has been shortened from “AfterShokz” to “Shokz”, meaning that optically the eye will land on the “o” in the middle of the word.
- The “o” contains the sound wave/vibration representation, symbolizing our focus on bone conduction technology and acoustics.
- The dot that was previously in the center of the “o” has also been removed, to further convey our mission of being open.
- We took the mix of bold and light fonts from our previous logo to make a uniform weight. This new weight helps represent our focus on sports and technology.
Though we may have a new look, rest assured we’re still the same brand you’ve come to know, grow with, and love. Shokz will be inheriting all of the same features as AfterShokz. We will continue our exploration in the field of sounds and acoustics on our mission of making people’s lives better with innovative technology. We will continue to stay open to new products, new technologies, new markets, and new solutions. But most importantly, we will continue to be outside your ears and right by your side.
