Jam venture goes Beyond the Box

Jam Design has taken a 30 per cent stake in Beyond the Box, the hi-fi speaker manufacturer that launched last week, after it waived its design fee in exchange for an equity share.

The consultancy has created the brand identity, a website, marketing literature, the brand’s set at Hi-Fi 2001 last Thursday, where the company was launched, as well as the look of the speakers.

The work is worth between £40 000 and £50 000, which includes design and a project management fee, according to Jam Design new business and project manager Damon De Ionno.

Beyond the Box intends to challenge the elitist nature of the hi-fi industry, which, according to De Ionno, suffers from poor design and is obsessed with technology.

‘We don’t come from a hi-fi background, so our ignorance of the industry meant we were not constrained in our thinking. We think this company offers a chance to open up the industry to a wider audience. The brand has potential because it operates in a sterile market,’ says De Ionno.

While most models in the range are given a high gloss paint finish, one model retains an MDF finish, reflecting ‘our contemporary approach and our honesty’, adds De Ionno.

The company is in talks with distributors in Asia, the US, the UK and elsewhere. The website does not have-commerce facilities.

The consultancy met with Charles Pepper, the entrepreneur behind the company, on a previous project. It did not pitch for the Beyond the Box work.