Western Digital MyBook Series.
Establishing an Iconic Offering.

The MyBook and MyPassport: Disrupting a Commoditized Market Segment

Western Digital’s MyBook and MyPassport hard drives transformed the external storage market by moving beyond basic capacity and price competition. Introducing SmartWare technology—featuring automatic backups, visual data management, and hardware encryption—these drives became intuitive, intelligent tools for managing digital life.

MyBook targeted users needing high-capacity, reliable desktop storage, while MyPassport focused on portability and style without sacrificing functionality. Both emphasized ease of use and minimal setup, standing out in a crowded market of generic drives.

Sleek design, distinctive branding, and premium feel helped Western Digital capture significant market share and set new expectations for consumer storage devices.

Role

Interaction Design Director, Client Relationship Lead

Assorted external hard drives and packaging arranged on a concrete surface.

Building upon the metaphor of books and journals, the drives proved to be a powerful combination for consumers. Coupled with Western Digital’s intuitive SmartWare backup software, the hardware and software reassured users that their data was being carefully archived and protected.

Various Western Digital external hard drives on display, including My Book and My Passport models, arranged on a concrete surface.
A bookshelf containing various books in different languages, with titles related to travel, grammar, and miscellaneous topics. There is also a black binder and a small electronic device among the books.
A Western Digital external hard drive beside a person holding a portable hard drive.
Three external hard drives in black and silver with LCD displays showing storage details.
Two product boxes, one blue and one red. The blue box is for a WD My Passport Essential 500GB external hard drive, while the red box is for a WD TV Live Hub 1TB media player. Both boxes feature respective storage details and design graphics.
External hard drive with green trim on a blue background, accompanied by a green audio cable.
Colorful stack of external hard drives with a yellow one standing upright, featuring the WD logo.
Yellow external hard drive against a yellow background.
Western Digital My Book for Mac webpage showcasing external hard drive features. Highlights include smart backup, Mac compatibility, password protection, and WD SmartWare software. Includes product specifications, purchase options, and support resour
Ad for WD external hard drives showcasing customizable LCD labels for data storage identification.
Western Digital My Book Elite external hard drive product page, featuring a 2TB USB 2.0 drive with customizable e-label, password protection, and backup software overview. Includes product features, price, model number, and shopping options.
Webpage promoting Western Digital My Book Live personal cloud storage with features of WD SmartWare software, backup solutions, and specifications for networking and media streaming.
Screenshot of WD SmartWare backup software displaying data backup settings, security setup, and file retrieval options.