Sometimes a brand represents itself so well, you don’t even have to own an item before knowing what it’ll do for you. That’s the case with Alienware, an American computer hardware subsidiary of Dell, and the reason Sidhant Patnaik noticed the potential in creating a portable flash storage harddrive with Alienware’s gaming brand identity charging its aesthetic.

Following the same design language as newer Alienware products, Patnaik felt inspired by the subtly futuristic appearance of them and conceptualized a portable solid-state drive that fits in with other Alienware companion pieces, such as their Gaming Laptop and Aurora R11. An SSD, which efficiently functions using flash-based memory for faster and smoother operation between it and the computer, would fit right into their easily identifiable, alien-themed product lineup. Primarily a gaming brand, Alienware users’ computers naturally hold a lot of information, so external hard drives are necessary. Speaking to a niche audience, such as Alienware’s gaming consumers, it’s important for a brand to notice what they might depend on in order to keep products like laptops and core processors operating smoothly.

SSDs are generally a rite of passage for any technology user, but often they’re regarded as a separate product entirely. For gamers, it is essential that each piece of hardware works cohesively in tandem with each other in order to keep games and additional software running without disruption. Patnaik’s product design certainly fits the bill with 2TB of storage, along with ports and electric connectors that fit into other Alienware products like they’re made for each other since in this case, they are.

Designer: Sidhant Patnaik