Work

How does an ordinary water bottle become extraordinary? When a classically-trained graphic designer (and avid runner) tries his hand at industrial design. Enter the Simple Hydration Water Bottle invented by designer and Cincinnatian Brian Hock. Brian’s idea for the Simple Hydration Water Bottle was born from his experiences as an Ironman triathlete. He found ordinary water bottles too clumsy to carry or keep in a belt, and he’s never been a fan of other portable hydration products, so he decided to design his own. After many months of working with a California-based blow mold company to develop his concept, he was ready to bring his idea to life.

To pay his production costs and bring his product to market, Brian took a path that is quickly becoming a popular means for startups to obtain financing: micro-funding. By leveraging the power of micro-financier Kickstarter, he was able to reach his funding goal of $20,000 in just a few weeks. Regular reports, giveaways, and lots of social media outreach and PR helped Simple Hydration become the largest Kickstarter-funded enterprise in Cincinnati history.

Simple Hydration partnered with Spoke to bring the brand to the web and develop a “simple” site that recognizes the company’s Kickstarter supporters and allows anyone to buy their own bottle. The first bottles were ordered within 12 hours of the site’s launch, and were shipped to their owners hot from the manufacturer.