Design Story, New Product
Apr 21 2023
Author: ASUS Reading time: 10 minutes
Apr 21 2023
ASUS Vivobook laptops have always had a unique, energetic look. Aimed at modern trendsetters who want to look bold, these laptops are a fashion statement as well as a reliable productivity tool.
In 2023, ASUS is releasing a redesigned Vivobook S 14/15 OLED that carries on with the Vivobook legacy while presenting a fresh new face and array of practical details.
At ASUS, every design starts with a fundamental idea at its center.
“When we first sat down to discuss the design of the new Vivobook S, we started from the roots: how do we want this laptop to empower our users?,” explains Rebecca Huang of the ASUS Design Center. "We wanted our audience to go further and beyond, and explore the possibilities that the modern world presents."
The 2023 ASUS Vivobook S 14/15 OLED has been designed with urban explorers in mind. This is a laptop made for those looking to make a strong fashion statement ― those who have a strong personality and unique style.
The core concept for the design of the Vivobook S 14/15 OLED is based on three principles: Creativity, Individuality, Potentiality.
The very name of the Vivobook family best describes its users. The “Vivo-“ in “Vivobook” is composed of two parts.
“Vi-“ stands for visuals. It describes the well-defined style and image of both the user and the laptop itself. The designers from ASUS Design Center set off to create a laptop that's different, that will stand out but still retain elements of a universal, always-appropriate look and empowers users to reinforce their own one-of-a-kind style.
“Vo-“ stands for voice. This was a laptop made for those who want to make their voice heard. Vivobook S users are strong personalities who have their opinions and points of view and they need a tool that will help voice them and connect with the world and one another.
It all boils down to the ASUS Vivobook S 14/15 OLED motto: “Go further and beyond, explore the possibilities.”
Everyday reality for urban technology users was the main inspiration behind the design. Designers took clues from urban youth, as well as the shifts in the fashion industry and social environment. They looked at the Gen-Z and Millennials populating metropolitan streets and hip hangout locations.
With the rise of a mix-and-match aesthetic reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s, many streetwear enthusiasts, sneakerheads, and those whose wardrobes are inspired by pop stars and rappers seem to prefer toned-down shades as a base for their outfits. Bold fashion statements often come in the form of colorful accessories, details, and accents. Urban trendsetters do not shy away from combining colors like brown, washed navy blue or black, and off-white with brave shades of red, orange, green, or yellow. The end result is an eye-catching, contrasting look.
Another trend ASUS designers observed is the simplification of shape and form. The accessories many trendsetters choose come in cubic, edgy formats, reminiscent of an outdoorsy and somewhat rugged aesthetic. This is parallel to the modern always-on-the-go lifestyle and practical attitude towards fashion choices.
A final observation was the gradual degradation of fast fashion and the growing popularity of high-quality goods that carry unique looks. Young urban dwellers prefer to shop for higher-quality goods that will last and can be used in many settings.
Our designers set off to mirror these fashion trends. The result? A bold yet universal laptop carrying a rugged, edgy building blocks aesthetic that comes in four distinct colors that look good in any setting, while featuring bold, striking details that make users stand out from the crowd and provide practical benefits as well.
Or simply, the new ASUS Vivobook S 14/15 OLED.
In this new generation of Vivobook S laptops, our designers wanted to align the color choices with the lifestyles of its users. They selected toned-down base colors and added color-blocked accents to make the laptops look universal and appropriate for any setting but still clearly stand out from the crowd.
In this laptop, the devil lies in the details. On the keyboard, users find a contrasting orange Escape key that symbolizes the escape from the ordinary. The Enter key also stands out with its distinctive striped pattern. At the bottom of the laptop, users will find orange rubber feet to match the Escape key, adding striking visual quality as well as functionality.
The new Vivobook S 14/15 OLED comes in four colorways:
The Midnight Black colorway has a matte-black body with a hint of green that gives it a distinct, rugged, outdoorsy look that fits amazingly into any urban space.
On the top cover, there’s a black-on-black raised logo tag emblazoned with a striped pattern to match the Enter key, as well as the ASUS Vivobook name and motto in metallic black on a matte background.
The combination of low-key matte black and orange details makes for a visually stunning laptop that’s great for anyone.
The Cool Silver colorway comes in a toned-down shade of silver, reminiscent of an industrial, futuristic, high-tech aesthetic. It brings to mind the exploration of the future. This laptop has universal appeal and fits in with any environment or style.
The top cover features an all-silver raised logo tag with chrome-like reflective silver script that stands out from the tag that matches the color of the rest of the chassis.
Matching the universal, techy silver with youthful, energetic orange details is the essence of the mix-and-match aesthetic. The design takes full advantage of the visual effect of contrasting colors to make users stand out from the crowd.
The Solar Blue version has a matte blue body with an elegant but youthful look. Depending on the light, you will see this laptop varying between graphite-grey-ish shade and pearly bright blue — and anything in-between! It looks great with streetwear or more formal business dress.
The raised logo tag in this colorway features shiny blue script on a matte background, as well as the familiar striped pattern.
In this colorway, there are additional contrasting orange elements. Accompanying the orange Escape key, there are rubber feet on the bottom and a rubber stick-out tab on the top of the screen also highlighted in orange.
This combination of the two contrasting colors gives the laptop’s user a cool, original look.
The Cream White colorway comes with an off-white matte shade. This soft, delicate color combines with the rugged, edgy form of Vivobook S 14/15 OLED, making for a very interesting and bold fashion statement. Inspired by streetwear aesthetics, this color is an unprecedented choice for a laptop color that will attract some curious eyes. Users of the Cream White Vivobook S 14/15 OLED can count on it to fit any style and setting while staying true to their own unique self.
The Cream White variant features silver details on the raised logo, which stand out from the tab background that matches the rest of the laptop body.
As with the Solar Blue variant, the Cream White version features additional contrasting orange elements, such as the rubber feet and stick-out tab on top of the screen.
The interesting mix of these colors makes for a streetwear aesthetic that will look good as good in an art gallery as in an urban space.
The design choices for the shape of the Vivobook S 14/15 OLED mirror the three concept values of the laptop's design: Creativity, Individuality, and Potentiality.
We utilized an edgy, square-ish design concept of building blocks to form the reimagined Vivobook S.
Building blocks were one of the most popular toys in many of our users' childhoods. This laptop is a throwback to the playful times. But it's also a little bit deeper than that. Building blocks were the early tool for many of our users to experiment with shape and color and gave an outlet for creativity to flow. It is how they expressed themselves and gave life to what their imagination bore.
The edgy design is sure to stand out. While most of our user’s peers opt for sleek design lines, the individuality of the Vivobook users encourages going against the current and presenting a more edgy, simplified, square-ish form. The Vivobook S user stands out from the crowd as much as the laptop does among all other laptops.
To fully unleash their potentials, the ASUS Vivobook S 14/15 OLED needs to be versatile. That means that they need a laptop that can accompany them wherever they go. To make this happen, the ASUS Design Center set off to create a laptop that would be thin and light while still packing all the strong components, necessary I/O ports, and long-lasting battery. The block design allows for visual thinness and to pack more useful parts without bulking up the machine.
The result is the interesting, edgy look of the Vivobook S 14/15 OLED. The building block aesthetic can be found all throughout the laptop, starting with the all-metal top cover adorned with a square-ish Vivo tag. The design language used in this laptop is more than merely an aesthetic decision, but adds to the laptop’s functionality.
On both sides of the laptop, cubic blocks house all the necessary I/O ports and air vents. This element was designed to take as little space as possible while providing you with everything you need — no more, no less. The palm rest area is also raised to the keyboard level, with a well-defined line.
Finally, the hinge that connects the screen and top cover with the rest of the laptop comes in the cubic form with a distinctive striped motive matching other details of the machine.
All these details fit smoothly into the thin and light (at only 17.9 mm thickness and 1.6 kg weight) chassis, housing components that will power you through all daily tasks.
The laptop retains a sleek line and contours while featuring building blocks design language with cubic, edgy shape, resulting in an interesting stepping format. This is a perfect combination of style and functionality that resonates with urban trendsetters.
Aside from the cool look, lots of the design choices actually make the users’ lives easier and the laptop more practical.
The new Vivobook S comes in two sizes: 14.5-inch and 15.6-inch — both with a stunning 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display.
When the laptop is closed, users will notice a rubber stick-out tab on the top cover that makes opening the laptop easy and helps avoid annoying fingerprints on top of the screen.
The top edge of the OLED screen houses an FHD camera for clear image when on video calls. The camera has a physical shield that helps users ensure top-notch privacy.
The interesting-looking ErgoSense keyboard with the orange escape key and the striped enter key is also extremely satisfying to type on, with a comfortable feel, thanks to the optimal bounce and travel. The dished, full-sized caps make for a precise typing experience. The 15.6-inch version of the laptop comes with a full numerical keyboard.
The enlarged touchpad makes for an ultimate control device — on top of the usual role the touchpad plays, the NumberPad 2.0 in the 14.5-inch variant has a number pad baked into the touchpad that illuminates and becomes functional in one click to enable fast and smooth data entry.
On the left side, users will see the familiar striped pattern in the form of cooling vents, housed side-by-side with a USB 2.0 port. The other side packs other connection options, including an Audio combo jack, Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C® with display support and superfast data transfer, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A connection, an HDMI® 1.4 port, and a power cord slot.
The cubic-shaped hinge turns 180 degrees to allow users to fully open the laptop to make sharing the contents of the screen with peers easy.
At the bottom of the laptop, colorful rubber parts look great while keeping the laptop stable and in place on any surface.
The thin and light chassis of the Vivobook S 14/15 OLED packs powerful components. Both models offer up to a 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-13900H processor with Intel® Iris® Xe integrated graphics card. The 15.6-inch model is additionally available with up to an Intel® Arc™ A350M discrete graphics card for more creative power.
Both size variants are available with up to 1 TB PCIe® 4.0 SSD storage and up to 16 GB of memory, for expansive storage and robust multitasking.
These laptops take advantage of the latest WiFi 6E technology to ensure incredible connection speeds to make your online life lag-free.
All of this gives you plenty of power to carry out any daily task — from simple data entry to light content creation.
The design of the ASUS Vivobook S 14/15 OLED was a fun but challenging task for the ASUS Design Center that served as a throwback to the childhood fun of exploration of their creativity via building blocks.
The end result is a stunning style. It’s the perfect choice for urban explorers, trendsetters, and for those looking to make a statement. Now, you can take this amazing machine wherever possibility takes you, and look cool doing it.
Discover the Vivobook S 14 OLED Discover the Vivobook S 15 OLED
Vivobook S 14 OLED (K5404)
Vivobook S 15 OLED (K5504)
