August Home Access System

House keys are still being lost, misplaced and copied. At the same time the world is rapidly changing, as people come to expect full visibility into who is entering and exiting their homes, and services are being created to transform the world of home services and delivery. We developed the August brand to design a connected home experience that people will love, and that will provide real value into our daily lives. The August Home Access System completely transforms the way we experience home entry, with a set of products that are accessible for the whole family. The system includes the August Smart Lock, newly updated to be enabled with HomeKit, the August Doorbell Cam, and the August Smart Keypad. The entire ecosystem also enables the August Access platform, in which 3rd party home services can coordinate home access directly with the homeowner through the August app.

strategy

The creation of the August Access platform is the realization of the August vision – enabling the relationship between 3rd party services and the consumer to become more personal, more communicative, and putting control in the homeowner’s hands. To make this possible, we had to look at the door as a full ecosystem – both the Smart Lock on the interior, but also devices on the exterior to allow guests to communicate with the homeowner. The Smart Keypad allows users without access to a smart phone, like many 3rd party services as well as younger children, to still utilize the Smart Lock. The Doorbell Cam provides an additional element of security, both with real-time communication and with stored visual notifications of front door activity.

brand

The name August is both solid, secure yet meant to evoke a feeling. A lazy, late summer day. A time and place where everything was simple, worry-free and peaceful. The newly designed logo and brand experience for August was created to work across and the August brand touch points to subtlety imply these impressions.

As fuseproject set out to create to create the brand system for August we knew it had to work seamlessly across all the August brand touch points from app, to web, to the physical products. It needed to be friendly yet modern, clean yet warm, thoughtful yet simple. We started by designing a logo that looks back to classic Italian furniture brands to create a feeling of something that lives in the home, but also forward to the digital age. The logo relates not only to the physical lock but also the sun. With the “a” of August cutting through the silhouette of the circle we have created a bold classic brand mark that works across all the August brand touch points. The lock itself reflects the circular shape of the logo, with the branding insignia discreetly placed on the front and side.

The August experience starts with the packaging – the graphics show the product in situ to help make an immediate connection with its use case, while the physical structure closely resembles the door itself. Each package in the new August eco-system utilizes this same brand language, to create a cohesive and holistic experience of the August brand on-shelf.

digital

The August application has been designed from the ground up to be as intuitive to use as possible, especially for those who are not necessarily tech-savvy. Utilizing the same encryption technology as high-security banks, the August app lets you send digital keys to guests via your smart phone or computer. Keys can grant either permanent access or limited access; one week for out-of-town guests, or one hour for the dog walker. With the Smart Keypad, single or multi-use codes can be sent directly through text, so guests don’t even need the application for home access. The Doorbell Cam makes home entry even more seamless – one ring of the doorbell sends a live stream of the front door directly to the homeowner’s smart phone, allowing both real-time conversation with visitors, and the ability to unlock the front door with the push of a button.

As a completely connected product ecosystem, our teams worked together to define and design core features that combined to enable the industry-leading smart lock product experience:

Activity monitoring - Track activity and always know who is coming and going at your doorstep with a 24/7 Activity Feed.

Guest access - Grant unlimited digital keys valid for a few weeks, a few hours, or a few minutes. Never worry about lost, stolen or copied keys again.

Total control - Lock and unlock your door, control keyless access and keep track of who comes and goes from anywhere.

Status updates - Only August has DoorSense™ that checks the status of your door and tells you if your door is securely closed and locked.

Auto-Unlock - Auto-Unlock knows when you arrive and unlocks the door as you approach. Never fumble for keys again.

Auto-Lock - Enable Auto-Lock and never worry if your door is locked again. Auto-Lock can be set on a timer for as short as 30 sec or as long as 30 min.

DoorSense™ - DoorSense™ tells you if your door is securely closed and locked. You can check the status of your door using any voice assistant. If you have DoorSense™ installed, Auto-Lock can be set to instant and lock as soon as the door is closed.

product

With the August Smart Lock, there’s no need to replace the existing deadbolt or retrofit the door; our designs are a discreet add-on to the inside of the door only. Every element of the design was thought with restraint and quality in mind: Made of aluminum with a discreet display visible only through laser etched micro perforations, a battery door hidden behind a magnetic cover, etched knurled textures to indicate where the hand manually turns the lock, CNC machined notch and logos that indicate the direction of the lock. It is right sized for the hand, and it’s gearing system creates a mechanical advantage that makes locking and unlocking effortless. The product is also designed to fit-in with home decor, with 4 color options to complement different styles, and a simple cylindrical look that can fit anywhere.

The August Smart Keypad is slim and discreet, designed to fit perfectly on the outside of the door adjacent to the August Doorbell Cam. The buttons are round and tactile, with numbers that only light up when a hidden sensor detects motion by the door. Once a code has been entered, the user simply needs to push the August logo toward the bottom of the device to unlock the August Smart Lock. The Smart Keypad is the easiest device of the whole ecosystem to install – it’s simply a mounting plate with two screws that can go anywhere outside the door. It only needs two batteries to operate, and can be programmed from the application or online.

The Doorbell Camera is beautiful, small and low-profile in comparison to other outdoor cameras, which tend to be large and ominous. Made of anodized aluminum, it provides a quality look and feel, combined with a discreet and elegant interface. The doorbell icon only turns on when someone is approaching, indicating both its function and the video recording activation to ensure that guests know they are being viewed. The full 140-degree high quality camera and built-in speaker allows guests and owner to converse, and it is an effective feature when dealing with August Access 3rd party services. The device replaces the existing doorbell with the same wiring, actuates the existing bell, and can easily be self-installed in 10 minutes or less.

Recognition

Awards

  • SPARK! Awards

    • Silver - August Doorbell Camera, Product Design, 2016
  • International Design Awards

    • Silver - August Doorbell Camera, 2016
  • International Design Awards

    • Honorable Mention – August Smart Lock, 2013
  • SPARK! Awards

    • Best of SPARK - August Smart Lock, 2013
  • CES Innovations Awards

    • Home Appliances, AUGUST Smart Lock, 2013
    • Wireless Handset Accessories, AUGUST Smart Lock, 2013
    • Home Networking & Connectivity, AUGUST Smart Lock, 2013
    • Tech for a Better World, AUGUST Smart Lock, 2013

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