Five years ago, HTC acquired One & Co, a San Francisco industrial design agency, as it began its drive to grow from mid-ranking smartphone maker to fully fledged consumer brand.
It is a journey that almost succeeded, with Hollywood stars in its ads and a flagship device adored by gadget reviewers. But in a smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung, consumers are still treating HTC like a second-class citizen.
On a bright October afternoon, in a One & Co office filled with prototypes of handset casings and young designers with immaculately dishevelled hair, Peter Chou and Cher Wang, HTC’s chief executive and chairman respectively, explain a subtle but significant shift in power at the top of the Taiwanese group.