Not Your Father's Briefcase

How can one design with the same function make two very different statements? Change the color.

Color has an almost universal way of influencing the things we buy and the colors we buy them in. Take automobiles. A car can take on a different character depending on its color. The same car looks much racier in a bright red than it looks in white or silver.

Color can also change our perception of what a product is. Look at how effective Apple was at taking people's perception of what a computer was supposed to look like (boring beige box) and turning it on its head with the introduction of the original Bondi blue iMac. “That's a computer?" was often heard upon a person first seeing the form.

How Does Color Influence Buying Decisions? This was something that was a hot topic when MacCase first launched its Premium Leather Collection in 2007. The line was launched in 7 colors including Red, Pink and Cream. While those colors looked great for photography, they didn't sell nearly as well as the distressed Vintage brown or classic black.

This was the instance of the 80/20 rule applying. 80% of sales were being generated by 20% of the color options. From seven to five to ultimately the 2 production colors being used today, the influence of color on buying decisions is profound.

Moreover, how does the same product appeal to a different audience just because of a color change? Let's take a closer look.

While we have seen our MacCase designs influenced by the colors we have chosen to create them in, I don't think there has been a product as influenced by color as our new Premium Leather vertical laptop bag. The fully structured leather briefcase backpack has two completely different characters depending on which of the two colors you choose.

The Vintage Leather Vertical Laptop Bag

Our vintage vertical briefcase, like all our other vintage models, somehow speaks to a distant past and a not too distant future at the same time. Many reviewers have called our designs in that color "retro-futuristic". If you saw one in a movie where the main character rode into the shot on a horse you'd believe it.

If you saw one in a sic-fic movie where the main character rode into the shot on a levitating motorcycle, you'd believe that too. As a vintage leather vertical laptop bag, the Flight Case is romantic and heroic in a way that the idea of America is heroic.

It allows a person to dream of bigger, more exciting things even if they are just waiting for a bus. If a product can operate at that level it's doing something right. We try to make them timeless, without trend and anti-fashion.

The Flight Case vintage leather briefcase embodies all of these characteristics and more. The vintage hides we use ensure that no two vintage leather laptop bags that bear the MacCase name are the same and will patina in over time so your case will only look like your case. It’s pure individualism in an age of perfect digital copies.

Over time, this patina process endears the case to its owner. The hides lighten and darken at the same time. They darken where you touch and interact with them. They lighten as a result of the natural process of the oil evaporating out of the leather over time. The hides will also show the marks, bumps and bruises of life. It is this quality, the acknowledging of the passing of time that endears each of our vintage pieces to their customers.

The Black Leather Vertical Laptop Bag

If the vintage Flight Case is for mavericks and visionaries, the black pebble grain model is all business. It's the most traditionally professional case we have ever made. That's not to say it's traditional. Being vertically oriented keeps it on the cutting edge and out of the "that looks like your father's briefcase" zone.

If you're moving through corporate America, a law, accounting or real estate office or any other of a hundred possible professions where you want to walk that line between expressing who you are while looking like you're on your way to the corner office, you cannot have a more trusted companion then our new Flight Case.

And when 5 o’clock rolls around and it’s time to jump on your motorcycle and meet some friends, this versatile briefcase easily converts to a hands-free backpack. And the black leather will match your motorcycle jacket.

So you have the one design with the same functionality, yet two very different statements, two very different premium leather briefcases, each about who you are and where you are going based on the color chosen. Whether you choose the vintage or the black, our new leather briefcase backpack has what it takes to get you to where you want to go.

A Versatile Vertical Computer Bag

One nice thing about this case is it works with any notebook, laptop, tablet or even a combination of them. It's large enough to do so but never feels too big or awkward. This is due to its vertical orientation that aligns the long axis of the case with the long axis of your body.

When you move, the case moves with you, not against you. It's a vertical computer bag that works with any hardware and it works well. The shoulder strap allows for the classic, crossbody orientation. Adjusting the strap will allow your forearm to fall readily across the top of the case. This makes walking with the bag extremely comfortable.

The interior is divided using a padded, removable panel that protects multiple pieces of hardware from each other. For this reason, this case is a favorite among IT professionals or anyone who needs to wants to carry multiple pieces of hardware safely and efficiently. The pockets are a great place to store and carry various smaller items that accompany portable computing. There is a large rear pocket and an additional pocket in the front flap for even more storage options.

Whether you need a vertical computer bag to carry a 15- inch or 16-inch laptop and the tablet of your choice, this vertical laptop tote is an excellent choice. Whether you choose black or our famous, distressed "vintage" brown.

A True Vertical Briefcase?

When people first see this vertical briefcase, they don't know what to make of it. For anyone raised on the idea that a computer bag needs to be horizontally oriented, the design can be quite striking. For some people, a vertically oriented briefcase takes some getting used to. For others, it's as natural as a walk on the beach.

While many laptop totes tend to be soft-sided, this case is fully structured. This means it can stand up on its own. It does have a flap that covers the main compartment vs. a "lid" like a traditional briefcase. It also has a shoulder strap like the bags preferred by urban delivery kamikazes. But feature for feature, this is much more than your standard horizontal brief.

Most standard briefs don't have a backpack option. If they do, they just kind of look silly. Nor do they have exterior storage pouches with an option to expand to an even larger pouch for more storage. The backpack option is one of the features that sets this design apart from many of its competitors.

It's as good a vertical computer bag as you will find. It's also a pretty good backpack too. The 2.5" depth keeps the bulk down to a minimum. This is very helpful whether making your way through a crowded airport, subway train or even riding a motorcycle.

Not only is there very little bulk, but if you were to run into something or something was to run into you, the fully structured case is extremely protective. This is important when you're transporting a couple of thousand dollars in computer hardware. Whether this is in the form of a laptop or two or a laptop and a tablet.

If you see our vertical computer case and are startled, that's a pretty common reaction. If you are looking for what you might consider a vertical briefcase, give this design a long look. It has the features that many like about messenger designs, but it offers features that expand options and capabilities far beyond those horizontal models.

An Upright Laptop Shoulder Bag

With the long-term success of our Flight Jacket model, we listened to a group of customers who were looking for more room than the Flight Jacket provided. Expanding the depth of the popular model resulted in a fully structured upright laptop shoulder bag. The orientation seemed much more radical for this design than for the smaller model. Through the years, this bag has found its audience or is it more appropriate to say, the audience has found this bag? Not only have they found it, they also love it. It’s one of the highest-reviewed designs MacCase makes.