Creating a foundation for growth in the market
Design Central created a brand strategy and new appliance directions for one of the nation’s oldest manufacturers of consumer electronics. Long known for innovation in electronics, the company wished to explore elevating their reputation with retailers from commodity supplier to a position of higher recognition to expand market share.
Client
Industry
- Consumer
Capabilities
- Strategy
- Product Design
- Prototyping
Solution
Design Central developed new countertop appliance lines that communicated a bold but comfortable visual approach. Each line was targeted toward a unique audience, aligned with brand characteristics defined by the team to exhibit strong retail branding and worked to build a foundation for the manufacturer’s future product development activity. This complete framework for design had the potential to place the brand as a leader in the countertop appliance market.
Unique process
Design Central developed a unique process based on the Law of Good Gestalt to develop the designs. Market analysis and early conceptualization informed independent teams as they approached the new designs through the lens of the whole appliance to create brand vectors including “easy,” “fresh” and “new traditions” to keep each product line and subsequent appliance autonomous. The design teams developed user personas, identified unique forms and product profiles and analyzed the work against predetermined targets to determine which attributes could strengthen the brand in the market.
Brand strategy
Design Central outlined goals for brand distinction based on competitive conditions, user research and stakeholder needs to communicate a clear, functional and cohesive mission. The strategy used a 30’, 10’, 3’ retail blueprint to develop the brand design attributes plan. It demonstrated adaptability across product lines and models targeted carefully segmented consumer groups and defined attributes to elevate the brand above commodity status.
The brand at retail
Design Central developed branding for the new lines of countertop appliances that were distinctive, fresh and true to the brand to enable them to compete in the market and be recognized by retailers. To support the creation of strong brand identities Design Central developed a naming strategy that expressed the best aspirational qualities of the brands. Packaging systems were developed to embody the brands’ unique elements while keeping each a cohesive entity. Design Central’s comprehensive brand strategy empowered the company’s opportunity to build its position in the market.