Envisioning the integrated future of security cameras
A man in a tuxedo complements several diverse settings—weddings, special events, funerals and fine dining establishments. When Avigilon engaged Design Central to conceptualize a visual brand language (VBL) for its new line of H4 security equipment, their team used the tuxedo analogy to describe the company’s vision for the future. The H4 line of products needed to elegantly blend with various surroundings, from airports to banks and more—and stand out from its competition as a powerful, high-quality protection tool. We collaborated on a comprehensive strategy and design process to visually define seven of their products. The result? A framework that ultimately continues to serve as a guide for Avigilon, now owned by Motorola, Inc., as the company translates its VBL to new “black tie-ready” products.
Client
- Avigilon
Industry
- Commercial
Capabilities
- Strategy
- Product Design
Objective: Establish a visual brand language for Avigilon’s H4 line of security equipment.
Designing with real constraints in mind
Design concepts are no good if you can’t put them to use in the real world. That’s why our team worked closely with Avigilon to familiarize themselves with their current products and how and where the new line would be used. The cameras might be mounted on a ceiling or a wall indoors and outdoors, so our designs had to work seamlessly in those spaces. We started with an internal sketch session to explore different shapes and forms. That brainstorm resulted in a batch of form studies, which we presented to Avigilon for further refinement. As part of those form studies, we included attribute words that matched the emotional qualities they wanted to evoke in the final design. How could a camera be immediately recognized as powerful and professional? After a collaborative discussion, we narrowed in on one shape.
Final shapes provide easily translatable style
We honed in on the “squircle” shape and explored how it might transform into a hexagon, evoking that visual simplicity with a tough and reliable edge. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds, as we were designing for both long cameras, which allowed for an easy transition from squircle to hexagon, and dome-shaped cameras, which had much less surface area to play with. So we kept the area around the camera soft and flattened the sides of the dome to create a similar experience. The front of the box-shaped recorder included subtle nods to the angles of a hexagon, too. Our final 3D renderings and CAD gave Avigilon a thoughtful guide to express their brand personality moving forward.