Brand and Design
March 26, 2014, GPU Technology Conference, San Jose, CA—David Hilton from MotorCity Engineering showed how brand and style affect design in an automotive environment. Although the reference point is automobiles, the concepts are applicable to other areas.
A car designer has to combine materials, engineering, and appropriate art to design a car. The design results in a sculpture, and for many cars, the first model really is a clay sculpture. The costs for a new car development can run from $500 to $700 million and require the joining of engineers and designers. Unfortunately, these groups need a common language to proceed with their respective efforts.
A successful brand defines design elements which go into the final product. This product then redefines the brand. A brand is not the same as a logo nor is it just a product. A brand represents a gut feeling of the underlying characteristics and qualities of the company. This gut feel depends upon the customer response and is the greatest differentiator for the company. A great brand generates the feeling that you can trust them to meet or exceed all expectations.
There is no good substitute for a good brand strategy, but a brand should not inhibit creativity. Brands provide a means to differentiate your company. The company’s focus on its brands is critical. A good brand extension can be like the Cooper Mini, which adds models that continue to be good small cars. A bad extension is the Pontiac Aztec, not a sporty car from the brand. An exception is the Porsche Cayenne, which seems to be accepted as a sporty SUV.
Brands are a good reason for collaboration. Like a movie, a brand needs to have a team that has diversity in many areas of expertise. Innovation can also come from a brand’s image. You can find a hole in the marketplace and fill it with something that addresses the lack of existing associations.
Brand changes need validation. Bring in your audience and customers and set up clinics, and testing to confirm the change is acceptable. Testing is fairly cheap and quick, but dirty. The raw data have little correlation to other influencers. And finally, brands must be cultivated. A brand is a living entity that defines what changes in appearance are acceptable without changing the brand’s character.
These considerations lead to a methodology that in turn creates a heritage. The brand’s story is also it’s history. The customer response is their first impression, so you need clarity of design intent. The design needs iso-quality, and chrono-quality. The same quality over time. A good brand will also have ultra quality, the signature of perfection.
The challenge is to translate these characteristics into something like the DNA of the brand. Some graphical elements identify a brand, and mot of them are simple. For example a BMW has the grill split in two. A Bentley has a power line on the sides and a long hood to indicate a big engine for power. It also has a short back deck to indicate that this car isn’t for a family vacation, but is set for high activity. The Bentley also has a high waist ( the lower edge of the windows is fairly high) and a large C pillar ( the roof supports on the back of the roof) that indicate safety and privacy.
The basic design elements dare easily defined by key words while design elements are indicators of trending and futuring. The designers need to know the brand to find the right target. Brand criteria are fitted into the design as appropriate art which contributes to the whole product. Brands need a story, and have to create a world that reinforces the main message.
