Case Loopshore
Discovering Brand & Design Identity Together With a Customer.
In the summer of 2020 a start-up called Loopshore approached Nordic Design Consulting with a request: Their technology is almost ready and they would need help with launching their product portfolio with first commercial product.
In addition to product design their brand lacked previous visual identity. This is the story how we helped Loopshore to discover their brand and design identity.
You can read the full story below, or jump straight to the conclusion.
The article is written with the permission of Loopshore. For product enquiries please go here.
Steps to discover the unknown
Unknown can often feel intimidating and we were in front of this challenge. How to build an identity for a brand that has no existing designs or brand visuals? How do we know we will create the right type of aesthetic?
To guide us through this uncertainty, we created a simple yet effective process.
A simplified chart of the process we followed to discover the right kind of a brand & design identity together with Loopshore
Step 1: Familiarizing & setting requirements
Behind every good project there is a good team
To begin we held a few meetings to familiarize ourselves with each other and with the task at hand. In this phase we also dove deep into the fundamentals of our project: Why are we doing this and what is important for the brand of Loopshore?
It is also important to set a list of simple requirements for the product in the beginning of the project. These requirements drive the product design throughout the process. We explore by asking questions such as: What is it that we are trying to achieve here, and why? Who is the user or archetype we mainly design to? Where is the product used the most? What is the product best at? What makes the product unique?
By asking these fundamental questions we explored the path of finding the right direction for the brand identity and for the product that we are about to start building.
Step 2.1: Construction
Technology and architecture
Loopshore had been developing their cutting edge technology for some time already, so there was a solid base to start from in finding the right product architecture.
The Loop One sensor contains several components which measure the environment. These are the most crucial components of the product and should be placed accordingly. However we did not want the sensors to dictate the product’s visual identity. We needed to come up with a case design that is open enough for the sensors to operate and does not look like swiss cheese.
Another driving factor for the architecture of Loop One was a) modularity and b) possibility for co-branding. We wanted to leave the future door open for customizing the product, to enable business partnerships, and for a flexible way of face lifting the product by changing the main visual part if necessary.
The final construction was clever: Gap between the covers will allow airflow without too many visible holes, and the top cover could be modified if wanted to. The top cover was also designed to have the most real-estate of the product - This is a way to maximize the visual impact of changing the cover. The hidden gap between covers will provide sufficient air circulation.
The particle matter sensor could be placed to the bottom end of the product, together with USB-interface and the power switch. It makes sense to group these features to minimize visual clutter and to optimize the lay-out of electronics in most cases.
Step 2.2: Identity
A product is the embodiment of the brand
At this point we had a strategic approach for a good product architecture and fine sensor technology loaded in - the next question was related to the product identity and the brand’s design appeal. In fact Loopshore had no existing brand identity. The upcoming product would be the pioneer to set the direction for a portfolio of products and ultimately guide the whole brand’s visual identity.
We worked closely together with the founders of Loopshore in this quest for finding the right visual identity. Here the main tool was a set of simple mood boards to explore different aesthetics. A good mood board is a powerful way of visualizing a style before the form of an actual product exists yet.
Mood boards for visualizing different design themes
We also invited a marketing agency, Bananas, to develop the graphical guidelines and design a logotype for Loopshore. It was a perfect time for this, because we were able to design the product aesthetics and other brand aesthetics at the same time and together.
Step 3: Concept candidates
The chosen ones
In our process we had found a smart way of managing the workload: By breaking down the elements of the product and separating style and the technical construction helps decision making. This is also time- and cost-efficient: mood boards are an efficient and fast way of visualizing a style and free of technical constraints.
Through conversations we selected two favorite mood boards, that were quite different from each other, but both of them felt like good candidates for the final product.
Two design themes selected as the main concept streams
Thanks to our process, we knew exactly how to proceed. It was time to merge the technical construction and the design style back together, and build the outcome into product concepts.
Final concept candidates were modeled into more detailed CAD models and rendered to visualize the product concepts.
Step 4: Final concept selection
I know it when I see it!
It is easy to choose from a small amount of options, so we were happy to have eliminated so many mood boards previously.
In our final concept meeting we sat down to go through the design concepts and their individual design stories.
By the end of our meeting the decision was obvious: The Natural concept was a clear winner - it is derived from nature, it feels friendly and looks timeless.
Final concept image of the Loop One Sensor. Hand in the image communicates scale and gives a hint of how the design looks and feels in use.
Final concept image of Loop One Sensor in office context.
Conclusion
We believe that involving the customer in the design process is vital for finding the right kind of design appeal and product identity. After all, it is their product that we are here to deliver.
In this case customer had no previous visual identity for their brand nor previous product designs in their portfolio. For any creative company this scenario is delicious: There is no legacy or burden to take into account and you get to touch both, the brand identity and the product design DNA. We succeeded with involving the customer in the early stage of the process and by working hard together until we were happy.
It is our responsibility as creative professionals to lead the customer into the best possible outcome and make sure that it will be what they want it to be. This is why continuous collaboration with the customer is important.
At the same time it is also our responsibility as designers’ to look after the aesthetic quality, usability, feasibility and cost. Although this is also teamwork, it is up to us. We are the creative experts to ensure that the outcome fulfills all the set requirements, and the result is world-class.
In the end, it is our deep expertise that the customer is buying. We have gained this by winning in our domain over the years, and that is our most valuable asset we have to offer.
Any questions?
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+358 40 569 37 91 / timo (at) nodeco.net