I love my guitar. It feels good, is well balanced, and it sounds great. I happen to have a cedar top Ovation Balladeer. To anyone who knows guitars, it is instantly recognizable as an Ovation. This is interesting, because you have to look pretty close to find the product or company name anywhere on it.
Ovations come in many varieties. You can get them with a traditional wood top but you can also have them in white, blue, black, red, or even with some pretty outlandish graphics on them. You can have an ovation with a traditional center hole or with a unique multi-hole design. Take a look at The Ovation Site to see what I am talking about.
The amazing thing is that they are all instantly recognizable as Ovations even though they come in so many different designs.
In my work as a software designer, the topic of branding a product often comes up. There are many approaches to how to communicate the name of the product and the company who makes it. Some argue that prominently displaying the corporate logo ensures a strong brand identity. Others add that the name of the product should be in bold letters across the top so everyone knows what application they are using.
Another approach says that utility speaks for itself. If you make a product great, everyone will know what product it is and who made it. When I am driving my Ram, I don’t need to be told that it was made by Dodge – I know that, I just need it to do its job. A big logo on the dashboard won’t make it pull any better. Fortunately, there is only a Ram logo on the steering wheel; when driving, it is on the lower part of my field of vision and doesn’t interfere with the view of the road or any of the gauges on the dashboard.
Of course, there are many approaches in between. One of the more fun approaches is the way Mickey is incorporated, subtly and not so subtly, throughout the Disney cruise ships. For many, looking for the logo becomes part of the fun of cruising with Disney. Logos are integrated into items that would exist anyway, like stair rails, lamps, or carpet. They are woven into the look of the item and don’t interfere with functionality.
Sometimes, the corporate logo becomes the main visual design factor, which can be kind of cool in a t-shirt or a woman’s purse.
To help you think about how branding might work best as you create experiences for your customers, here is a challenge. For one week, pay attention to the products you use; software, web sites, kitchen utensils, musical instruments, cars, and everything else. Do they work well? What company made them? Does the product have a name? How do you know what it is? Does the branding help or interfere with your use of the product?
I would love to hear your experiences after taking the challenge. Let me know the best and worst examples you can find of product identification. How do you think logos and branding impact the experience?
Thanks for following.
Erling
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