A good design is to a brand what oxygen is to living beings. Irrespective of what sector the brand caters to, a good product, packaging, and logo design help a brand stand out and thrive.

Good design here is an umbrella term which includes brand logos, retail experiences, product, packaging, web presence et al. To create a brand impression in the market you need to ace them all.

Let us look into these interesting design concepts involving products, logos, and packaging that helped these brands generate curiosity, grow their audience and build a distinct identity in the competitive markets.

1) Mini Cooper:

 

The British Motor giant came about as an outcome of the Suez crisis back in 1956 which restricted the fuel imports thereby causing an acute shortage of fuel supply. The think tank behind what Mini Cooper today is – Austin Seven & Morris Mini-Minor were handed the task of coming up with a powerful design which would help not only in tackling the fuel crisis but also minimize the imports of German cars in the country. With this vision in sight, designer Alec Issigonis came up with the revolutionary Mini Cooper. The care was small but bold. The frugal look and features only emphasized the conditions in which it was born. The Min took the markets by storm at that time and still holds sway.

2) The Coca-Cola Bottle:

No “design” post can afford to ignore this legend! The beverage giant, Coca-Cola has been known for its revolutionary product and marketing strategies over the century of its existence. The contour bottle that you now recognize and associate with carbonated drinks was the brainchild of designer Earl R. Dean who was handed the task of creating a design that would be distinct and easily recognizable in the dark. Now, you might wonder what’s distinct about it. Well, this genius of a design concept dates back to 1915. Earl R. Dean wanted to design a bottle that would reflect the ingredients of the drink which would be either a coca leaf or Kola nut. Since he failed to find a pictorial reference to either, he took the design inspiration from the cocoa pod from the encyclopaedia and that’s where those ribs in the bottle come from. This design is iconic, familiar and comforting, and merges form and function so well that it’s an evergreen inspiration.

3) Sony VAIO Logo:

VAIO was a brand introduced by Sony in 1996. VAIO is an acronym for Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer. This product set catered to the electronics giant’s PC and phone segments until 2014 when in a restructuring bid Sony sold VAIO to Japan Industrial Partners. The logo is not far short of pure genius. It was created by Teiyu Goto who was a supervisor of product design at Sony. The VA in the logo is designed to depict a sine wave and the IO depicts the binary digits 1 and 0 – a visual representation of an amalgamation of the digital and analog signals. This captured perfectly the tipping point at which the telecom and personal computing industry were at that time. The products, like the logo, were beautiful, functional, and often included innovative combinations. The combinations went places other products hadn’t -for eg. integrating a webcam into the laptop for the very first time, adding in an FM tuner, MiniDisc player, and built-in amplifier into a desktop, and for the very first time, introducing a stylus and a tiltable screen for a laptop.

4) State Bank of India Logo:

The State Bank of India is the largest bank in the country. The bank’s logo has gone through various changes over the years but the element that has remained constant is the circle at its heart. This is a logo that every Indian recognises -and associates with banking. The logo can be interpreted in different ways. The most direct representation is that of a keyhole. For the common people of the country, this represented the safety the bank promised them as they trusted it with their savings and valuables. At another level, the logo represents an individual being enveloped in SBI’s protection. The common man was not the focus of the banking, financial, and business community for a long time. Post-independence, SBI’s identity contributed to the Government’s efforts to change this perception.

5) Asian Paints Logo

Founded in 1942, Asian Paints is the largest paint companies in the country today. In the year 2012, the brand revived its image by revealing a new logo. The design brings to mind a free-flowing ribbon that forms the brand’s initials AP. The ribbon is used as a depiction of the easy and smooth flow of the paint. The colours on each surface are clear, vibrant, and glossy -in keeping with the preferences of consumers today.

6) The Welcome Group Logo

The logo of the Welcome Group chain of hotels. owned by the ITC, is inspired by the traditional Indian saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which means that the guest is next to God. The logo depicts two folded hands gesturing Namaste -the traditional way of welcoming people in India. Looking deeper, the logo also suggests a path leading forward to a set of doors that is opening -reflecting potential and possibilities. The ITC tapped into their identity as a truly Indian hospitality brand with this cultural depiction in their logo. The group is now the second largest traditional hotel chain in the country with over 100 properties.

7) The Axis Bank Logo

Axis Bank is one of the highest performing banks in the country today with a strong base of over 55 lakh customers across the country. The bank’s logo is the epitome of simple yet powerful communication. The logo depicts the letter A which is divided into two blocks. The lower block depicts the bank’s strong customer base and the top one depicts an upwards growth path which implies that the bank aims to achieve high growth with its customers’ support as the strong foundation. The bank is now India’s third-largest private sector bank and consistently ranks among the top 10 when it comes to customer service. The Bank also scores well on most parameters related to providing services to their customers in innovative new ways or in communicating with their customers -clearly, the customer is the Axis on which their growth is leaning.

There is, of course, a lot that goes into the conceptualizing and designing of a logo, product, service or brand identity. The aim of every brand is to leverage design to narrate a unique story to its customers that is based upon the core values and vision of the brand. As these examples show if that happens the business is sure to benefit.

 

Looking to drive business value from design? Reach out to us on info@lokusdesign.com.