The most difficult aspect of branded product design is creating multiple products that look like they belong together. If a company makes packaging, clothes, promotional products, stationery, and souvenirs, and they all look like they’re created by different companies, the brand identity isn’t very strong. Creating a cohesive branded product collection is the only way to establish consistency, recognition, and make sure customers recognize the products as being part of the same brand.
Why Consistency Counts
The stronger brands are the easier brands to recognize. Customers shouldn’t have to go looking for the logo to know who the creator of the product is. The overall design should say that on its own.
Consistency creates a sense of familiarity and familiarity builds trust. When people have seen the visual style again and again and have associated it with reliability and professionalism, they are more likely to trust that style.
Creating a Visual System
A product collection starts with a system. This includes colors, fonts, graphic styles, pictures, and layouts. Everything in the system works together to connect the products as a family, even though each product is its own product.
The Importance of Color to Brand Recognition
Color is often the fastest way that a customer can identify a brand. Color makes it easy to identify a brand on the packaging or product because they’ve used a consistent color palette over time.
But an effective color system is more flexible than that. Good designers understand how to use the different colors for different uses and still make it look good. The color system should support the product design while still being recognized as a part of the brand.
Designing Different Types of Products
A collection has different types of products and each product is different. Packaging has different considerations and functions than products. Promotional products have different requirements than clothing. A product needs to do what it was designed to do while staying within the guidelines of the brand identity.
A collection doesn’t need every product to look the same in color or layout. It needs to have a recognizable visual style to keep a sense of consistency across different types of products.
Products Function First
Even if a product looks great, it doesn’t matter what the design is like if the product doesn’t do what it was designed to do. A product doesn’t need a fancy package if it’s not designed to fit the packaging it comes in. If the packaging doesn’t function well, the quality of the product is degraded.
Customers want a product that looks great AND functions the way they expect a product to. It makes them more likely to interact with the product again in the future. If a product looks good, but doesn’t work, you have lost value.
Looking Beyond the Product
Good designers don’t create products without thinking about the larger brand experience the customer will have in the future. A product may have to look good in packaging that the customer will throw away. A promotional product may need to be attractive enough to use in the workplace or around the house. If it looks like a separate product or brand, then there is a disconnect in the brand.
The End Result
A cohesive branded product collection isn’t just looking at each product in a vacuum. Each product needs to work in connection with each other while still functioning properly.
A well-designed branded product collection will make the brand recognizable, and create a consistent brand experience.
