Branding and Product Design

There have been recent paradigm shifts in both branding and design and in particular there has been a shift in thinking that is bringing these two fields closer together. Despite the strong link between famous brands and the products sold under their name and increased interest in how design can build a brand, Monika Hestad believes there is still a gap in understanding about the relationship between product design and the process of building a brand. In Branding and Design, Dr Hestad examines how winning brands create a strong link with their own core and what is offered and why they appear to be more creative and authentic than less successful brands. Key questions that arise when the process of building a brand is joined with the process of designing a product include: What is the link between the product and the brand? How can the product design process be part of building a culturally relevant brand? How can radical innovation in design of products also be used to build a brand? The book discusses these questions on both macro and micro levels. It also provides the reader with tools to understand various brands and the role of products in building the brand. The book includes several case studies from well-known as well as up-and- coming brands. Guidelines on how to bring the brand and the product design process together are provided. The sources and case-studies in the book are based on the author's own research into branding and product design, six years of teaching these topics and her own industrial practice. With in-depth case studies from industry, qualitative interviews delivering an 'insider' perspective on major brands, abstract concepts are brought to life. This book will prove invaluable to product or industrial designers and product or innovation managers and to all practitioners in the design industry, as well as marketers and other professionals working close to designers who would like to approach branding from a design perspective. It will also benefit those teaching and studying, particularly if they are involved in the new higher education programmes where business schools and design schools are co-operating to reflect the intersection between design and branding.