Brand Image and Industrial Design

Our recent class discussions about keeping "true" to one's brand made me think of a particular project I was part of in my past life at an industrial design firm. Just as we take care to remain true to the meanings which are associated with brands, in product design similar considerations are made with respect to design language. The two printers above are an example of this (the old model is on the left and the new model on the right). If one were to look at a side view of each of these printers, the side view is almost identical. The new design concept on the right was chosen partially because of its friendly familiarity with the old product it was replacing. The idea of design language also relates to the Toyota article: "How do we evolve a Camry to a new generation, yet have it still be a Camry?" Great designs like the Volkswagen Beetle and the newer Ford Mustang do this well. In the design world, people spend countless hours tweaking curves and surfaces to make this happen. The result is often very subtle so that all that is noticed is a feeling of new vitality or freshness...