Archive for the 'Packaging' Category
Designing a brand of nicely engineered tools.
A collaboration between Liquid and HerbstProdukt.
Hextec, a leader in the tool category is based in Shanghai, but sells its products to retailers worldwide. In its effort to continue to grow its market share, the company wanted to develop a set of products specifically designed to appeal to a younger and more design savvy consumer. Realizing that they needed to work with a design team that has a fresh approach and a global perspective, the company reached out to HerbstProdukt for the industrial design and to Liquid Agency for the brand identity component of the assignment. The two firms are both based in Silicon Valley and have collaborated on award winning products that range from consumer electronics to kitchen tools.
Hextec: A brand that is rugged and sophisticated.
HerbstProduckt took the lead on the assignment by developing an industrial design language that positions the brand as a premium alternative. According to Scot Herbst, principal of HerbstProdukt, “I felt that the brand should be perceived as being about hard working tools that just happen to be beautifully designed. They are sophisticated, but in a very industrial, very rugged kind of way. ” The brand language leverages “hexagonal” geometric details inspired by the brand name, and suggests concepts of engineering, precision and quality. Scot discussed these ideas with Alfredo Muccino, the founder and Chief Creative Officer at Liquid Agency, and they agreed that the logo should embody these same qualities.
Engineered to stand out for all the right reasons.
The brand identity steers away from a decorative approach, instead it is a very simple and bold typographical solution in which the the “X” in Hextec becomes the most iconic component. The design of the Hextec identity takes into consideration the fact that it needs to be showcased prominently on the products becoming an easily recognizable signature element. The color red implies strength and power, while the grey alludes to the industrial nature of the products. The combination is not new, but the way in which the industrial design and the identity design are combined offers an alternative to traditional tools that is definitely contemporary and modern. According to Alfredo, “We’re very happy about the balance that we have been able to achieve between elegance and functionality. The brand stands out from the alternatives, but it does so in a way that it will be considered a serious tool. The brand’s elegance is born out of its purposeful engineering, we steered away from any type of decorative aesthetic”
Elegant packaging is focused on less, not more.
According to Alfredo, “We are using the Hextec Screwdrivers as the starting point, but in reality Liquid is working on a packaging system that can be applied to a full range of products”. The packaging will be designed to convey the premium level of the brand – and will need to accommodate products that hang on pegs and products that sit on shelves. “We are still at the very early conceptual stages. But we hope that the packaging will be as smart as the products – which in our opinion means less packaging. I am challenging our designers to “engineer” the packaging design solution to use the least amount of materials and minimize the impact on our environment while lowering the manufacturing costs. That’s what we consider to be smart design.”
Helpful links.
Product design by Liquid debuts at 2010 HouseWares Show.
In March, I attended the HouseWares Show in Chicago along with our our client, Slice, who was debuting a new logo, new booth, and a whole bunch of new products – including a new box cutter I co-designed with Scot Herbst. In terms of product design, this is a first for Liquid, and it was a very exciting event. Slice is a small company that makes a very cool set of products that cut, grate, chop…and, of course…slice. The product line includes peelers, graters, scissors, utility knives, kitchen knives, nail clippers..and now a box cutter. Liquid has been involved with Slice since the very start, when I helped design the product that launched the company – the iSlice – a simple one-sheet cutter with a very small ceramic blade. This product is still a best seller today, although it is now marketed as the “Safety Cutter”. From the beginning we’ve worked closely with TJ Scimone, a very dear friend, and the Founder / CEO of Slice. Over many breakfast meetings we worked together to defined the company’s brand strategy and business direction, and as the Brand Architect for Slice I have had the pleasure to be involved with every possible manifestation of the brand.
Most importantly, Liquid has helped develop relationships with some of the world’s most celebrated designers, including Karim Rashid, Michael Graves, and Yves Behar. We’ve also been instrumental in identifying fresh talent, like Scot Herbst – who is the man behind the popular Kaiku brand, and is now helping develop many of Slice’s new products. At the beginning, Liquid provided all of the design services necessary to launch the company, including the logo, packaging, literature and website. Today, Slice continues to grow at a rapid pace, and we remain integrally involved in every aspect of the brand’s evolution – with a great emphasis on product development – and as the Brand Architect for Slice, Alfredo Muccino provides high-level strategic and creative direction to a very diverse and very talented group of independent designers. For example, we worked on the packaging with Tom Crabtree, creative director of Manual in San Francisco (Tom designed the iPhone packaging at Apple) who collaborated with one of Liquid’s former Creative Directors, the very talented Joshua Swanbeck. They both put their considerable skills to work for Slice and revamped the entire packaging system as well as refining the Slice identity and creating new literature. We also tapped the talents of Jan Habraken, a multi-disciplinary designer originally from the Netherlands, now working in NY. Jan designed the new Slice booth – which got almost as much attention as the products. Good work, Jan!
The 2010 International HouseWares Show was a great success for Slice. According to Phil Brandl, president of the International Housewares Association, “We were encouraged by the significant increase in international buyer attendance this year as well as by the reports that U.S. retailers and senior executives were present in large numbers.” The Slice booth was visited by buyers from all over the world, including Japan, Korea, Australia, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and more. All of the visitors lauded the Slice brand for the quality of its product design as well as for the elegance of its presentation.
To much acclaim, Slice introduced a new Salt and Pepper Grinder by Karim Rashid – who showed up at our booth and helped introduce the new product. Slice also launched a complete set of personal care accessories by Michael Graves – the acclaimed architect who is also well-known for his product designs for Target and Alessi. Being able to introduce the Box Cutter that I designed along with Scott Herbst in such amazing company was quite an honor.
The Box Cutter uses ceramic blades that last 10X longer than traditional metal blades, while its unique shape offers a better grip and improved safety features. Without a question, the design of this product sets it apart from all other utility knifes on the market. We are currently at work on a number of new products and look forward to sharing them with you as soon as we make progress. In the meanwhile, please let us know what you think of the work we’re doing for Slice.We’d love to get your feedback…and any suggestions for new product extensions!!!
Liquid Agency wins 12 ADDY awards.
Liquid Agency took home 12 awards at this year’s ADDY Awards Gala, including two of the coveted ADDY Statuettes, representing work that was considered the best in its category. The ADDYs honor creative excellence by recognizing the best work of local agencies, as judged by a panel of peers. The party and awards ceremony was hosted by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Advertising Federation, on March 4 at the Marriott Hotel, downtown San Jose. This year’s party was smaller than in previous years – a reflection of the tough economic climate – yet the mood was festive, as it seems that Silicon Valley is starting to show signs of recovery.
Liquid Agency received a Best of Category ADDY award for the brand identity refresh we delivered for the Golden Gate Chapter of the Young President’s Organization – a global network of CEOs. The YPO GG Chapter includes mostly CEOs from the technology sector, so we created a visual style that reflects the dynamic and progressive nature of the members.
“We’re happy that the judges have selected to give us these awards,” said Alfredo Muccino, Chief Creative Officer of Liquid Agency. “We participate every year because we believe that it is important to play an active role in our local creative community – especially during times like these, when many clients have cut their budgets and agencies have struggled to survive.”
Once the awards ceremony had come to a close, we celebrated in true Liquid style with friends, family and some of the other agencies that participated in the competition. It was a night of camaraderie and friendship shared with many of the agencies that keep Silicon Valley a center of world-class creativity and innovation.
Below is a complete list of all the awards received by Liquid Agency:
ADDY Young Presidents Organization Branding
Gold ADDY Sezmi Packaging
Silver ADDY Microsoft Office for Mac Retail Merchandising
Silver ADDY Aviat Logo
Silver ADDY Aviat Website
Silver ADDY Adidas Motorsports Microsite
Silver ADDY Olive Advertising Campaign
Silver ADDY HP Advertising Campaign
Bronze ADDY Alex Logo / Brand Identity
Bronze ADDY Addison Avenue
Bronze ADDY HP Microsite
To see the all of projects that won at this year, as well as past awards and competitions, click here.
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