It is so important for brands to mould themselves to current trends, create future collaborations and understand the customer’s needs. As designers and creative directors we are a generation of rule breakers and explorers constantly looking to push the boundaries of design and marketing to keep brands ahead of the competition.
Accessibility and immediacy are of the utmost importance today for brands. The world is becoming smaller every day and we expect to be able to access anything and everything from the touch of our phone particularly through social media. Brands almost have a harder job today as they have to be seen talking, engaging and showcasing on so many different platforms and mediums….much more than just the printed poster and the tv ad of yester year!
Today branding is not about having a mark and stamping it on everything like it was in the 1980s and 1990s. Some brands however are still using their logo as a big part of their product design in a simple way. Other brands are diversifying and developing their logo to create more interesting branded products that are relevant and up-to-date with current trends.
Even more exciting than taking a branded logo and being playful with it is the idea of brand collaborations. The brand collaboration starts to push the brand into different spheres and create exciting marketing and shopping opportunities. Collaborations can lead to diversifying the brand into different markets, appealing to consumer needs, creating something new and unexpected but memorable.
Below are some examples of great brand collaborations over the past decade.
Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami
The multi-coloured monogram! Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami transformed people’s perception of them from a traditional French luxury brand into a brand in touch with trendy young people, Millennials and Generation Z. This was also a smart move in terms of talking to their huge following in East Asia. This collaboration evolved over the actual product, visual merchandising, film and animations, exhibitions and even designer QR codes.
Louis Vuitton Brand Collaboration
APC & Carhartt
In 2013 APC and Carhartt got together as both founders were great friends. Their collaboration began with each business using each other’s expertise in their market to diversify and offer the consumer better/relevant product.
Kylie & Evian
Evian are well know for constantly evolving their brand. They are insightful, brave and fun with their marketing and always able to appeal to a very wide audience. I loved the campaign they did with Kylie where they sponsored her 2002 tour which saw her name appear on ten million Evian bottles.
APC Carhartt Brand Collaboration