Same hardware, higher price: differentiating a brand solely on design

Tagline & Messaging | Packaging redesign | New product line visual identity | Photography & Art Direction | Website Redesign | Advertising & Tradeshow Graphics

Challenge:

Two sister brands built on the same product foundation. The premium tier had to earn its price through identity and messaging, while staying friendly enough for Walmart and Amazon shoppers.

Approach:

Plenty of car audio brands compete on sound quality alone. I looked in a different direction and started by brainstorming what time in the car represents for modern users. What are drivers looking for in the time they spend on the road? For many, driving is dedicated alone time where they want to pick up right where they left off. For others, it's an opportunity to stay connected to friends and family. From that came a new tagline: Connect Your Journey. It tied into the many ways connected car products — particularly ones with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — help customers feel more connected to their networks and inner worlds while driving.

The brand needed to walk the line between modern and high-tech while staying friendly and inviting enough that someone would welcome it into their vehicle. We transitioned to cooler, darker palettes with bright accent colors, combined with more dramatic product and lifestyle photography. The web and packaging used these bold images and dark color-blocked sections to ride that line in brand tone.

Outcome:

At the end of the redesign, the brand looked like it was worth the higher price, and stood clearly apart from its sister brand on the shelf.