2_1_DiscoverBenelux_22_Oct_2015_Scan Magazine 1 30/09/2015 20:46 Page 14
Discover Benelux | Best of Belgian Branding & Design | Edmire
MAIN IMAGE: The revolutionary cleaning device iMOP. RIGHT: A fixture for SLV lighting. BELOW: Design director Vincent De Smedt.
A brand is a story, the product its hero TEXT: BERTHE VAN DEN HURK | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EDMIRE
A great brand must have great products and vice versa. Without one, the other cannot survive. A brand tells a story, while a product plays its hero. This vision is not being told enough, according to the team of Edmire. Founded in 2010, Edmire is a product design studio in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The team has a main focus on branding, but exists mainly out of product designers. Design director Vincent De Smedt: “We design products for brands that wish to differentiate by design. Starting from the brand story, we seek appropriate solutions to relevant problems. It’s our role to help brands to think differently and realise these ideas. A brand has many touchpoints, like a logo, a website or advertising. For us the most important synergy with a brand remains through physical interaction. Building a brand through products is all about the emotion of products. We help brands to design products that create the
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right perception to serve and attract the right customers.”
can use the iMOP, and that’s what the brand stands for.”
A great example is iMOP, a revolutionary cleaning device. The attractive design has the flexibility of a floor mop and the power and speed of industrial scrubber driers. Research shows that 90 per cent of all European cleaning staff are women. But the products they use, like cleaning devices, are designed for and by men. “Technically wonderful products, but no thoughts went out to the design, the emotion nor the final user,” says De Smedt. “While designing the iMOP brand, our main focus was women and we gave it a high level of interaction. The product is stylish, easy to use, and creates a good feeling while using it. They feel proud in their work if they
Edmire has a comprehensive portfolio, among them are SLV and Duvel Moortgat. For these brands, Edmire applies their Brand-driven design process to inspire the design team. The majority of clients are larger SME’s, who do not have their own design team. For them, Edmire designs the brand story and executes it into graphic and product design. De Smedt: “We always try to translate a relevant story into new touchpoints, mainly physical products. During our creative brand-driven design process, we look beyond just form and function. That’s why our designs are strong, relevant and substantiated.” www.edmire.com