The Marriage of Physical and Digital Branding
Electrolux
Electrolux collaborated with Sundberg-Ferar to explore the transition of their brand into the digital space of the embedded control screens on their products. This represented an opportunity for the company to step away from the purely utilitarian aspects of device control, and toward a more beautiful, entertaining, and emotionally connected user experience. The program explored interface and animation opportunities across laundry and kitchen appliances.
Market
Consumer Products
The team’s approach to the program centered around adopting emotional and cinematic elements more commonly seen in the motion picture and advertising industries.
Beyond merely representing the brand, there was a desire to create an emotional connection between the functionality of the appliances and the user’s wholesome motivation of caring for their family. To achieve this, a completely new palette of images was employed; from cute babies, to fun-loving vacation photos and smartly appointed business attire, the interfaces sought to connect Electrolux appliances to the emotional lives of the consumer.
The changeable aspect of screen-based controls also meant that they could now display entertaining and contextual animations instead of just functional controls, so the entire process of use could now be narrated in an entertaining and beautiful new way. Motion graphics and transitions were used to direct the user’s attention, making the controls simpler and easier to use. Soothing colors, textures, and movements softened the “control interface” and moved it toward the simplicity and clean elegance of modern aesthetics.
Electrolux: The Marriage of Physical and Digital Branding
How a consumer identifies that a product will fit into their aspirations is so much more than a logo or color selection can convey. Screen-based interfaces radically increase what a brand can say about itself, and how they can say it.
Human Impact
By focusing on the user-centric interface, Electrolux is helping its customers move from having to deciper complex controls and obscure dials, to having vivid and intuitive graphical displays that bring clarity to the laundry process. This new approach is helping integrate technology seamlessly into everyday life, going beyond just a “design tweak” to instead support a more connected and efficient lifestyle, where appliances understand and support our evolving needs.
Business Impact
User interfaces can deftly sum-up a great deal about a brand and present it in ways that are highly attuned to the needs and desires of the consumer. Even basic tasks can have strong emotional connections when they are considered in the greater context of consumer aspirations. By presenting controls in a more focused context, they can be made both simpler and more contextually relevant.
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