Typically in India, when people move into a new house and need a kitchen, wardrobes, and storage they call a local carpenter who builds these for them from scratch. Homestudio wanted to offer a modern approach using customizable modular furniture, designed and engineered in Germany, but at a comparable price to traditional carpentered furniture. To reach a maximum number of customers they planned on using an e-commerce platform as their primary method of sales. As their brand development partner, we needed to find the right way to position their brand and present their modern home furnishing approach to the Indian customer.
Through a deep understanding of customer needs and the products Homestudio offered, we developed a cohesive definition for their brand which centered around their key value proposition - 'providing a modern living experience using German modular furniture, at an affordable price'. We helped them define their brand promise which is to ‘enable family and friends to have happy, fulfilling, and memorable experiences'. This is embodied by the logo and permeates through the website design which introduces customers to the brand and its offerings. The result is a brand that appeals to their potential customers who aspire for modern living and allows them to fulfill their dreams.
In order to develop the Homestudio brand, we began with extensive research including discussion with potential customers to understand their needs, beliefs, likes, and dislikes. Since Homestudio's core offering was German-engineered, modular furniture, we had to understand the products' advantages and disadvantages. Besides the products, we needed to dive deep in order to unearth the beliefs and values of the people on the Homestudio team through our customized brand development workshop. Armed with plenty of raw data we went to work and derived the inherent qualities, values, and personality of the brand - what would customers feel, believe, and experience when they encountered Homestudio. This culminated in a comprehensive brand manual that provided detailed guidance on communication in order to win over target customers.
While speaking to target customers, visiting typical apartments, and brainstorming with key stakeholders, we understood that the logo needed to be approachable and friendly, but clean and modern at the same time in order to reflect a German sensibility. We investigated various options from 2D, 3D, and negative space play on the ‘HS’ logo mark. We looked at representing it through more literal objects, including modular shelves and a chair. The final logo captures the core essence of the brand with the colorful, warm energy of a home, a place where family & friends come together.
A critical touchpoint for the Homsestudio brand was its e-commerce online store. In order to guide customers through their shopping experience, we created an overall architecture for the website that would introduce customers to the brand, inform and educate them about the products and services offered, and allow them to easily navigate to something they might want to buy. We focused on highlighting some of the key differentiators which included the company's beautiful German product line, ease of use & ownership, as well as their commitment to quality. Ordering an entire kitchen online can be a daunting task for anyone, so we broke down the process into simple steps that would allow the user to plan out their kitchen and then guide them through the order process in an intuitive and simple manner.
