A Branding Story
An Innovative Idea
for an Iconic Brand
Ralph Lauren has an expansive global brand with a customer base in the hundreds of millions and over one billion per year in annual revenue. As of 2017, there are 1483 retail locations, between direct stores and concession shops, and 263 licensed partners globally.
Currently they focus on clothing, home decor, handbags and luggage, shoes and accessories. The brand is American and was founded by Ralph Lauren himself in 1967.
"This is the perfect market
for luxury headphones!" - RW
Let's take a quick look at the brand...
STYLE AND CLASS
Ralph Lauren is associated with style and quality. You'll find shops on Beverly Hills Blvd. and 5th Avenue, as well as exotic locations like Monaco and Paris.
Let's look at three key words we can use to define the brand.
Classic
Jet Setter
Luxury
Who is Ralph Lauren?
A man of luxury, well traveled, sophisticated
"Here is just one of his
homes, he lives the way
he designs." - RW
The
Lifestyle
"Classic Luxury, living on the edge,
while maintaining tradition. Inspiration
comes from the East Hamptons ."
- RW
Existing products on the market
"Shoes, bags, sunglasses, watches. What's missing here is technology that pairs with the look and feel of Ralph Lauren."
- RW
Ralph Lauren is known for a sophisticated
earthy color palette. Aside from the Polo Sport
line, most of the brand is based on upscale
classics, high quality materials and rich
hues.
Their home paint line is highly regarded.
After sifting through countless images of
the brand a clear color palette was created
using rich brown leather, navy blue for the
housing and brass details, as well as veneer
accents.
Some quick headphone studies
"There are many variations on headphones size and shape and different classic models. I felt it needed symmetry so choose the round shape."
- RW
Rich leather, brass hardware, high polish dark blue and veneer interior create a cohesive look for this new product.
Color and Material Variations
"It's inspiring to see the color palette
at work in these variations." - RW
FINAL DESIGN
A solidworks model and a keyshot
rendering convey the "texture rich" look and feel these stylish
headphones will have
Suggested Retail Price
$350
Rapid Prototyping
The next step was to create a full scale
model of the headphones.
"There's nothing quite like seeing an idea jump off a page and into your hands. The art of product design is creating for a three dimensional world."
- RW
MODEL AND RENDERING
With the visual representation completed, the next steps would include collaboration with sound engineers, manufacturers, upscale packaging and marketing.
* Disclaimer: Created during my graduate studies
at Art Center and is for portfolio purposes only.