Are you living a lifestyle – or your life? In general, and even in just the past 3-4 years, there has been a massive shift in our aspirations and, ergo, brands are now having to re-think their offer. Lifestyle branding is no longer prescribing (as previously) lifestyle on a mass scale but is rather moving to a new evolution of — and design of — what we are terming ‘living brands’ with a re-focus of aspiration around ‘real life’ lifestyles.
The old-school lifestyle brands – think Ralph Lauren – gave us a very two-dimensional cookie-cutter approach whereas the new breed of lifestyle brands may have a heartland area but extend their offers to create a broader and more eclectic branded experience. These brands approach lifestyle as individual and personal. They realise that it’s not about such indulgent and stereotypical visual messaging but about creating a more fluid and flowing aesthetic and a design approach that builds its own interpretation of modern living and life. They attempt to inspire and identify with their customers and by offering a unique mix of product and values and evolving with a genuine and personal — and sometimes simpler — design approach to help them build their own interpretation of modern living and life.
Could we call what is essentially a cleaning brand, a lifestyle brand? Well, I think you definitely can when that brand is Method. The growing portfolio of the range is truly first class whilst both the structural and graphic delivery of each and every product answers the principles of designing for today’s living brands: from its Omop Wood Floor Care Kit– a truly innovative 4-piece disposable mopping system for wood floors in a bamboo and recycled paper box- to its kid care sector – and the truly ingenious Squeaky Green Baby Hair & Body Wash which not only has a fresh, contemporary and atypical baby-like design but is also practical to a fault with a great ergonomic bottle shape and a lid that turns into a cup to wash the baby’s head. And now, the design of the new ‘people against dirty’ laundry detergent is worthy of similar praise.
Where to start with its merits…The extra concentrated formula claims to be enough for 50 loads of laundry, the ingenious pump delivers accuracy and no mess whilst the bottle is environmentally-friendly and recyclable. The soap itself also requires less energy and oil to produce, making it gentler on both clothing and the earth. The structural design is truly evolutionary and the graphic execution is modern, clean, colourful – and pertinent. But, above all, Method doesn’t impose a hard and fast aesthetic but rather the design and branding is fluid, natural and pared down and in this way can seamlessly hold together the varied and evolving collection of products and packaging.
Brands that cleverly, stylishly and desirably — and in this case literally — become part of the daily fabric of life are the living, breathing brands we now want.