Move aside smart homes

Branding

Living brands are an area that really interests me. Thinking about the extra dimension allows for new life to be breathed into simple geometric shapes and conjures up combinations that might seem slightly awkward but somehow make for distinctive marks.

It’s the space between where the real magic happens. The idea that a company’s traditional logo or brand mark is now simply a snapshot of a moment as it continues its transitions between states.

This concept makes total sense when talking about smart technology especially as the connective home marketplace is predicted to be worth £117bn globally by 2020.

Known in the UK for helping people control their home from their phone, following rapid growth Hive have looked towards Wolff Olins to help them bring their new multi-market proposition, ‘Living Brilliantly’ to life.

Poised to compete directly with the likes of Nest and Vivint, Wolff Olins has humanised the brand aimed at making the dream of a smart home a reality.

“The current understanding of smart home services and capabilities is really mixed, but we are at a tipping point. As we move on from one-off devices to full solutions, we need exciting, adaptable ways to communicate the real-life benefits that having a connected home brings to daily life.”
Nicky Mackrell, Global Brand and Marketing Director at Centrica Connected Home, (the business behind Hive)

Led by a new, living mark, the brand visuals use panels and shifting perspectives to reflect the uniqueness of our homes. When animated these shifting perspectives and horizons offer a fluid and somewhat calming transition which is very much in line with the humanised approach.

The colour palette also has an approachable, friendly and energetic feel. While the tone of voice and photography have been crafted to help the brand tell more human stories about the diversity of smart homes solutions for real people.

As the mission statement says, Move aside smart homes, it’s all about connected homes now, should it be it’s all about connected brands now?

www.wolffolins.com