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  • 1.  Trade-off Between Design Novelty and Consistency

    Posted 10-08-2020 16:30

    One of the topics briefly covered in my Product and Brand Management MBA course last semester was the role of design and its associated impact on a given brand. As such, the editorial, “Designing the Future: Past and Future Trajectories for Design Innovation Research” in the September 2020 issue of the Journal of Product Innovation Management caught my attention. I was particularly interested in the discussion between design novelty and design consistency. In class, we learned about how innovative product design is a key means of brand differentiation. However, as mentioned in the article, a “tipping point” exists when it comes to design novelty and brand recognition. It’s critical to either find a balance between maintaining the look of the brand while exploring new designs or seek ways in which consumers can adjust to design changes.

    According to the article, research indicates that consumer preference leans towards designs that are not categorized as too similar or too different from the established look of the brand. From your experience, how much does design consistency influence decisions over design innovation? What is the optimal way to approach designs that keep the brand “fresh” without damaging brand recognition?



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    Gabriela Pinotti
    Graduate Research Assistant
    Oakland University
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  • 2.  RE: Trade-off Between Design Novelty and Consistency

    Posted 10-14-2020 00:33
    Gabriela - Thank you for your insightful post regarding the JPIM article "Designing the Future: Past and Future Trajectories for Design Innovation Research".  Most of the companies and brands I've been associated with over the years have strict brand guidelines and strive to comply with those guidelines for the design of the product and packaging and marketing of that brand.  This supports the research shared in the article.  Design/brand consistency tends to trump design innovation.  Changing the design is not undertaken lightly.

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    [Sue] [Burek] [NPDP]
    [kHUB Administrator]
    [PDMA]
    [Huntersville] [NC]
    [585-314-4611]
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  • 3.  RE: Trade-off Between Design Novelty and Consistency

    Posted 10-21-2020 17:01
    Hi Gabriela,
    You make an astute observation regarding our finding that there needs to be a balance between design novelty and brand recognition. This is an area that clearly needs more academic research to find that "tipping point". Maybe you or someone you know might like to take this up as a research project?


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    Gloria Barczak
    Professor Emeritus of Marketing
    Northeastern University
    Boston MA
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