Building a Brand – Redesigning a Business Start to Finish

Summary

In this video, Matthew Cena, the Chief Design Officer of Mode, takes us through the brand's rebranding journey, starting from the company's humble beginnings as a mechanical keyboard project to its transformation into a thriving business. He explains the process of developing a new brand identity, refining product offerings, and focusing on thoughtful, human-centered design. With the help of his creative collaborator, Ben Burns, the team aims to craft a brand that stands out, resonates with customers, and prioritizes innovation, warmth, and quality in both products and experiences.

Takeaways

• 😀 The rebranding of Mode focuses on creating a distinct, human-centered brand identity that resonates with customers.
• 😀 The discovery phase of the branding process involved gathering extensive data on products, customers, and market trends through surveys and interviews.
• 😀 Key customer personas were created based on data to better understand both current and potential customers, including their buying behaviors and preferences.
• 😀 A strong brand is not just about logos and colors; it encompasses reputation, emotional connections with customers, and positioning in the market.
• 😀 The Mode team conducted a brand positioning exercise to identify their unique space in the market, ultimately aiming to stand out from competitors.
• 😀 Mode's design vision is centered around 'warm tech' – making technology feel human and inviting, with products designed to bring joy to everyday experiences.
• 😀 The website redesign aims to create a seamless, intuitive user experience for both first-time visitors and keyboard enthusiasts.
• 😀 Color choices, typography, and photography style were carefully considered to reflect the brand’s identity, with a focus on warmth, craftsmanship, and a premium feel.
• 😀 The company’s branding process is based on collaboration, bringing in outside perspectives like Ben Burns to guide the direction and refine the design vision.
• 😀 Mode is working on more eco-friendly packaging and new product innovations, including an upcoming keyboard release that integrates both design and sustainability.
• 😀 The brand's communication emphasizes transparency, sharing behind-the-scenes content to connect with customers and showcasing the team behind Mode.

Q & A

What was the initial challenge Matthew Cena faced when joining Mode as Chief Design Officer?

Matthew Cena's first task was reimagining Mode's brand, which involved deciding how to position the company to stand out from competitors and transform its future products.

How did Mode’s founder, Jacob, become involved with mechanical keyboards?

Jacob, Mode's founder, discovered mechanical keyboards while working as a software engineer. This hobby evolved into a quest for the perfect typing experience and eventually led him to design and create Mode’s first product, a batch of 50 custom keyboards.

What prompted the need for a rebrand at Mode after 5 years of growth?

Despite Mode’s steady growth, the team felt the need for a rebrand to better reflect the company's clearer values, product design direction, and vision for the future. The goal was to update the brand to align with these evolving elements.

What does a brand encompass beyond logos, colors, and fonts?

A brand is much more than just its logo, colors, and typefaces. It encompasses the emotional gut feeling a customer has about a product or company. Every touchpoint and interaction shapes customer perception, creating a strong brand that stands out and forms connections.

How did Mode use customer research to shape their brand strategy?

Mode conducted customer surveys and in-depth interviews within the keyboard community to gather insights. These helped define customer personas and journeys, leading to better understanding of current and potential customers and informing the brand’s future direction.

What was the most popular brand direction from the three stylescapes presented to the Mode team?

The most popular direction was 'Crafted Narrative,' which featured dark green palettes, editorial typography, and hand-drawn elements. The team also liked elements from the other directions, such as bitmap typography and illustrations, which were combined to create the final 'Story of Craft' stylescape.

What is the main challenge when developing a new brand identity?

The main challenge is ensuring consistency across all touchpoints and aligning every design element—whether it’s typography, colors, photography, or messaging—with the core brand values. Achieving this level of cohesiveness takes time and iteration.

How did Mode's website redesign reflect their brand transformation?

Mode’s website redesign focused on making the user experience more intuitive, particularly for both first-time visitors and keyboard enthusiasts. The site warmed up in appearance, simplified purchasing processes, and shared more about the brand story to connect with customers.

What is 'warm tech' and how does it influence Mode’s product design?

'Warm tech' is Mode's guiding concept that emphasizes creating products that feel human, crafted, and inviting, rather than cold and manufactured. This idea shapes their product designs to feel like thoughtfully created pieces that bring joy to everyday experiences.

What new initiatives is Mode working on alongside the brand refresh?

Mode is working on eco-friendly packaging, such as replacing foam inserts with recyclable molded pulp for future product releases. They are also focusing on capturing new content for their website and developing a next-generation keyboard with a full component overhaul to reinforce their innovation in the mechanical keyboard space.