Redefining innovation: the science behind our new brand
We are Oxford Product Design but our friends call us OPD
Some of the eagle-eyed amongst our customers and partners will have noticed a change in our visual identity (VI). Over the last few months, we have been putting together the OPD brand to better reflect our approach, how we work, and our expert team.
It was last year after passing our 10th birthday that we decided to take the plunge and undertake this piece of work, reaching a point where we believed our logo and brand no longer represented the current OPD. Over time we were becoming known as “OPD” and started to move away from “Oxford Product Design”. And, although great for describing us and SEO, we embraced the change and opted for “OPD” as a snappier iteration of our company name.
Previously our VI, rooted in sci-fi themes, was once solely focused on designing high-tech, futuristic products. While we continue to innovate in this area, our emphasis has shifted towards creating a holistic product experience where technology enhances and seamlessly integrates into the background rather than taking the spotlight. Additionally, we wanted to break away from dated visuals and perceptions of what high-tech and futuristic look like.
After internal deliberation of our logo and brand, we decided to outsource the process to the expert team at world class agency, evensix. Together with Tim Perry, innovation and design strategy consultant, evensix took us through the initial design sprint. Their team was able to look at OPD with a fresh pair of eyes, providing necessary objectivity to ideas and amalgamating different opinions across our team. They first built an understanding of what and why we wanted to change, then delivered visuals and a new logo that works in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. We are very pleased with the new VI and believe it perfectly encapsulates OPD today.
In the next few weeks, we will be fully switched away from our old VI to our new, shiny OPD look.
Out with the old, in with the new
A significant chapter in the re-branding project was the website redesign. Not only did we want to refresh the visuals, but we also wanted to take this opportunity to change the customer journey of how we share who OPD is. With the help of evensix’s designers and developers, we have been able to re-structure our website for ease of use for new prospective customers and familiar faces alike.
We hope this new journey creates better visibility of our approach, provides a clean canvas to highlight the success of our work, and provides clear outlines of the services we provide.
New Product Science™ gets its spotlight
A term we have been using internally for the last couple of years is finally being given the spotlight we believe it deserves. As we’ve refined OPD’s design methodology over the years, we noticed a clear theme of science in both our products designed and the steps we take to get there. Whether it’s in the form of an advanced sensor, a piece of lab equipment, or our experimentation and evidence-backed choices, we believe we go beyond the well-trodden path of NPD (New Product Development) and NPI (New Product Innovation). It was with the help of Paul Stead, we coined our own term; New Product Science™(NPS).
Whilst approaching our rebrand and new messaging, Tim Perry was a huge advocate for NPS and he helped cement what it really meant for us. Having a 3rd party who had the skills to flesh out our messaging to resonate with our audience and be the voice of the customer was invaluable and helped us with the external strategic perspective along the way.
Read more on New Product Science™ and our approach.
