Graphic Design for Luxury Brands
I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness, but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it. -Coco Chanel

This quote is attributed to the late fashionista Coco Chanel. But it could have been expressed by any of the terrific graphic designers featured here. They all understand that in 2004 successful luxury branding is not about arrogance and ostentation, but about high standards, quality and quiet confidence. It is a thin line, a razorís edge, but that is why the best designers do it so very well.

- The Editors

The Designory

The Designory was founded in 1970, in downtown Long Beach, California, by a group of individuals passionate about automobiles. Still headquartered in Long Beach, The Designory now employs 180 people and has matured into a full-service integrated communications design firm specializing in automotive marketing. The Designory was acquired by the Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group in 1999. Key executives are Jan Thompson (ceo), Paul Hosea (coo), Lynne Grigg (cco) and Matt Radigan (cfo). In addition to its Long Beach office, The Designory maintains offices in Detroit and New York City.

Ulrich Lange, The Designory, writes:

Are there special challenges to working on luxury brands?
It takes a lot of determination and effort to create a high quality luxury product. The level of intensity and perseverance is higher no matter if it’s in R+D, manufacturing or marketing. To serve such clients well, you have to match those traits and even try to exceed them.

Do budgets tend to be higher for luxury products or brands?
Guess who has the bigger advertising budget: Canon or Leica, Sony or Bang & Olufsen, Toyota or Mercedes-Benz?

What is the role of the graphic designer in creating a luxury or upscale brand?
Consumers who prefer a high quality luxury item over a mass market version that’s built to a budget (and feels that way) have different expectations from a product. Those kind of people need to be communicated to differently. Conceptually, the goal is always to appear confident but not arrogant, premium but not out-of-reach, exclusive but approachable.

How did you first get involved in such projects? Did you specifically look for this kind of client?
When I first started in advertising, I worked on several non-automotive accounts, all of which happened to be premium brands in their segment. Bacardi Rum, Miele household appliances and IBM. They were all interesting products, but if you spend ten hours per day thinking about a product, it has to be something you love. I had a poster of a C111 Mercedes hanging over my bed as a kid. Since then, I have driven close to a million kilometers in Mercedes automobiles.

Is it as fun or as glamorous as it looks to an outsider?
Yes.

What is your definition of luxury?
When a product has the potential to become a classic. When everything on the product is better than it has to be.