Finding Common Ground Across an Ocean

Hach Company, a global leader in water analysis technology, partnered with Insight to develop a visual brand language for offerings within their portfolio of process and laboratory equipment. Hach had several goals: define a visual language that clearly communicated the company’s brand values, establish greater aesthetic consistency across a variety of products and devices, and establish guidelines to enable Hach’s internal resources to successfully and repeatedly employ the strategy for future development efforts.
 

Understanding Global Stakeholders

The program began with visits to Hach’s corporate office in Loveland, CO and Hach Lange’s office in Dusseldorf, Germany, where the Insight team spoke with key stakeholders in sales, R&D, marketing and operations to understand each group’s perspectives on the program. Insight then worked with different international sales divisions to visit customers from different verticals in the US, Italy, Germany, Poland and China. Face-to-face interactions with users helped the team to understand important cultural viewpoints to consider while defining a visual brand strategy.
 

The Power of Strategic VBL

Insight then worked on translating what we heard from stakeholders and customers into design elements that aligned with the core values of the Hach brand. The team employed a methodical approach to first define design principles consistent with words used to articulate brand values, then leveraged its creative energies to envision different ways of applying these principles to products. Insight worked closely with Hach R&D and manufacturing to ensure that the team’s direction aligned closely with internal development processes, utilized required materials and leveraged preferences in manufacturing processes. The resulting VBL strategy is currently and successfully being employed by Hach to help reinforce their leadership in the market through excellence in design.