Squish
What we did
- Product Design
- Packaging Design
- Brand Design
- Mechanical Engineering
- Manufacturing Liaison
- Graphic Design
Year
2012
Overview
Squish is a line of fun, colorful housewares products that brings a smile into every kitchen. Originally the brand concentrated on collapsible, space saving items but its continued success since launching in 2012 has allowed us to branch out into sink and countertop items and even tools and gadgets.
BRIEF
Pop Up, Stand Out
Simple and straight-forward. Our long-term client Robinson Home Products came to us to develop a line of collapsible kitchen product essentials that could stand out from other space-saving products on the shelf. That was our brief - “how” to do it was up to us.
PROCESS
Crafting a Brand from Scratch
We began by exploring a range of possible brand personalities to fit different breeds of home chefs, from the enthusiast to the pro. At the same time we undertook a comprehensive review and test of competitive products so we understood what worked, what didn’t and how we could make a better product.
Once we had settled on our brand personality aesthetic product development began in earnest. Numerous prototypes were produced to find the right balance of easy collapsibility vs. sturdiness in use.
“They never cease to amaze us with their thorough research, competitive analysis and incredible design concepts.”JOHN WHITE ROBINSON HOME PRODUCTS
At the same time we also conducted an extensive naming & logo exploration. After heated debate we eventually settled on Squish, ironically the first name we came up with. The final logo is simple and recognizable and alludes to the collapsible nature of the products, reinforced by our tagline. Cook...Squish...Store.
When you have been deeply involved in creating a new brand and all of the product development, then designing the packaging and marketing materials comes easily. It’s a little bit like show and tell.
RESULTS
A Playful Space Saver
Squish was designed to pop on the shelf and in the kitchen. The products are playful and fun but they don’t compromise on functionality. The line was well received by both mass retailers and speciality stores but even more importantly by consumers who consistently give it top ratings and it has now grown to over 60 products (all designed by Prime Studio). It has won both the Good Design and Graphic Design USA awards and we hold many utility patents for the line.
The Squish brand is our little baby so it’s very satisfying to watch it grow up and mature.
