When Logistics Meets Branding
HOW A LOGISTIC WAREHOUSE CAN ENHANCE YOUR BRAND
On a road trip, somewhere in Europe, we’re going fast on a freeway, with no speed limit. We pass great distances in mere seconds and the view is spread before us, like a miniature city with familiar logo signs that catch our eye from time to time.
These are logos we see everywhere, every day. We recognize them from places we frequent, or they could be car brands, clothing and so on. The expressive buildings we pass on the freeway exclaim innovation, precision and technology – each building in its own special way. Old and new, we cannot miss them when driving by.
In Israel too, certain industrial centers have become landmarks. Everybody knows “Coca Cola Junction”, “Nesher Junction” or “Taavura Junction” – major intersections where the commercial branding have turned into landmarks.
Every year, billions are spent on brand exposure, while a similar effect can be achieved simply by using industrial buildings located on major roads. We are talking about a more elegant, subtle kind of exposure. A grand structure, with unique mass, form and color that expresses a branding message, loud and clear, at the blink of an eye, while driving by.
APPLYING BRANDING TO A STRUCTURE
The simple, most obvious way to use logistics structures to enhance branding is to use it as a base for advertising billboards along major roads. We are talking about a more sophisticated method – infusing the brand values into the architectural design of the building itself and creating aesthetics that express a message whether it’s quality, progress, sustainability etc.
Around the world certain brands have increased their value by investing in unique architecture and adopting it as a part of the branding. Places like Vitra campus, Novatris campus in Basel, Bilbao Museum and others are great examples of buildings that have become iconic tourist point of interest, and by doing so have branded themselves as trendsetters and innovators. A legacy that lives on long after the planning and construction.
LOGISTICS & DESIGN
A logistics structure is a container for a process. It can be a production process, packaging process, distribution process etc. These are efficient functional buildings that are mostly wide halls with adjoined service areas. Industrial building with corrugated metal facades leaving little openings or windows. The standards for these building have to do with height, floor levelling, fire resistance and load bearing rather than visual appearance.
The planning starts with writing a program that defines the size, quality and storage capacity. This was we end up with a very simple façade, a closed box that houses the different functions and shelters the place from the outside weather.
But by taking the time and the resources to invest in the design process and by taking the brand value into consideration, we can end up with a landmark building A building with a strong presence, bold colors and appearance that stays with the viewers for miles, long after they have passed it by, and leaves them thinking about the company and its products. We can think about it as designing a large scale business card.
Our vast experience in planning logistic buildings have proven time and time again that investing a little extra in the design process, and thoroughly thinking about the branding image we want to express results in having an elegant building that has a long lasting branding impact. Think about it the next time you drive on the freeway….
