From the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA.org):
The MINI_motion product line contains a series of accessories-a watch, shoe, carpack, and jacket. The products are sold outside the typical channel of car dealerships, which required the brand strategy to appeal to urban boutiques, such as design stores, museum stores and premium retail outlets like Barneys. The visual brand representation uniquely integrates movement and motion into a fresh and modernistic interpretation of speed as well as a graphic interpretation of the roofline of the car. Sales have been strong, but equally important, these products reinforce the MINI’s brand identity and innovation between car launches, a critical tool for a new car company with only a few models.
“The death of the logo and the birth of the motif as a brand strategy.” -Michael McCoy, IDSA, Partner, McCoy & McCoy
[ MINI_Motion Wins a Gold ] IDSA
This win is number three for MINI this year from the IDSA.
You can read a profile of Yves Beher, lead design of MINI_Motion below:
<p>This line is fantastic in regards to it’s industrial design, quality and overall appeal. Fuseproject has done a phenomenal job on this line and deserves all the awards they get. Yves is a very cool guy and has graciously (numerous timess) answered some of my questions a while back regarding the Motion line. Their work continues to be cutting edge and is well respected in the design community.</p>
<p>As a degreed award winning industrial designer I find the whole line very inspiring and innovative. While the watch is by far the most successfull product in the line (I have one myself), I think the other MINI Motion products have more appeal and value as marketing products as opposed to being profitable items for MINI. They completely missed the boat on retail pricing of the Jacket and Laptop bag. The shoes were in the right price range but the others were way off track. More importantly I think MINI does not know who their consumers are. They are not the hipster 20 somethings that they think are buying MINI’s. The actual MINI crowd that I have observed and interacted with on a very in depth manor is for the most part not the same crowd that buys into the MINI Motion design aesthetic or price point. The features of the jacket and laptop bag are dead on but as a whole I’ve never seen or heard of anyone that even has one or wants one and we sell a lot of MINI stuff.</p>
<p>While the watch has sold very well, most people driving MINI’s are attracted to the other more traditional products that MINI offers. I’m not trashing the line as a design project, I’m nailing it for being off the mark as far it being appropriate for the real MINI buyer. I would say MINI is pretty disconntected from their customers when it comes to some of the lifestyle accessories.</p>
<p>Good points Aaron. Even though the line appeals to me and I’m most likely in the exact target market they were looking for, I just can’t bring myself to dole out the cash for some of that apparel.</p>
<p>Part of me hopes they stick with the astethic and it eventually succeeds since it matches my own so well. However, the other part hopes they realize that they’ll need to go another direction to initiate sales to the typical MINI crowd.</p>
<p>Well I’m not award winning designer nor an AD but I am a designer, did win a schoolarship to an art school once though.</p>
<p>Most I know would never buy those particular products. But I do feel that MINI does offer a wide swatch of apparel for a wide swatch of consumers. I know Gabe has said he likes the minimalist approach to a lot of the line but most would, that I know, self included, prefer to have their MINI logos bigger than a 1″ X 1/2″ stuck on a lower out of site area.</p>
<p>My main complaint has been Quality and sizing. I recently bought 2 items from MINI.COM, black MIMI & MINI Logo T shirts & the from MINI.USA the mock turtle neck and the MINI sweatshirt. I ordered XXL, in the T’s, they fit me like what we in USA would call a muscle T. I’m 5′ 8″, 170.</p>
<p>I had to return my MINI Speedo watch for replacement of the wrist band and have had those dimensional attached logos fall of in washing.</p>
<p>Aaron, I have purchased many items from your company and have always been very happy. I just orderd another cubby bin and a MINI mug for my daughter and a new stubby antenna for my latest MCS.</p>
<p>My general feelings on those designed pieces above is they totally missed the mark. I could see those items had they been for the Ferrari, Gucci crowd.</p>
<p>Ciao</p>
<p>I completely agree with both of you. Good style needs to be matched with prices within reach….of course MINI needs to counter their “show” pieces with more stuff that appeals to the masses…I’m right in the crowd that they are marketing the Motion line to, but even as wholesale the stuff is way too high…I do have the shoes though…put them once for about 30 seconds and immediately put them back in the box..they look sweet from the side and the bottom but the top view which is how people actually look at shoes more frequently is pretty bad..they look like ballet shoes.</p>
<p>k.i will like 2 win it.if i do i will be greatfull</p>