Insight
Over the past few years, we noticed a boom in the number of stories about emerging Chinese designers and new home furnishing shops that combine the old with the new and the east with the west. These stories break the stereotypical view of Western style in favor of preserving traditional Chinese design. While the wealthy Chinese will continue to furnish their apartments with foreign luxury brands, the younger middle class is looking for good design in China, focusing their choices on alternative solutions. The opening of the market has allowed Chinese creatives, for example, to be free to explore new ideas and experiment with new designs; a situation unthinkable until a few years ago. This new "Cultural Revolution" is creating the ideal conditions for young talents and customers to cultivate interest in the world of design with a conscious social and cultural approach—meaning a new opportunity for Chinese high-quality brands.
Idea
For this leading chain in laminate flooring across Asia, we started with a question: What is the importance of a home, today?
The house is above all an anthropological place, a place inhabited by man, a place that embodies the theme of life. As Heidegger reminds us, "I am" is synonymous with "I live " while Petrosino says, "Man exists as man insofar as he inhabits a place". Thus, the home is the basis of human life, a place where we are most ourselves, our ultimate comfort zone. The idea of the home then completely contradicts what we are told to do outside of it, in the real world— to leave our comfort zone to achieve greatness. Thus, the name was chosen: "LUZN", "Live your zone", paying tribute not only to the comfort of a life at home, but also to the company’s roots, the Swiss city of Luzern, from which their wooden floors are sourced.
Impact
We collaborated with designers from diverse backgrounds, executive management and board members to define a new shared vision for the future that would become our foundation for creative and design experimentation. The guidelines, inspiration and resources are housed in a Brand Experience Manual. This tool allows architects, designers, marketing experts, and global agencies not only to use the new visual and verbal identity but to coordinate elements ranging from the message to physical spaces, such as shops, in order to strengthen the brand in every point of communication. The online nature of the tool allows for constant evolution and is the constant source of truth for strategy and brand expression.
We are honored to work with a brand that puts innovation and craftsmanship at the center of every challenge, especially in a complex and stimulating market like the Chinese one. We hope that our work will accelerate a sustainable transition, starting first from the place where comfort is born, your home.
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