What goes into building a sticky brand and creating a well-designed product?
Having a product that solves a problem is one of the most discernible aspects. But it's not just about having an extraordinary solution; you should also consider your brand's overall image.
That means thinking about your brand values, your target audience’s needs, your visuals, your messaging, and how it all ties together to create a one-of-a-kind, can’t-live-without-it product.
From superfoods to splash-proof sneakers, well-designed products from your favourite sticky brands* come in all shapes, sizes, and forms,
In this post, I highlight 6 of my favourite well-designed products and what makes them stand out for my own needs and lifestyle as a full-time brand designer.
*Sticky brands: These brands attract more than just clients, they build communities because they know their audience, nail their positioning, and stay true to their values.
What Is It? Blume makes organic, vegan, caffeine-free superfood powders for use in smoothies, oatmeal bowls, and everyday drinks to support women in getting the health benefits they need in a fun and accessible way.
The Brand’s Messaging: Blume’s messaging declares that your favourite drinks can help you stay healthy, be environmentally friendly, and still taste great.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: Blume’s branding is incomparable. From email marketing to new product launches, everything Blume puts out is playfully designed, memorable, and consistently on brand.
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: Not only is it Canadian (a little shoutout, eh?), but Blume is more than a drink product, it appeals to an entire lifestyle. My personal favourite sip? The Blue Lavender Blend is perfect for unwinding after a busy workday.
What Is It? Vancouver-based Fresh Prep is a meal prep subscription service that sources local ingredients and delivers them straight to your door for high-quality meals in under thirty minutes.
The Brand’s Messaging: Fresh Prep’s quality ingredients, premium recipes, and effortless process are all reinforced in their messaging from offering a flexible subscription plan to highlighting their locally-sourced products.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: Fresh Prep knows their target audience and appeals directly to its busy and hungry clients who value tasty, easy meals with its local, sustainable ingredients.
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: Fresh Prep is perfect for on-the-go entrepreneurs who don’t always have time to plan a grocery list, pick up ingredients, prep food, and make their meals, aka me! I’ve been subscribed to Fresh Prep for over a year and it’s helped me fit in nutritious meals even in our busiest weeks at the studio! #notsponsored (but sponsor me, please?)
P.S. want to grab your first 3 meals free? Then sign up via my affiliate link!
What Is It? The Tna Polar Shirt Jacket is a long-sleeve, button-up jacket made from 100% recyclable microfleece. Tna itself is an in-house brand created by Aritiza, a Canadian women’s fashion brand.
The Brand’s Messaging: Aritiza is known as an up-scale fashion brand that brings luxury to your everyday style. As an exclusive in-house brand, Tna focuses on sporty, comfort-driven essentials while remaining at the forefront of trends.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: By combining comfort, luxury, and style, Tna resonates with women who live active, busy lives but still value an elevated style.
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: What’s not to love? The fabric is unbelievably soft and keeps me warm on chilly autumn nights but cool during sunny spring mornings. And let’s talk about all the colours! While I went with the bright green, the lemongrass yellow and pastel blue also caught my eye!
What Is It? Another Canadian brand for the win! Saje Sweet Sheets Linen Spray is a fabric spray that freshens up your bed sheets and clothes with its lemon and lavender scent.
The Brand’s Messaging: From their focus on worry-free wellness and healthy habits to listing how each natural ingredient relieves symptoms of stress, Saje’s messaging is honest, clear, and consistent across every platform.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: Saje is a natural wellness company that produces essential oils, skincare products, and home accessories. Everything about the Saje brand is rooted in its commitment to redefining wellness through natural, safe, and effective ingredients.
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: The fresh smell convinces me I have my life together, even when making my bed feels like a struggle some days. It smells like a more natural version of that classic clean-linen smell. Plus, the natural essential oils are nontoxic so there’s no worry about my dogs rolling around in the sheets.
What Is It? The Vessi Waterproof Sneakers are exactly what they sound like - waterproof, lightweight, and breathable vegan sneakers that are perfect for walking your dog around the neighbourhood or jetting off on a European vacation.
The Brand’s Messaging: Vessi’s messaging centres on their shoes’ waterproof capabilities in consistent and creative ways. From suggesting you can wear their shoes in the shower to their full-time membership in the ‘dry socks club’, Vessi knows exactly what makes their audience love their product.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: Vessi makes its customers feel seen, heard, and valued by highlighting the benefits of their shoes, crowdsourcing ideas for new designs, and providing unparalleled customer service (they immediately sent me a brand new pair of shoes when my previous pair leaked through!).
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: Not only do I love their quirky and creative branding, but their shoes are also amazingly comfortable and cute. They’re ideal for rainy dog walks and muddy hikes, especially on the West Coast, and are my go-to sneakers almost every day of the week.
What Is It? SAMARA is a luxury, vegan fashion brand creating eco-friendly and minimalist purses and wallets. The Claire Crossbody bag is the exact right size for the essentials - wallet, phone, keys - and easy to dress up for a night out or down for a trip to your local coffee shop.
The Brand’s Messaging: Founded on the values of sustainability, minimalism, and elegance, SAMARA puts its messaging into action by donating a portion of its profits to The Soular Backpack, an initiative in East Africa that provides solar lights to children.
The Brand’s Sticky Factor: SAMARA knows who they are and who they’re for which is reflected in every aspect of their brand. Their commitment to eco-friendly materials and giving back to communities, as well as their minimalistic styles, speak to women who value innovation, elegance, and responsibility.
Why This Brand Designer Loves It: Since becoming vegetarian four years ago, I’ve made an effort to avoid buying any new leather products. The Claire Crossbody bag not only fits the bill for being an alternative to leather, but the minimal style and small size mean it’s perfect for my everyday outings.
From out-of-the-box messaging to out-of-this-world customer service, each brand in my list (and their well-designed products) provides a comprehensive, strategic, and thoughtful experience for their customers.
Everything you need to build a sticky brand.
If you know your product or service deserves the same loyalty and attention these brands get, then I have a free gift for you!
Download ‘The Business Owner’s Guide To Building A Sticky Brand’ to uncover your one-of-a-kind brand positioning and start designing your cult-status brand that has you popping up on your clients ‘favourite products’ list.
Until next time,
Chelsea
Principal, Honey & Co.
I'm a Canadian brand strategist and designer specializing in helping premium service providers build a captivating brand and online presence that attracts the right clients like bees to honey. Ready to dive in?
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