What happened:
Product Ventures announced today that their recent work on the product design of Westcott’s iPoint Evolution Pencil Sharpener has been honored with the prestigious Good Design™ Award, in the office products category, from the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design. Good Design™, founded in 1950, is one of the oldest and most esteemed design competitions, and includes submissions from the world’s most prominent designers and manufacturers, for their work in advancing new, visionary and innovative product concepts. This award sets the highest standards for the best, most advanced design in products, branding and graphics.

The new iPoint design is a great example of the elegant and natural evolution of an already successful product: the original iPoint. Transparent and graceful, the new design elevates an otherwise ubiquitous product to a ‘desk-worthy’ and trendy accessory. The experience of sharpening now becomes desirable and engaging. Product Ventures worked on this design with Acme United, making it a stand-out example of innovation, in continuing the aesthetics developed within the iPoint family line of pencil sharpeners.

Why it matters:
Research shows that whatever company creates a new ‘brand category’ usually ends up the market leader for a very long time. A simple listing of category makers prove this theory:

Theme park — Disney
Soft drink — Coca Cola
Overnight delivery — FedEx
MP3 / Phone — Apple iPod / iPhone
Online bookstore — Amazon.com

So congratulations to Product Ventures and Westcott’s iPoint Evolution Pencil Sharpener! Now what needs to happen is a strategic brand marketing campaign to make this the new class of pencil sharpeners. That may be the hardest part of all.

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Tom Wants To Hear About Your Branding Issues: Tom Marin, Managing Partner of MarketCues, wants to hear from you! Follow MarketCues on Twitter for branding and social media tips - as well as the latest trends. Tom also welcomes emails, new LinkedIn connections, calls to 407.330.7708 or visit www.marketcues.com. How can he help solve your branding issues?

Note: If you are a printing company or product/services company serving the print-media market, and would like to be considered for a feature in this blog, please contact Tom Marin for an interview.