"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Branding"

Tom Hardy

Design Strategist

Abstract: A brand is much more than a symbol, name or slogan--it is a "contract" of trust between a company and its constituencies. The essence of a brand is how customers perceive it--how they feel and think about it--and the success of a company's brand is the conversion of perceptions into purchase and then providing a product experience that exceeds expectations. Design becomes the keystone of this process by delivering on the company's brand promise and creating trust through a balancing of business and customer values. Using corporate design program case studies, Tom Hardy will illustrate the process of building brand equity by design.

Biography: TOM HARDY is a design strategist based in Stamford, CT, with 25+ years of experience in product development, corporate identity, design management and strategy with such global companies as: Coca-Cola, IBM, Polaroid, Procter & Gamble and Samsung Electronics. His consulting work focuses on developing comprehensive corporate design programs to support business strategy, provide continuous product innovation and ensure coherent brand personality.