Precipice Design has re-imagined Braun’s 1959 iconic LE speaker range. Celebrating Braun Audio’s rich heritage, Precipice Design has developed all consumer and trade touchpoints including brand and product narratives, packaging, photography, iconography, digital assets, video content and point of sale concepts, helping to re-establish Braun in the premium audio sector. Inspired by Dieter Rams’ original designs, the new Braun Audio LE Series of smart speakers encapsulate the perfect combination of minimalist form and next generation acoustic technology tuned to perfection and built to last.
“Braun was previously celebrated as an audio pioneer but exited the sector in 1991, so the challenge lay in building a reputation for a brand which had long been absent from the segment,” explains Miles Hawley, CEO at Precipice Design. “Our strategic approach saw us revisit Braun’s glory years in the audio space and draw on that credibility to bring the story forward and make the brand relevant and desirable to a modern audience.”
During the ideation process, Precipice Design led a rigorous research programme which used a bespoke consumer sample to glean feedback on numerous iterations of phrasing, imagery and packaging to ensure maximum relevance and impact.
Olga Hilliar, Global Marketing Manager at Pure International Ltd, comments: “Precipice Design was the obvious partner for us given its impressive track record within the audio sector. The current landscape is awash with many established brands from cheap entry-level speakers to top end luxury offers, so it was essential to amplify a unique Braun vision and brand story from the outset, something the Precipice Design team delivered on.”
“Our approach combined strategic thinking and creative nous, all of which was informed by targeted research, so we knew we were hitting the sweet spot with our target consumer,” says Nigel Beechey, Head of Brand at Precipice Design. “We are extremely proud to produce a cohesive and compelling suite of marketing assets which will help Braun make a welcome return to the premium audio space.”
The imagery leans on the rich heritage of Braun while simultaneously placing the revived speaker in a modern setting. Where the original 1950s speaker would prove to be large and cumbersome in today’s home environment Precipice’s imagery shows how the reimagined speakers fit discreetly into the home. The packaging concentrates on the purity of sound and the richness of the brand’s heritage with only the key information about the product shown on the packaging. The uncomplicated packaging is typical of Braun and reflects the aesthetics of the classic speaker through dark tones and a graphic of the speaker itself.
Nigel Beechey added: “We researched the more traditional and expected visual codes for premium smart speakers – white boxes with sumptuous product photography – and established that a more stylised yet honest, almost architectural, depiction of the speaker resonated best with our target audience. The dark grey monolithic approach, where the speaker seems to appear out of the background, spoke to the brand attribute of ‘harmonising’ with the home environment while still making its presence felt.”