Anglepoise made the decision to relocate to a state-of-the-art facility in Portsmouth. But that still left the question of how exactly the Anglepoise brand needed to change and develop in order to capture a new, premium priced market.
Father and son owners John and Simon Terry decided to bring in an industrial design consultant to help clarify and map out the future of the brand and product portfolio.
In 2001, Anglepoise Managing Director Simon Terry attended a talk given by celebrated industrial designer, Kenneth Grange, who had once named the Anglepoise lamp his favourite object of all time. Impressed by Grange’s approach to brand history and heritage, Terry decided to engage him as Consultant Design Director for Anglepoise. ‘Ken has been tremendously helpful,’ says Terry, ‘not just with design skill and ideas, but also with his industry knowledge and contacts.’
Five years to reinvent
With Grange’s support, the Terry’s were able to map out a five-year plan for the reinvention of Anglepoise, most importantly detailing the positioning of the brand and future product generations. Crucially, the decision was made to broaden the company remit to include other precision products as well as lighting. ‘Anglepoise will no longer be a lighting company,’ says Terry. ‘Our true capability is in motion mechanisms, which may have applications far beyond just task lighting.’
This fundamental shift has enabled Anglepoise to achieve a much less restricted brand positioning, as Terry explains: ‘We define Anglepoise now as a Personal Mechanical Motion company, and we can apply our knowledge and skills to any product that has to provide mechanical motion as a complement to human activity. This offers us much greater potential for developing products for markets we have never even considered before; we may eventually design a folding bicycle!’
Choosing to partner with a specialist consultant has enabled Anglepoise to unlock the potential that the Terry’s always knew was there. ‘We’ll create our own products and work on projects as a supplier to customers,’ says Terry. ‘We intend to become the world expert in a highly specialised area.’
By focussing on the knowledge and expertise within the company, rather than the restricted marketplace, Anglepoise has been able to rediscover its brand identity and strength, ready to face new markets with new ideas and new products.
Choosing an industrial design partner
A designer brings unique vision and an outside perspective; the company has the intrinsic understanding of its products and how they function. If you understand that relationship properly you can make a successful partnership.
- Choose a personality match – if you don’t share the same values and vision it will be a disaster
- Think of the designer as a brand, and the company as a brand. You need brand synergy to make it work.
- Know what you want to achieve. Anglepoise didn’t want a lighting designer because it didn’t want a light – it wanted an icon. The company chose Kenneth Grange as arguably the best updater of iconic products in the world