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Design Language = DNA of your product offering

color, material applications and three-dimensional logo treatments of a
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company’s products – whether they be a physical product or digital a
product, such as mobile or web apps. The guidelines apply even to
packaging, exhibition booths and user interface and customer
experience.

Why is it important?
On a business strategy level, common design language creates
coherence among company products, building greater brand
awareness when consumers identify and recognize the different
products as part of the same family.

For example, Apple has a wide offering of products from phones,

tablets, laptops, and now a watch. Even though each product has a
different form factor, each has the same aluminum finish and
contrasting black or white plastic. The simplicity and quality of the
material and finishes is a subtle physical way to create a consistent
design language, and enhance brand recognition and uniqueness in the
market.

For the internal functioning of a company, having a strong design

language minimizes product reinvention between often siloed
departments. Ultimately, it can help shorten the time needed to launch
a product. A common design language will take into consideration
complex requirements on multiple fronts:  for users, for materials, for
the market, for the regulatory environment.
stage of development.  If it is a new venture with a first product, or an established company
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entering a new product category, the design team will gain an understanding of overall
market and propose a strategic positioning, including brand values. If instead, the company
already has a foothold in a market, the design team would look at potential new markets,
offering its expertise as design visionaries.

BRAND VALUES
Below are examples of typical brand values that could be applied equally well to a consumer
medical or a biotech diagnostic product.

Consumer feel Iconic

An iconic brand value captures the essence of
Medical products – even those found in labs –
the product in a strong, simple, innovative
are expected to meet “consumer” design
statement. Its ultimate goal: become the
standards found throughout products used
leader of a product category.
in today’s modern digital lifestyle. These
include highly intuitive interfaces, quality
Related words: exemplary, disruptive,
finishes, a broader color palette, higher
innovative
speeds and responsiveness.
 High quality
With a consumer medical product – either
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feel of a product
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physical or digital in nature – ease of use is translates into the selection of quality
paramount.  It can create the desire to use finishes and materials, as well as a tight fit
this new product. And in the case of chronic between product parts. The sound and how a
disease, for example, intuitive design can also product feels to a user’s touch also impacts
increase the chances for behavior change. quality perception.

Related words: integrated, ease of use, Related words: premium, high value
simple

PRODUCT VISIONING
Designers curate images – referred to as mood boards –  that communicate the “look and
feel” of the brand. This is an iterative process, including brainstorming and feedback with the
client. The boards can include other products in the market, or even abstract shapes, textures
or pictures.

Visual vocabulary Emotional attributes

Fluid shapes Fun

Intricate patterns Precise

Contrasting colors Witty

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GUIDELINE DOCUMENT
Designers write a design document that specifies the brand values and the primary guidelines
that address the overall spirit of the product.  The document also includes the secondary
guidelines that capture its details of the product’s design. The guidelines also extend in some
cases to the application for the packaging and user interface.

Below is an example of a Design Language Guideline Document for Accelerate Diagnostics,

Inc.

Consumer feel
approachable, modern, fresh
Unlike many clunky and large
lab diagnostic products,
Accelerate’s product is
minimal and compact,
creating a new standard for
lab diagnostic products. The
look is modern with a
flat white/black non- textured
paint.  The product was
created using injection
molding instead of the typical
pressure forming. All
assembly elements have
been removed from the user
view, making the product
much more approachable.
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Iconic
exemplary,
disruptive, innovative
The design celebrates clean,
crisp lines and colors, and
draws attention to the
product’s differentiating
carousel technology. The
circular shape is also
becoming the key element of
the user interface design to
show the progress of the
analysis.
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High Quality
premium, high value
A substantial aluminum base-
plate is the foundation of the
internal chassis and also
highlighted as an external
visual feature.  The automatic
opening and smooth
movement of the product’s
door adds to its high
performance. High quality
manufacturing resulted in
parts that fit tightly together.

stability and robustness, both
important for a product used
to diagnose potentially life-
threatening conditions. The
user interface of the control
display is simple and easy to
understand, it tightens the
product and interface
together for a more coherent
experience.
Form/Function
efficient, obvious
Accelerate’s innovative
technology utilizes a carousel
systemAbout
rather thanWork
the
standard grid. The design
draws attention
to the circular carousel,
reflecting the rotation
mechanism inside the
product, and communicating
process speed via the oblong
pattern on the top of the
door.
Intuitive
integrated, ease of use,
simple
A careful workflow analysis
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led to a design that Contact
cut the
number of operation steps
by more than half, saving
critical time for potentially
life-saving diagnoses. The
design simplifies the user
interface by having only one
button to operate the
automatic door.

PRIMARY GUIDELINES

Straight lines Distinctive Generous radius Concentric

Straight 90° angles elements Corners should be shapes
and straight lines, perfect radius, no
When two elements All elements should
minimal draft or curves.
intersect they keep be as symmetric and
curved lines. Perfect
their own identity concentric as
rectangles, squares
without trying to possible
or circles, no ovals
blend into each
other.
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SECONDARY GUIDELINES

Tight radius Large chamfers Small chamfers Oblong pattern

On the edges the When certain Details are formed Details are treated
radius are kept features need to feel with a tight chamfer with oblong shapes
minimal, between 0.2 smaller large for rotation pattern
and 1.5 mm chamfers can be or ventilation
used patterns, …

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