Motorola and Pantone are two very big names in their respective fields ; the former produce top - selling and highly - rated smartphones , while the latter is a run source of color expertise .
The partnership between the two will see Motorola seek Pantone ’s advice on colours in its products , and this was first in evidence at the launch of theMotorola Edge 30 Neo ; this handset is available in four Pantone colours ( Ice Palace , Aqua Foam , Black Onyx , and Very Peri – Pantone’sColour of the Year for 2022 ) , and each of these is physically expose as a brand swatch on the back of the machine .
While we may be used to seeing some blade partnerships with smartphone manufacturers , peculiarly around the tv camera – such as Hasselblad with Oppo , or Huawei with Leica – this colour partnership seems a unique and unprecedented one .
So , how did it make out about ?
Ruben Castano frames it as one part of a desire to “ quantify elements that go into product design . When researching design elements such as size , weightiness , and feel in the mitt , inquiry is always the most important . ” This partnership , then , aid Motorola to “ look for for reliable data point on colour – and how it becomes a universal language of grammatical construction . Pantone is unambiguously positioned to do this thanks to its immense connection of trendsetters and researchers , who have an agreement of how colour work for consumer . ”
Elley Cheng adds that this coaction is part of a shared visual sense between the two brands . While “ Pantone has been in the color business for decades … there are different experiences across dissimilar medium . ” Motorola , being “ innovational and tech forward , can tincture this color element into their innovation in a way that showcases the power of people of colour . ” Such a coaction , she suggests , “ takes advanced thought – that Motorola obviously has . They also make products that help the substance abuser to express themselves . ”
Why is now the right moment to introduce this new initiative?
Ruben claims that the timing is veracious because of the office that smartphones now occupy in our daily life ; “ it is a common equipment but also a very personal equipment – the phone is a personal extension of themselves , a statement of expression . Personalisation is essay in many unlike way , and self facial expression can be determine in the digital and well as just in the physical . That ’s why we ’re take this badly , to unite with our customers . ”
Elley add up : “ Colour has long been taken for grant , and it ’s only recently that we have verbalize about color being represented accurately on screen , for when we want to experience everything a stack more immersively on screen . ” She cast it that this appreciation of vividness should stay “ when you take the air into the physical world . ”
The theme of self - aspect is one that both Ruben and Elley pertain back to regularly ; manifestly , this is a fundamental part of Motorola ’s brand strategy go forward – even to the point of Ruben saying it was “ not about try on to sell more phones , but about both brands growing their tale . ”
But how does this connection sour in practice ; were there any challenge along the way , and in finical when constructing the new devices themselves , which rely not just on their appearance but also in their strong-arm property and their specification ?
Ruben , speaking for Motorola ’s experience , remarks that “ Pantone dedicated a squad to this project , let in experts in trends and research of colours , who also brought their past experiences from the fashion world . ” He notes that it took “ empathy and affinity to get on the same storey as their pattern team . ”
“ Pantone is focused on colour ” , says Elley , “ but we also feel that other senses help you to see and process colour . If you ’re only regard colouring in one particular instance , then you ’re not getting the full picture . We desire you to get the full sense of emotion from a color . ”
It seems that the two brands have learned a lot from each other during this process . Ruben says that “ Pantone add up to the table and brought a wealth of info on consumer trends , social trends , and it translates those trends into themes and colour stories . ”
Elley , speaking on Pantone ’s Modern experience in the world of tech , underline that “ It ’s majuscule to see how dissimilar audiences and consumers react with different fundamental interaction with colours . personality are unlike , experience are unlike , and a phone can be very versed ; it ranges to everything , from fashion to a composition of article of furniture . Consumers oppose very strongly , and very dynamically to it . ”
There ’s one finical blueprint element which is of course a striking monitor of the collaboration , and that ’s the color swatch on the back of the Edge 30 Neo . smile , Elley says that this decision but “ seemed right , and was fun for both sides ” , while Ruben hold , tot up that “ this iconic element was an elegant way of life to sign the production – it ’s a key signature of the quislingism . ”
However , there does seem to be one potential result with this focus on color – will consumers will simply put a case on their phones , covering up the rearward panel ?
Ruben in reality give me a surprising answer : “ Motorola has a wealth of research which shows that customers do want to protect the purchase , but before the purchase the semblance is very influential – over 80 % of purchase decisions are influenced by the color . consumer want to make it find like a personal choice . ”
During our talk , both interviewees have been keen to underscore both the profundity of this partnership and also the fact they desire it to be foresighted - term . So what does the future detainment ?
While the Neo is “ the launch fomite , and the start of the narrative ” , Ruben discloses that Motorola ’s “ entire portfolio is being done as a quislingism ” , so we can expect to see far more remark from the brand – and it ’s not just limited to color on the back of the gadget . He is also not bad to claim that Motorola ’s UI is the “ most pure Android experience available , give consumer the ability to individualize the gadget to their own liking with color , highlights , themes , and so on . ”
The future of this partnership is an interesting prospect for Motorola
Again he state that this is “ only the beginning ” , so perhaps we can hope for more Pantone integration in this distance further down the phone line ; however , when pressing Ruben for any specific example of upcoming products , he courteously reminds me that he ca n’t annotate on next equipment .
The time to come is indeed an interesting view for Motorola , with the brand eyeing up a new direction towards enamour a different , more expressive consultation ; this partnership is just one ingredient in that process . Having address earlier with Francois LaFlamme , Motorola ’s Chief Global Marketing and Strategy Officer , I noticed the figure of time he used the word ‘ provocative ’ when talk about this shift in focal point , so I put this word to Elley and Ruben for their notion .
In the circumstance of the Pantone partnership , Elley interprets it as a way to heighten subject for discussion : “ this is not about us create something out of nowhere , but about how we comprehend what ’s expire on around the world . Colour is a visual adjective that compels you to ask : ‘ How does this make me feel ? ’ . ” For model , at the launch event she note that the Aqua Foam colouring material had a calming effect for her , which may serve to ameliorate any emphasis from the messages or reminder that might pop up on her phone . Ruben agrees with this slant , not look for to address issues that are “ impertinent to the market ” but wish for the young colours to “ strike a conversation with consumers . ”
From my time with Ruben and Elley , it ’s clear to see that there ’s been a lot of condition and thought put into how these two marque can interact both with each other and with the consumer . The focussing on colour as a key aspect of the speech sound ’s design is an interesting and seemingly novel one , and it could well essay to be a key distinguishing feature from the rest of the securities industry .
In the circumscribed time I ’ve spent with theMotorola Edge 30 Neo , I ’ve for sure been struck by its bright and bold Very Peri colouring , but it ’s crucial to notice that the attention to design croak beyond just that ; it ’s very thin and lightweight to hold in the hand , there ’s a handy notification light around the camera module , and the software is indeed refreshfully uncomplicated .
There ’s a lot more to a smartphone than just its color or pattern of course , but these element do undeniably have a large impact on how the consumer perceives the gadget . Though only in the other days of this partnership , Motorola and Pantone seem confident that they can build on the intrinsic relationship between color and emotion to remold the way we suppose about our smartphones , and I ’m looking forward to pick up the next stride in this journey .
