Since its launch in 2012, Peugeot Design Lab has consulted on more than 50 non-automotive projects, working on everything from a stunning rethink on how a concert piano should look, in conjunction with instrument maker Playel, to Airbus’s forthcoming H160 helicopter.
It has also worked on bicycles, an electric scooter and — in a neat throwback to the origins of the Peugeot brand, which started in 1810 producing coffee mills — salt and pepper grinders.
For outside clients, the appeal of employing a car company as a design consultancy is not purely based on technical skills. The fact is that precious few non-car manufacturers can match the industry’s knack for consistent branding.
Walk up to a BMW, any BMW, and you will pick up on subtle design cues that reinforce the brand and its qualities. That consistency and ability to tie the dots together is something that has appeal for existing clients and start-ups alike.
“The car industry has a fantastic ability to build brands and reinforce them,” says Cathal Loughnane, who has been at the helm of Peugeot Design Lab since its inception.
“Quite often we get approached not because the client lacks a concept — often they do — but because they haven’t worked out how to tie it to their brand effectively. That disconnect can be there in existing companies, but it’s even more common when you’ve got someone with a great idea but no idea on how to create a brand and deliver the product within it.”
The Peugeot Design Lab’s story is not unique — many car manufacturers have extended their reach far beyond automobiles.
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