Few appliances have changed how people cook as quickly as the Instant Pot. One multicooker took the place of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and more.

By 2018 it was a cultural moment. More than 300,000 units sold on a single Amazon Prime Day, and it was the top-selling product in the US and Canada for the third year running. Millions of homes had one, and the online community built around it grew to the size of a small city.

That success brought a new kind of challenge. As Instant Brands grew from a hero product into a full portfolio, from pressure cookers to air fryers and countertop ovens, the range needed to feel like one brand, not a collection of products.

We partnered with Instant Brands to build an Experience Brand Language (EBL).

It is more than a set of styling rules. An EBL looks at aesthetics and experience together. It draws on food trends, to understand how people want to cook, and on design trends, to understand where the kitchen is heading. The result is a shared framework for how every product looks, feels, behaves and sounds.

The ambition was simple. Make every product feel unmistakably Instant Pot.

We explored three distinct design directions. Each moved away from the utilitarian look of the category towards something more considered, more contemporary and more at home on the bench.

The final direction took its cues from cookware. Softer, rounded bases, integrated handles and a grounded silhouette call to mind the familiar ritual of cooking in a pot or pan. This is technology that looks like it belongs in the kitchen, not just on the countertop.

More functions shouldn’t mean more frustration.

Our user research and testing identified two distinct users: Cooks and Chefs. Cooks, often busy parents, want great results without the effort. Chefs want to explore, experiment and stay in control.

That insight shaped the interface. A “One Touch” zone gives Cooks fast, reliable access to everyday favourites. “Chef Mode” opens up the full versatility of the appliance for those who want to fine-tune. Clear hierarchies and a consistent interaction model mean that both users feel confident from the first press.

Different price points. Different experiences. Same DNA.

Large appliance brands manage complex channel strategies. Different retailers expect their own exclusive models, and the range has to scale up and down in price and performance to reach very different customers. Normally that means more tooling, more cost and a range that slowly drifts apart.

We designed against that. The large, expensive tooling stays the same across the range. Handles, trims, finishes and interface technology became the building blocks for variation. These smaller, adaptable components let Instant Brands create clear value tiers and retailer-specific models, and each step up delivers a clear sense of added value.

Less investment. More possibilities. And no compromise on design.

A strong design language shouldn’t be limited to a single product. Four signature elements carry the Instant Pot identity across every form, function and scale:

• The rounded base: A soft, grounded form inspired by traditional cookware. It is the family’s most recognisable silhouette cue.
• The belt line: It divides each product at roughly a one-third to two-thirds proportion. This gives the range a consistent visual rhythm and a natural framework for a considered CMF strategy.
• The Floating UI: A small detail that lifts the whole product. It is also the key that makes the modular strategy work, because interfaces can change between tiers without disrupting the form.
• Light and sound: Shared behaviours for screens, touch points, selection states and feedback, so that every product responds the same way across the collection.

The vision was both visual and sensorial.

Different products. One unmistakable brand.

Caraway has built its brand around a simple mission: creating beautifully designed, non-toxic products for everyday living.

When they set out to develop their first electric appliance, the ambition was no different. Together, we took on the challenge of reimagining the everyday drip coffee maker, combining Caraway’s commitment to better materials with a completely new approach to product architecture and engineering.

Good design should make everyday life easier, not more complicated.

The user experience was stripped back to a single intuitive dial, removing unnecessary buttons, menus and settings. Thoughtful details make brewing, cleaning and maintenance effortless, while precision temperature control and automated brewing take care of what matters behind the scenes.

A simpler, more considered coffee experience, without compromising Caraway’s commitment to better materials.

A little over 12 months separated our first working prototypes from mass production.

Rapid proof-of-concept models, built and tested in-house, allowed us to validate ideas, uncover problems and refine the design in real time. That hands-on approach carried through to production, where new materials, processes and assembly methods demanded close collaboration with our manufacturing partners.

From the first rough prototype to the finished product, every iteration brought us closer to making the ambitious achievable.