From a scattered startup to a global brand under Samsung
SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS
A complete brand refresh with a detailed communication system and a scalable online platform, which boosted US sales by 150%.
SERVICES
BRAND EXPRESSION
VISUAL IDENTITY
DEVELOPMENT
EXPERIENCE EXECUTION
PROJECT INFO
Challenge
After starting life as a fast-growing and successful Kickstarter campaign, SmartThings became a Samsung subsidiary. Since its inception, the SmartThings brand ecosystem has grown organically, resulting in scattered and inconsistent brand messaging. With global expansion on the cards, we were hired to work as an extension of the brand and marketing teams.
Solution
We initially redesigned the brand identity, and in the 5 years that followed, delivered a series of brand and marketing programmes. This included a communication system, interactive retail fixtures, and a scalable online platform.
Outcome
In the 12 months after the new brand and marketing rollout, US sales increased by 150%. The interactive retail fixtures were rolled out in over 2,000 stores across the US and UK.
When SmartThings went from a successful Kickstarter campaign to a Samsung subsidiary, they had to scale up fast.
To support the rapid growth, we were hired to work as an extension of the global brand and marketing teams.
A brand and marketing refresh
The SmartThings brand ecosystem had grown organically since the company’s founding in 2012. This resulted in inconsistent and scattered brand messaging that confused customers and employees, plus hindered global scale.
As one of the first assignments, we got the opportunity to bring consistency to the brand.
OUTCOMES
Increase in US sales
150%
Interactive retail fixtures
2000
Years of continued partnership
5
A full-service relationship
Following the brand identity redesign, we worked closely with SmartThings over the course of five years to roll out a series of brand and marketing programs, including:
- Packaging redesign
- Omnichannel content
- Website and e-commerce
- Retail interactive experiences
- Retail merchandising
- Online merchandising
- Digital Banners
- Marketing collateral
- Channel and sales toolkits
- Retail sales training materials
A flexible communication system
SmartThings is an open platform that works with various devices from various brands.
With an ever-expanding partner catalogue, we needed a communication system that was fast and flexible to work with. We also wanted to further enforce SmartThings’s new, friendlier tone of voice.
The solution was a world of simplistic and quirky illustrations with characters that could be used and reused across all communications.
Education and inspiration in retail and online
With IoT still being considered in its infancy, we needed to speak to the average homeowner and educate them that having a smart home isn’t just about flipping on the lights with your smartphone.
For retail, our team iterated through prototyping and user tests to design an interactive retail fixture that draws attention and educates customers on how to get started.
The fixtures rolled out in 2,000 stores in the US and the UK, including BestBuy, Home Depot, John Lewis, and Dixon’s.
Scalable website build
For the redesign of smartthings.com, we began by examining data and performing user testing to inform the direction they wanted to take. The result was an uncluttered online platform that guides, educates, and delights its visitors about the value proposition and SmartThings ecosystem.
Scalable website build
- Powered by Contentful CMS.
- Component-based design system.
- Scalable and adaptable to ever-changing business needs
- Collaborators: D!srupt, Cléa Dieudonné, David Schagerström
This project was led by Your Majesty, Amsterdam’s award-winning creative agency that became part of Infinum in 2025. The original case study can be read here.
