Evolution of the Design Language, of American Standard

For the past 150 years, American Standard has been the reliable companion of millions of users during their everyday routines.

As our products evolve and we increase our focus on user-centric feature innovations such as water filtration, self-cleaning toilets and touchless technology, the American Standard design team has developed three key Signature Elements that function as a physical manifestation of our Design Brand Values: Dependable, Inviting, and Pioneering. These Signature Elements will make our products more recognizable and will differentiate them through consistency of form across all categories, channels and price points and will help us build brand equity to generate more long-term value for our brand.

The American Standard “Reference Line” is a collection of products that represents the purest expression of our brand values. It was created to provide a “North Star”, an inspiration for the design team to follow when creating new products. It will help us maintain consistency and homogeneity in our design approach.

We named the first of our Signature Elements Pillow. Pillow expresses the Inviting, user-centric part of American Standard, with its long arc and rounded corners that creates a soft point of interaction between the user and the product. You will find it at the tip of a faucet handle, or the backrest of a bathtub. Our second Signature Element is Taper. The very stable shape resulting from the tapered side surfaces represents the Dependable side of our products and brand. We use it in the body of a faucet, or inversely under a tub or a lavatory, and it communicates stability, reliability and trust. The third and last Signature Element highlights the feature innovations we strive to include in our products, the Pioneering side of American Standard. The Frame brings attention to what makes our products more valuable beyond their look. The Frame surrounds a ceramic valve, an air vent, a button. It focuses the attention on what makes a product more useful and valuable.

Beyond the form language, the American Standard “Reference Line” demonstrates the user-centric design process that is the bedrock of our design philosophy. This collection of products have been developed using our PreSearch™ process – a process that combines ethnographic and market research, consumer segmentation, brand values and trends research, which led to a number of utility patents. The intellectual property created through this process will fuel our future product lines for years to come.