How does design thinking work in brand strategy?

Design thinking in brand strategy involves a three-legged stool: empathy to understand the consumer's needs and pain points, strategy to guide design decisions based on research and emotional connection, and prototyping to test and iterate the final product or concept.

What is the role of empathy in brand strategy?

Empathy is the crucial first step in design thinking for brand strategy. It requires deeply understanding the consumer's challenges, pain points, and ambitions before any design or strategic decisions are made.

Why is strategy development important before design?

Strategy development is critical because it serves as the foundation that guides all subsequent design work. Clearly articulated strategies ensure that the design efforts are focused and aligned with consumer needs and business goals.

How are brands like Popsicle or Kleenex relevant in a brand strategy course?

Brands like Popsicle and Kleenex are used as case studies to explore how established products can be reinvented. The course challenges students to reshape public perception, identify untapped market potential, and understand how to revitalize well-known household names.

What is the prototyping phase in brand strategy?

The prototyping phase is the hands-on design stage where students create tangible representations of their ideas. This is followed by launching and pulling back the prototypes to gather feedback, making the process highly iterative.

What skills do students gain from the 'Paper or Plastic' course?

Students gain essential skills in brand strategy, design thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication. They learn to develop and pitch compelling ideas, equipping them to make powerful contributions in various industries where design thinking is applied.

Paper or Plastic: Brand Strategy at the Harvard Graduate School of Design

Harvard University

Education4 min read6 min video

Feb 10, 2026|3,352 views|124|2

harvard harvard university harvard graduate school of design brand strategy marketing product design teman evans teran evans paper or plastic Sydney Nguyen Xiluva Mbungela Gonzalo Minuto

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Harvard course 'Paper or Plastic' teaches brand strategy by reimagining supermarket products.

Key Insights

Strategy is the essential foundation for effective design, guiding the process beyond random experimentation.

The 'Paper or Plastic' course immerses students in brand strategy, treating them as strategists from the start.

Supermarkets are complex battlegrounds where brands can quickly rise or fall, requiring constant reinvention.

The course emphasizes a three-legged stool approach: empathy (understanding consumers), strategy (data-driven decisions), and prototyping (iterative design and launch).

Success in branding relies on deep consumer empathy, understanding pain points, and connecting emotionally.

The prototyping phase involves iterative design, launch, and evaluation to refine products based on real-world feedback.

THE STRATEGY-DRIVEN APPROACH TO DESIGN

Strategy is presented as the critical engine for design, transforming it from aimless experimentation into a focused, purposeful process. Without a clear strategy, design efforts risk being ineffective and failing to achieve desired outcomes. This foundational principle underscores the entire approach of the 'Paper or Plastic' course at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where students are immersed in the art and science of brand strategy from the outset.

IMMERSION IN BRAND STRATEGY FOR STUDENTS

The 'Paper or Plastic: Reinventing Shelf Life in the Supermarket Landscape' seminar is designed to immediately position students as brand strategists. Drawing from real-world supermarket scenarios, the course challenges them to tackle complex branding problems within familiar, yet intricate, environments. Supermarkets are depicted as dynamic battlegrounds where brands constantly vie for consumer attention and face the risk of delisting, making strategic reinvention crucial for survival and success.

THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL OF DESIGN THINKING

The course models design thinking on a three-legged stool, starting with empathy. This initial phase requires a deep understanding of the target consumer—their challenges, pain points, ambitions, and needs. Following empathy, the second leg is strategy, where insights from research, including ethnographic studies and microeconomics, inform data-driven decisions and emotional storytelling. This phase emphasizes articulating a clear strategy to guide all subsequent design work.

EMBRACING EMPATHY AND CONSUMER UNDERSTANDING

The crucial first step in the design thinking process is empathy, fostering a profound connection with the consumer. This involves delving into their lives to understand their specific challenges, pain points, and aspirations. Whether identifying a need for relief amidst daily stress or catering to growing market segments like teen boys, this empathetic research—spanning ethnographic studies to microeconomic analysis—is vital for developing products and brands that resonate deeply.

STRATEGY AS THE GUIDING FORCE

The majority of the course is dedicated to the strategy phase, where students grapple with developing robust plans before diving into design. This emphasis on strategy is essential because it provides a clear roadmap for all design decisions that follow. While students may feel eager to begin designing, professors stress the importance of a well-defined strategy, ensuring that creative output is grounded in market realities and consumer insights, leading to more impactful brand solutions.

PROTOTYPING, ITERATION, AND LAUNCH

The final stage involves the prototyping phase, where students translate their strategies into tangible designs. This iterative process extends beyond simply creating a prototype; it includes launching, observing performance, and making necessary adjustments. Such a hands-on approach, with weekly presentations and intentional editing of visual arguments, prepares students to effectively pitch their ideas, demonstrating the merit of their concepts within the tight timeframes often faced in the professional world.

THE ART OF STORYTELLING AND PITCHING

A critical skill honed in this course is the ability to tell a compelling story backed by logic, enabling students to effectively pitch and sell their brand strategies. They learn to present their work with intentionality, choosing carefully what to showcase to make a strong visual argument. This ability to communicate the merit of an idea succinctly is crucial, as they may only have seconds to capture the attention of stakeholders and convince them of their product's potential.

ITERATIVE DESIGN AND RESPONSIVE FEEDBACK

The prototyping phase is highly iterative, involving continuous cycles of design, launch, and review. Students are encouraged to receive feedback constructively, often seeing critiques as opportunities to explore further ideas. This dynamic process mirrors real-world product development, where adapting to market responses and incorporating expert insights is key to refining a product and ensuring its success. The emphasis is on learning and evolving through practical application.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

The 'Paper or Plastic' course aims to equip students with invaluable skills for the professional world, preparing them to tackle complex challenges in diverse industries. By simulating real-world scenarios, including receiving critiques from industry experts, the students are effectively trained to present their work and ideas to the broader market. The goal is to empower them to achieve remarkable things, even in unexpected fields where design thinking can make a significant impact.

CREATING THE COURSE THEY WISHED THEY HAD

The instructors, Teman and Terron Evans, developed this course based on their own experiences as students at Harvard. They created the seminar they themselves wished had existed during their time there, embodying a 'be the change' philosophy. By offering this practical, strategy-focused curriculum, they aim to provide future students with the comprehensive training in brand strategy that they previously lacked, filling a crucial gap in design education.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Companies

●Concepts

Brand Strategy Design Thinking Process

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Start with empathy: Understand consumer challenges, pain points, ambitions.

Develop a clearly articulated and defined strategy based on research and data.

Focus on the emotional story and consumer alignment.

Prototype, launch, and iterate based on feedback.

Craft concise and compelling visual arguments for your ideas.

Be prepared to pitch and sell your strategy with a clear logic.

Embrace feedback and explore new ideas suggested by critiques.

Avoid This

Design without strategy; avoid just throwing things at the wall.

Treat brands as finished; recognize potential in divested or redefined products.

Prototype and leave; ensure iterative development and feedback incorporation.

Underestimate the power of seconds to make a visual argument.

Expect handholding; be ready to interrogate your own work.

Common Questions

The 'Paper or Plastic' course at Harvard Graduate School of Design focuses on brand strategy, challenging students to act as brand strategists and tackle problems within the supermarket landscape. It emphasizes empathy, strategy development, and iterative prototyping.

Topics

Brand Strategy Harvard Graduate School Of Design Supermarkets Retail Branding Consumer Empathy Prototyping Iterative Design Visual Communication Brand Revitalization Student Projects

Mentioned in this video

companyBECU

Terron Evans is the vice president of brand strategy and affinity partnerships for BECU.

conceptPaper or Plastic

The title of the seminar taught by Tamont Evans and Terron Evans at Harvard, rooted in brand strategy and focused on reinventing shelf life in the supermarket landscape.

productPopsicle

Mentioned as an example of a brand that people associate with a specific product (flavored ice on a stick) and is an opportunity for reshaping its brand perception.

productFreeze-dried yogurt bites

A product developed by a student team as an on-the-go snack, addressing the need for a moment of relief in busy routines.

productKleenex

A brand chosen by a student team because it is synonymous with its category and is a well-loved household name.