Paul Diehl

creative director - industrial designer - brand expression

Let's Create Holistic Brand Stories!

A hands-on creative director with a passion for infusing brand expression across every category—from beauty to beverages to transportation. Let's create ownable design!

I design for brands

I am a classically trained and experienced industrial designer that specializes in creating iconic shape for current and developing new brands.

SHAPE + BRAND + BENEFIT

For brands like these

I've worked with a range of clients. Embedded on mega brands inside P&G, as well as working on smaller start-up brands that require a different pace and skill set.

Consumer Journey

I believe in putting the consumer first. Understanding their pain points and building out the "jobs to be done" through a user scenario. Building empathy within the project team for the different ways people approach a product.

Sustainability

I've worked on a range of sustainability projects. Helping brands understand the implications of paper construction - paper pulp - mono-material design - design for recycling. I've also grown relationships with paper vendors to help the client and the design team stay at the forefront of manufacturability.

Innovation

I believe in linking insights to jobs to be done. Understanding the consumer journey and isolating the meaningful pain points that make a difference in people's lives.

Brand Expression

I blend industrial design and creative direction to forge distinctive visual identities that connect form with brand essence. By developing cohesive design languages, I translate brand values and benefits into tangible experiences. My focus is on crafting unique, ownable elements that shape how consumers authentically engage with and remember brands.

DEFINE

CREATE

REFINE

Client Brief
Project Planning and Costs

Stakeholder Meetings
Category audit/immersion
Consumer
In-homes
Shop-a-longs
User scenario-building
Identify pain points
Identify consumer insights
Isolate jobs to be done

Plant visit (if using existing equipment)

Framing
Visualize the problem
Chart out possible solutions
Create territories for exploration

In and out of Category Immersion
Solutions to pain points
Functional and Emotional
Shape Divers -Defining Aesthetic
Brand
Consumer/Trends

Ideation: Working Session
Internal Team -Client - Consumer
Semiotics exercises
User journey mapping
Break out team exercises

ID team sketching and reviews
Sketch CAD and review
Prototyping and review
Engineering Engagement
Initial 3D revisions

Client feedback and revisions

Consumer testing:
Qual testing for consumer feedback
Models with a rendered visual
Engage engineering partners

Refinement based on consumer
Consumer-inspired, not lead
Engage engineering partners

Quant-Qual testing
Appearance models (Working if possible)

Final Design Intent

PROCESS

It's bigger than packaging, it's physical
brand expression

I transform brand strategies into tangible experiences

Over my 17-year journey partnering with global brands, I've gained deep insight into their self-perception and strategic thinking. I can de-code consumer platforms, understand jobs to be done, uncover insights, and enrich visual identities. The real artistry lies in distilling this complex marketing knowledge into tangible, physical expressions. Success comes from crafting scalable concepts that seamlessly extend across multiple touchpoints, creating a cohesive brand experience.

In Short:

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

How can we understand the consumer journey and fix the pain points that make all the difference?

HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE

How does our solution go beyond improving shape and improving a customer’s overall experience with a brand?

CREATIVE STORYTELLING

How can we use storytelling to shift internal and customer perceptions of a product’s role in their lives?

SEE MORE CASE STUDIES

Contact

Phone: 646-241-3216
Email: paulfdiehl@gmail.com
Profile: Linkedin

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