R/GA London Concepts and Designs Next-Generation Tech Brand ‘Pio’

R/GA London is pleased to announce that it has partnered with the Norwegian warehouse automation robotics company, AutoStore, on the launch of its innovative new technology brand ‘Pio’. Pio, who’s entire brand ecosystem was concepted & designed by R/GA, has been developed by AutoStore to disrupt the automated warehouse distribution industry through a dynamic robotic solution that provides Small to Medium Businesses’ (SMBs) the tech to deliver a best-in-class fulfilment experience with ease, efficiency and autonomy.

In the face of Amazon’s dominance of logistics, and the opportunity in growth of new SMBs to offer a more personalised, human-focused service to support them, Autostore chose to partner with R/GA London to define a brand strategy, identity and visual language to launch Pio to market. The challenge was to create a brand that could stand out in the logistics space as warmer, more emotional and human-focused by truly understanding the future of retail as shaped by the growing number of independent brands.

The brand concept developed by R/GA London was titled ‘space reimagined’ - which underpins Pio’s purpose by designing the brand around the idea of utilising space more efficiently and effectively based on the behaviours and benefits of the Pio product. Influenced by a sense of constant flow, the visual language reconfigures the notion of volume and perspective — with imagination expressed through abstract forms and playful movement. For example, the Pio blocks are used to visualise the behaviour of the robots through different configurations in the visual space. The logo also incorporates motion to represent the proposition of the brand name- products in, products out- and the colour palette incorporates warm and zesty colours to differentiate from the cold, mechanical associations with warehouse technology.

The result is an adaptive and modular brand that empowers ambitious businesses to thrive with freedom and that shows a new way to reimagine space.

Based on the new brand — Bakken & Bæck designed a new website and app with tools that humanise the logistical process. This includes a 'Design your Pio' configurator that allows users to design warehouse grid structures and the number of robots needed in the warehouse as well as a savings calculator that provides potential savings and pricing models. The Pio software itself has also been designed to create a simple UI that controls the warehousing technology to allow customers to easily plug it into the existing system.

Magne Hatteland, VP and head of Pio, said: “We chose to partner with an innovation led company such as R/GA over a traditional branding agency because we saw such similarities in our company values. We, too, believe in a more human-focused future, humanising technology that can make our lives easier, simpler and more efficient. Pio not only addresses key industry challenges but it provides a solution that is intuitive, efficient and able to grow alongside the business.”

Robert Northam, executive creative director at R/GA, said: “Our job was to create a brand that offered a warm, emotional and people-first experience in a sector typically sterile. Robots are, by nature, inhuman but Pio is a brand truly helping business owners run more efficiently and effectively - and puts the person behind the business and their needs first. Pio is a brand designed to be fit for a future-facing world, and the concept we designed and created allows for that movement and evolution.”