Design Thinking: Claus Porto
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is "Design Thinking." Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables a company to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how the organizations apply Design Thinking to their market offerings. I spoke with Marta Marcelo, PR & Education Manager, to learn more about the company.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
1. What makes Claus Porto different from other brands on the market?
Claus Porto is a 135-year-old brand, that has been able to maintain its unique identity without compromising the quality of its products and its traditional production techniques. We are specialized in the art of soap making and recognized worldwide for the beauty of our packaging and impressive vintage graphic design.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
2. How does Claus Porto honor its past and embrace innovation?
Each time we develop a new product we dive in the brand’s treasure books to find inspiration, so we create something that is truly faithful to the brand’s spirit and image. The past is a reference, we respect it and cherish it. But the future is also something we think of, we want to stay relevant to the consumer. Currently we are reviewing the company’s sustainability policy so that our products are not only good and beautiful but also as sustainable as possible.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
3. How does Claus Porto incorporate its mission and vision into its products?
By creating products that are Portuguese and at the same time meaningful to people from the four corners of the world. By maintaining its originality and identity while communicating a beauty brand. By respecting product design and by developing the best possible formulations because our clients deserve and expect that from our brand.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
4. When visiting your flagship store, please describe what kind of workshops visitors can partake in.
When visiting our flagship the visitors will be able to visit our museum area and eventually join a workshop. They are available by booking only, so we recommend that you contact the store before your visit to see if it is possible to organize one. There is a Scent Lab and a Mini Soap Factory. The first explores the art of fragrance making and the second the art of soap making.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
5. What is the future of the company?
We plan to go on creating art fragrance for at least 135 years more.
(Image courtesy of Claus Porto's Instagram.)
