Global Product Design Language (GPDL)

Johnson Controls Inc

Designed for Consistency and Engineered for Excellence

Designing a harmonized common language for a vast line of JCI products.

JCI executives approached Beyond Design with a clear mandate: dramatically reduce New Product Development timing and costs while elevating their brand presence in the smart building controls market. They needed a comprehensive Global Product Design Language that could consolidate their thermostat and smart system controls across multiple product lines and international markets.

Our team began by conducting extensive interviews with product managers and engineers from JCI’s various brands to understand their go-to-market strategies and technical requirements. We analyzed how different cultures interact with building controls and studied regional preferences for interface design, button shapes, and color schemes to ensure global market success.

The challenge was creating a single, unified design language that could seamlessly integrate state-of-the-art technologies while harmonizing multiple product lines under a cohesive brand identity. We developed a sleek design utilizing capacitive touch screen technologies that embodied simplicity and could integrate seamlessly into any building environment worldwide.

Our approach focused on standardization without sacrificing functionality. We created different user interfaces tailored to various cultural markets while maintaining a consistent underlying design philosophy. The result was a design language renowned for its simplicity and universal appeal. It is truly one design that can provide solutions everywhere in any building.

The impact was substantial and measurable. Our Global Product Design Language saved JCI an estimated $2-3 million in development and production time by providing comprehensive design assets and standardization frameworks. The new design system significantly reduced NPD development costs and accelerated their speed to market across all product lines.

Beyond the cost savings, we successfully established a cohesive brand presence that functions effectively across international markets while accommodating local preferences and cultural nuances. The design language we created continues to serve as the foundation for JCI’s expanding product ecosystem.