Olympus O-1 camera
The goal of this student project was to create a new product that represents a new direction for a brand based on market research.
Olympus is a legacy brand in the professional digital camera market. While Olympus has good name recognition among photographers, competitors like Canon and Nikon dominate important segments like DSLRs with 94% market share. The O-1 realigns the brand with its target customer - professional photographers - by moving into a new category: medium-format, mirrorless cameras.
Student project
Photoshop, Rhino, Keyshot
Brand strategy
Vintage, retro, old. To many, the Olympus brand is associated with the film era. It turns out that for many pro photographers - even young ones - their first experience with an Olympus camera was a film SLR lent to them in a photography course, and that, in fact, they remember these cameras positively for their durability and simplicity.
These positive associations became the base for a new brand identity. Instead of creating products that imitated the past in look and feel, embracing heritage became about recreating the experience of using those simple, durable SLRs.
Market strategy
Design brief
How it works
Physical dials and switches allow the photographer to adjust camera settings intuitively and with precision. A medium format sensor brings the Olympus O-1 inline with the most high-end DSLRs on the market.
The device
The device is a multi-function, wireless tool that attaches to the main camera body.
The O-1 in context of the competition
Head-to-head comparison vs. a current product
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