Chevrolet Brand Design + Trim Strategy

DESIGN STRATEGY + BRAND IDENTITY

PROJECT TITLE / Chevrolet Brand, Design + Trim Strategy

COMPANY / General Motors

STUDIO LOCATION / Michigan, US

DURATION/ January 2016 - January 2018

PROJECT OVERVIEW

This project transformed Chevrolet's approach to design and trim strategy across a 40+ vehicle portfolio, moving from a price-driven model to a lifestyle-aligned framework that connected product design to real consumer behaviors, values, and cultural needs.

The work was anchored in design-led research: qualitative and quantitative consumer insight, cultural trend analysis, and persona development that translated human behaviors into scalable design direction. The resulting framework gave design, marketing, and product teams a shared language for creative decisions, directly influencing brand differentiation and business outcomes.

  • Lead, Design Strategy & Consumer Insights

    • Conducted qualitative and quantitative research, synthesizing consumer behaviors, cultural trends, and lifestyle insights to define design opportunities across the portfolio

      • Defined target personas and use cases grounded in real human behaviors, aligning product design with market needs and brand values

      • Built a scalable design framework of personas, roadmaps, and user journeys that guided cross-functional teams across design, product, and marketing

      • Collaborated with design studios, CMF, product management, brand, and marketing to ensure strategy translated into actionable creative direction

      • Created compelling storytelling assets including vision decks, mood boards, concept narratives, for internal and agency use

    • Increased average vehicle sales transaction value by 20% by developing distinct product offerings grounded in consumer insight and cultural foresight

      • Defined a brand-specific design approach that differentiated Chevrolet in crowded markets, directly driving brand relevance and consumer loyalty

      • Grounded design decisions in user-needs, behaviors, and values, shifting from price-driven to lifestyle-aligned creative strategy across the full portfolio

      • Scalable framework and storytelling assets adopted across global regions, guiding cross-functional teams through design decisions with shared language

persona trims

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

Chevrolet's trim strategy was built around price-driven tiers that no longer reflected how customers actually made decisions. The mandate was to shift from a price-first model to a lifestyle-aligned framework, grounded in real consumer insight, cultural behaviors, and market foresight across a 40+ vehicle portfolio.

distinct lifestyle personas created to inspire and drive design elements