Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and now… Matter
Matter
Office: New York
The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the ways we live, work, and play. However, the proliferation of competing technology ecosystems has caused confusion for consumers, and complications for developers. When you buy a device, how will you know it works with your other products?
Over 180 companies of all sizes and from across the IoT value chain, including major technology leaders, have come together under the Connectivity Standards Alliance to develop and promote the adoption of a new, industry-unifying connectivity standard.
This new connectivity standard promises to deliver new levels of simplicity, reliability, and interoperability for the IoT – the kind of clarity that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi brought to audio and internet connectivity.
Our challenge was to help Connectivity Standards Alliance define the underlying technology and create a brand that could withstand the test of time. The goal was to create a name, symbol and visual expression to signal that the new foundation of IoT connectivity has arrived.
We researched the needs of consumer and commercial groups, including developers, installers, and vendors, to understand what attributes users were looking for in a new connectivity standard. Following some rounds of exploration, a series of name options were tested to assess their associations and qualities, ensuring the final selection would be appealing, memorable, and true to the values users sought.
To usher in this new era of seamless connectivity, Matter was created. Matter speaks to the underlying, foundational nature of the technology itself, while touching on the attributes that users are looking for. Matter is the common building block behind all things. Always present, always reliable. Matter has always been what connects us. Now, it’s connecting the smart world.
Matter is an important milestone for consumers and users in our long history of delivering secure, reliable, and trustworthy standards for the IoT. It will dramatically improve IoT interoperability, bringing us closer to a connected, smarter world.
Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Connectivity Standards Alliance
Interbrand partnered with industrial designer Lemanoosh to create a range of abstract smart objects to contextualize Matter.
These demonstrate Matter’s future use to both developers and consumers, without tying it to any specific product brand. The products illustrate where the Matter symbol will be seen and used in the future.
Products featuring Matter will start to be released by multiple companies towards the end of 2021.
Matter was created alongside the Connectivity Standard’s Alliance (CSA), the body responsible for connecting and shaping the IoT industry.
Watch Daniel Binns, CEO, Interbrand NY discuss the launch of Matter and CSA with Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Connectivity Standards Alliance and Oliver Maltby, Executive Creative Director, Interbrand NY.
