Martha Stewart Cutlery

These cutlery concepts for Martha Stewart Living address branding and retail placement challenges faced by the company. Consumer research called out deficiencies in quality but a strong devotion to the Martha Stewart brand. The goal was to draw greater distinction between the three collections—Traditional, Contemporary, and Economy—to better compete in the Macy's Cellar space and meet the needs of Martha customers.

Stamped, Contemporary, and Traditional block sets. A focus of the redesign was moving each of the company's three collections in distinct design directions.

The Contemporary Collection is intended to compete with J.A Henckels and Wusthof, while retaining a decidedly Martha Stewart identity. Reducing the overall number of knives from previous sets allows for more focus on quality materials at a competitive price. Using an overmolded grip on the handle allows for exploration of color—a dominant feature of the Martha identity.

The Traditional Collection is a parallel set to the Contemporary. Again, the number of knives is reduced to help improve quality. Here the principle knife is a classic chef's instead of the more novel Santuko featured in the Contemporary Collection. The forms of these handles follow those seen in typical classic sets, but with softer lines and edges.

The Stamped Collection competes at a lower price point and is intended for the occasional or novice cook. Here a larger collection is offered, both for sheer variety and as a means to introduce the beginner to more knife styles and sizes. A steak knife set is also included, though mostly by convention. Handle shapes were determined by observing the different grip style used by cooks of various experience levels.