If ever there was a testimonial to the simultaneous power and arbitrariness of brand identity, Hessian is it.  Developed by identity and product designer, Ben Pieratt, Hessian is a complete branded package that includes everything but an actual product. And it’s on sale now. For $18,000, the buyer will get a website theme; URL; Twitter and Tumblr accounts; various logos, designs and app icons; 30 hours custom design time and a brand book featuring Hessian’s guiding principles.

On his blog, Pieratt describes Hessian as ‘an invader, an ode, a brand in waiting, a pitch to the market…aggressive and experimental’. Much of the thinking around Hessian evolved from Pieratt’s belief that designers are predisposed to spotting solutions and opportunities, instinctively knowing how concepts should look versus those who have the business acumen and the appropriate skillset needed to launch, grow and manage a product. The potential for a symbiotic relationship therefore exists in the hyperconnected world.

Hessian is at once troubling and very exciting. As a concept, it assuredly paves the way for new ways of thinking about products, branding and design but its limitless possible uses reveal a certain emptiness within brand identity.