The Story of the Truly Deeply brand identity
It was shortly after the relationship between Storm and BrandDNA was made official that we made the decision. A decision we felt we would recommend to any client in a similar position. Stop wasting energy supporting two brands and focus your resources on one. It wasn’t that there was problems with the old brands, we loved them, and still do. It was that we had a new offer, that couldn’t be successfully represented by one or the other. So nearly three years ago, on a planning weekend down the Mornington Peninsula, we made the choice. It was time for Storm and BrandDNA to fade away and be replaced by a brand that truly represented the new brand design ethos of the new company.

Now, rebranding is always a difficult process. A brand identity is such a financially valuable and emotionally precious part of any organisation that changing it is nothing less than a rebirth for that organisation. Whether the rebrand is a catalyst for the change to come or the final flowering result of a period of evolution, it will be a challenge. There will always be key stakeholders, opinioned interested parties, meddling well-meaners and general others who’ll need to be appeased to keep the process moving forward. So, when it comes to rebranding a creative organisation, the difficulty can increase exponentially, when it comes to a creative branding agency rebranding itself it can get very, very challenging.

The biggest challenge was that we’re all experts in branding. Combined, we have hundreds of years of experience in branding every conceivable entity. We know the strategies, we know the theory. We’ve certainly got the practical experience. So we thought the rules we’re different for us. We thought we could short-circuit the process, get straight down to creating a next generation brand for a next generation branding company. Diving straight in created some interesting elements but nothing of substance we could agree on. We couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

What’s in a name?
Hundreds. Hundreds and hundreds of names. We considered thousands of names, some lasted seconds, some days, some months, one was even registered, one nearly caused revolt, but none we’re right. The process lost momentum, we we’re distracted by the day to day of creating successful brands for everyone else and let our own branding process slide. It wasn’t till we realised we we’re cheating ourselves and our new brand, by not imposing the rigour and discipline we apply to other brands. The first thing we tell any client is that to create a successful brand you need absolute clarity about what your trying to achieve. We thought we could skip it because we knew better. It reminds me of one of my dear mam’s sayings ‘Nearer the church. Further from God.’

Being truly true
It was only when we gave the project the respect it deserved and ourselves the time to apply the process we’ve created to craft brands for our clients. We started to get results we really liked and results that were clearly bringing the brand to life. We had a brand essence, values and personality we all agreed on. Our brand essence ‘A brand inspired design obsession’  set the standard. We had a name that embodied the balance of our creative and strategic talents, while resonating with the true emotional power of strong branding. We became Truly Deeply. An organisation obsessive about creating brands that evoke powerful emotional connections with customers.

The brandmark
Now we had our name and a great brand descriptor ‘Re-imagining Brands’ we needed to focus on the visual language that would bring our brand to life. Our brand decode process enabled us to have a strategic direction as to the visual style the brandmark should take. We conceived of a brandmark with the traditional cues of blue chip consulting agency, softened and embellished to reflect our creative obsessions. The brandmark was crafted from Hubert Jocham’s beautiful Narziss Drops font (before Hubert created all the different weights). To accompany the brandmark we created a series of stunning illustration, our menagerie of fantastic creatures.

The bestiary
I can reveal now, no animals were harmed in this re-branding. These illustrations are the part of the identity that really brings the brand to life. They’re magical, intriguing and have an artistic quality. There’s a different one on everybody’s business cards. They’re a natural talking point. For me, it’s their ability to be interpreted, sometimes in surprising ways, that keeps them fresh and entertaining. It’s funny, now, to think how concerned we were about them. We thought they could be too challenging for our clients, too gory for some of the more sensitive souls. But every one loves them, some clients collect them, wanting to know if there’s more they’ve missed out on. I’ve only heard one comment in the months we’ve been using them about them being bloody, and that was from a local government client naturally averse to anything not certified  politically correct. Here’s the full collection for your viewing pleasure:

If a job’s worth doing…

Creating a great brand is a difficult process. You can trim budgets and push boundaries. But if you don’t do it properly, with the respect and diligence it deserves, you can’t expect to get the results your brand deserves. Spend the time and effort at the start getting your strategy and thinking resolved and the creative will flow, forming a brand that will be a truly powerful expression of your essence.

In a recent blog on the premium nature of artisan food brands we spoke about our great friend and client Lester Marshall from the Coffin Bay Oyster Farm. Lester is a truly interesting character. Two years ago he was a passionate Oyster Farmer in the majestic waters of Coffin Bay, near Port Lincoln, South Australia. Today he is an astute master of branding. He has had a paradigm shift that is transforming his business. He has set in play a strategy that is moving his business from simply selling his succulent oysters unbranded in hessian bags to one that markets a portfolio of premium branded oysters. His awakening to the power of branding has also seen him become an inspirational speaker and educator on how to build premium regional food brands.

A Brand Awakening
We first met Lester a couple of years ago when we were engaged to redefine the regional brand of the Eyre Peninsula on the southern coast of South Australia. Lester was an active participant in a number of brand exploration sessions we conducted with a large cross section of stakeholders, and as a member of the Eyre Peninsula Development Board he also participated in the brand definition workshop we ran.

But what we did not realise at the time was that in addition to assisting us to define a compelling brand proposition for the regional brand he was going through an absolute transformation in his own thinking. He was awakened to the realisation that the same branding approach could, and importantly, should be applied to his own oyster business. And when Lester grabs a concept he grabs it firmly in both hands and squeezes it ever so firmly – he will never die wondering. And his squeezing has began to shape an amazing journey.

Lester Marshall went from operating his business under the name of ‘Marshell’ Aquaculture (yes a crazy little play on the name Marshall) to seizing the brand name Coffin Bay Oyster Farm. And we say seizing, because over many years Coffin Bay had created very strong brand equity with oyster lovers, as a region of oyster farmers producing superb oysters. Quality restaurants throughout Australia regularly highlighted Coffin Bay oysters on their menus and in one very bold move Lester was able to directly leverage this equity into his own business – he became the Coffin Bay Oyster Farm. He was able to claim this latent equity simply because none of his fellow oyster farmers operated with a brand mindset. They simply saw themselves as oyster produces, whereas Lester’s awakening meant that he saw himself as a creator of branded oysters.

The visual language for Coffin Bay Oyster Farm unashamedly continued to leverage the equity of the area. We hunted-down a photo of an historic oyster ketch from Coffin Bay circa 1880 when under sail the fishermen dredged the native oyster beds of Coffin Bay. The ketch image formed the foundation of brand identity for the Coffin Bay Oyster Farm. We developed a palette of supporting brand visual language rich in cues of premium and premium food and applied it to a suite of targeted brand communication points.

But that was only the beginning. He then set about establishing a portfolio of sub-brands that would allow him to produce different oysters for different occasions and importantly different price points. Take the Cupids for example, a small (40-50 millimeters) oyster that is ‘sweet, delicate and petite’. While they may be smaller than a standard oyster, they are twice as expensive. They are for the oyster eater seeking quality over quantity. Lester’s brand mindset has moved him away from thinking that he is dealing in commodities, that an oyster is an oyster. Different consumers, different eating occasions and different branded Coffin Bay Oyster Farm products to meet these needs – it is the oyster world through a brand lens.

The Value of a Brand
As Lester has transformed his business from a commodity oyster supplier to a recognizable premium oyster brand, he has been able to command a premium price for his product. Coffin Bay Oyster Farm oysters fetch as much as four times the price per kilogram as Lester used to earn for his unbranded product.

And for Lester his brand journey has taken him far from the blue waters of Coffin Bay. He applied for and was successful in being awarded a Nuffield scholarship to travel overseas and study the marketing of regional food brands. His travels took him to China, Europe, South Africa and Japan where he has been able to explore an amazing array of premium food brands and their pathways to success. He has literally eaten his way around the world, piecing together a framework for the creation of powerful regional food brands.

This rather exhilarating brand journey all commenced because Lester was open to new ideas. All in all, a shucking good effort! Bring on the Cupids.

Gelati Sky is a boutique, premium gelati range. The story of Gelati Sky has a strong personality driven by Gelati Sky founder Paul Scalisi’s memories of growing up in Rome, eating gelati – ‘a world where every moment seemed frozen in an amazing sensory assault and every cloud in the sky made you feel it was about to rain gelato’. We were looking for something that was strikingly unique, represented his story and would create conversation. The communication platform of ‘it’s what dreams taste like’ was derived out of the brand strategy definition for Gelati Sky conducted by Brand DNA.

The goal was to express these feelings through the package and the tastes through the flavors. The concept that we came up with was born out of these ideas. We combined the imagery of Italy with objects that looked like the flavor to create a unique, organic and scrumptious shape for each flavor. The packaging looks like it is part of memories and dreams from Italy.

Gelati Sky started as a boutique Gelati range servicing restaurants and specialist food shops. The packaging was the strongest step to building a brand consumer could connect with. As small ultra premium brand, the package needed to take on a more delicate personality than the bigger, more established companies. The package needed to not only reflect the personality and story but also to look different while still maintaining premium feel. The taste of the Gelati is simply amazing and we knew that if we developed a rich, beautiful label, one that would get buyers and customers excited it would be very successful.

“Every presentation we have done when I pull the containers out of the box the first word is WOW! Then they taste the product and they say WOW again! I think we got a winner.”

Paul Scalisi
Managing Director & Gelati Chef
Gelati Sky

Client: Gelati Sky
Brand identity, brand strategy and packaging for retail gelati brand Gelati Sky.

Our work with the City of Whittlesea as their brand communications design agency provided us the opportunity to work on the brand identity for their Youth program. We ran some brand image research sessions with a range of young people from across the City’s broad population base to establish a consideration set of relevant visual language to inform the project design brief. We also used the opportunity to talk about themes for possible names for the program.

Baseline was the name approved for the program based on ‘a connection to music, it was relevant and current to the audience who felt the name didn’t speak down to them, but connected with them on their level’. We ensured the name would be both current, but also wouldn’t go out of fashion.

Working with a young designer with a relationship to the client, we tucked him under our wing as we developed the visual language for this vibrant brand identity. The final result is a fresh and relevant brand identity that provides an interface for the youth of the City of Whittlesea that is far rtemoved from the conservative, corporate image of Council.

Client: City of Whittlesea
City of Whittlesea Youth Services naming, brand identity and brand strategy.

Nava Homes is a SME home building company with a proud family history. We worked with Nava tp develop their differentiated market proposition and define their brand. The Nava brand was deeply rooted in their philosophy of building homes to enjoy with the same sense and joy for life as we often associate with the Italian family lifestyle which is expressed by the Nava brand essence as ‘Italian Family Living’. We developed a brand book to help provide clarity for the organisation, that also doubled as a marketing brochure for their clients, telling the Nava family story along the way.

The brand book reinforced Nava’s brand proposition, ‘Italian Family Living’ by introducing the Italian family (the Nardo’s) who are behind the Nava Homes brand. The brand book was developed as a crucial part of the communications campaign and as an intimate and personal exploration of the Nava Homes family business. Life, love and laughter, the book holds the history, traditional family recipes and personal triumphs embedded in the Nardo family. The brand book not only contained the essence of the brand spirit, but also a number of elements of the Nava family lifestyle such as a family recipe for wood-fired Pizza and rules for bocce, that tied-into a series of sales promotions.

We also worked with Nava to transform their marketing strategy from a traditional channel focus of newspapers to a blank canvases focus. As a home builder, Nava had a number of display homes located in display villages around Melbourne. The vast majority of Nava’s marketing budget was spent on traditional newspaper ads, aimed at driving traffic to the display villages their display homes were located-in. The problem was that as a smaller player, Nava’s ads were buried deep in the real estate section of the local newspapers. The first pages were filled with double-page spread, full colour ads from the bigger home builders who’s ads were aimed at guess what… driving traffic to those very same display villages.

There was no way with our clients marketing budget that Nava could ever own the newspaper advertising space – that was a brand canvas crowded with big players. What we identified as a Blank Canvas was the opportunity to own the car parks at the display villages. Our strategy was – ‘Let the big brands drive home buyers to the display villages, but once they arrive, let’s disproportionately attract their attention and direct them to our Italian Family Living Nava Homes.’ Whilst Nava’s marketing budget would never be enough to stand-out in the newpapers, it was ample to make a big splash at the display village carparks – which were relatively Blank Canvases.

Client: Nava Homes
Brand definition, brand book, and integrated marketing and communications campaign for Nava Homes.

Over the last decade or more we’ve worked-on a number of project with fashion label Hemisphere. Hemisphere are a fiercely independent mens label with and ‘everyday denim sub-brand – you can see some of the work we designed with them here. In 2006 we worked on some fabric designs for a range of their shirts, which became their best selling lines, and as a result decided a couple of years later to form a partnership to launch a new label of premium mens shirts featuring custom designed printed fabrics.

We worked in creative partnership to develop the brand name, proposition, brand definition and designed the brand identity for the label which we called Barnaby & Brown. We designed a packaging solution that was both functional – it protects the shirt, and unique with layers of discovery.

The brand experience also included swing tags designed for the first range that reflected the style of a ‘little black book’. The swing tags included information about shirt care as well as a pocket that contained a pair of collar stays.

We also designed two ranges of shirts. Our designs were screen printed onto high quality Egyptian cotton which were then made-up into several shirt designs using Hemisphere’s shirt blocks. The shirts were finished with subtle embellishments, high quality buttons , stitching and labeling.

We produced stationery and a start-up web site for the brand before the venture was nipped in the bud. From a brand perspective, it was a huge pitty for us to not see all of our fine work come to fruition. And yes, we’re still in therapy.

Client: Barnaby & Brown
Brand identity, brand strategy and packaging for fashion label Barnaby & Brown.

We often talk about the role of design in expressing different personalities for a brand. We work in the space every day, but rarely get the opportunity to explore the expression of multiple brand personalities for the one product type. We decided it was time to walk the talk and set ourselves a challenge; to develop five unique, integrated packaging strategies based upon an identical product – a range of (very delicious) natural fruit cordials.

The Challange
Working from set brand definitions, each creative was set the task to strut their skills as brand creators by developing a brand name, palette of brand visual language and packaging solution to differentiate the brand position of their product. The range of work that resulted is a rich and evocative demonstration of what can be achieved by skilled (and we think rather talented) brand creators in developing distinctly differentiated brand packaging stories. The project has proven to be such a great illustration of what we do that we decided to produce the bottles of cordial as Christmas gifts this year, and to tell the story of the creative process.

The Creativity

Brand identity can be many things. For every brand,
the mix of elements that make up it’s identity is unique.

For many brands packaging is the only communication tool they have. In the big, colourful picture of an integrated brand, the packaging takes-on a crucial role as communicator of brand messages, teller of the brand story, and reflection of the brand personality.

Often we find packaging is the forgotten canvas. It can represent an untapped opportunity for greatness. Packaging that is on-brand is no more expensive than packaging that is off-brand. For brands who don’t have the resources to command highest share of voice in advertising; there’s no reason why you can’t have the most impactful voice at point of purchase. Why shouldn’t marketers aspire to be the stand-out packaging in any category they exist in?

The Magic

Brand brief 01.
Brand Positioning
Hand made, natural ingredients, fresh from the orchard

Brand Essence
A Burst of Taste from Mother Nature

Brand Personality
Honest, Real, Wholesome, Genuine, Cheerful, Friendly, Happy, Spirited, Lively and Passionate

Brand brief 02.
Brand Positioning
Made from the finest ingredients, and exquisite flavours for the sophisticated palette

Brand Essence
The Fine Art of Cordial Making

Brand Personality
Imaginative, Surprising, Artistic, Upper class, Sophisticated, Glamorous, Charming and Smooth

Brand brief 03.
Brand Positioning
Imported, Spanish cordial, a fiesta of flavour

Brand Essence
A delicious taste of Spain

Brand Personality
Cheerful, Warm, Happy, Spirited, Cool, Lively, Passionate, Imaginative, Unique, Artistic

Brand brief 04.
Brand Positioning
Fun, playful, fruity personality – the ‘Nudie’ of the cordial world

Brand Essence
As much fun as you can have with fruit

Brand Personality
Daring, Off-beat, Provocative, Spirited, Cool, Lively, Outgoing, Imaginative, Humorous, Surprising and Fun

Brand brief 05.
Brand Positioning
Traditional recipe, traditional goodness

Brand Essence
Celebrate nature’s bounty

Brand Personality
Wholesome, Original, Genuine, Old-fashioned, Sentimental, Warm, Happy, Reliable, Hardworking, Trustworthy

Client: Brotherhood of St Laurence
Corporate communications and annual report for NGO Brotherhood of St Laurence.

Client: V/Line
Public transport provider V/Line brand identity, brand strategy, signage and way finding.

The Lighthouse Foundation is a not-or-profit organisation that was founded by Susan Barton in 1991. The Lighthouse Foundation provides our young homeless with a safe place to live and offer training programs, educational services and work experience. This manifesto allows young people to take control of their lives and grow in to holistic and self-sufficient individuals. The Lighthouse Foundation has created a strong sense of community through actively seeking out ways to engage with the broader community developing rich networks and lasting relationships. Their unique model has enriched the lives of young homeless people but also makes a positive impact of the lives of volunteers and the local community.

The Annual Report not only acted as a financial guide but also tells the success stories of individuals living in the Lighthouse provided accommodation. An optimism of hope and togetherness plays out thought the pages of the annual report not only aiming to pursued but also to inspire.