How do you rebrand a business with a loyal following, keep customers and gain new ones?

by | Jun 9, 2017

As a brand changes, design plays a key role in communicating the new direction. The online merino clothing store for kids, Coochy Coo, acquired new owners in late 2016, inheriting a brand identity in need of a refresh. The new owners wanted the logo to be more aligned with their vision for the future of the company.

 

Sublime’s approach

When we rebrand, we need to consider the values and vision of the business and if they are changing, keeping the customer in mind with a design which avoids any confusion and helps maintain loyalty.

Updating a brand at such a fundamental level can be risky, as it’s more than just a logo, it’s the essence of your business, reflecting the personality, the trust and the promise.

A brand is the image people have of your company or product. It’s who people think you are. Michael Pinto of Very Memorable Design says: “Branding is the defined personality of a product, service, company, organization or individual. A well designed brand personality can be seen in everything from customer service to the actual products a company may offer.” 

The client

Coochy Coo designs, manufactures and sells New Zealand-made merino babywear and children’s wear. The new owners are revitalising the business with a new look and new product ranges and we needed to evolve the logo into a brand that reflected this transition.

The logo

The existing logo had remained the same since the company was founded in 2009. It was cliche, clumsy and lacked visual impact; the new logo needed to be contemporary and have global appeal.

The existing logo

 

 

To engage and attract more clientele, we transformed it into a fun, vibrant and contemporary brand to work for their two distinct markets: babies, and children up to eight years old. As well as their parents. The brand also inspires confidence in the quality of the product.

The new logo

 

 

 

 

 

How did Sublime do this?

Colour

We considered the elements that worked well in the current logo: the use of different colours; the use of gender neutral colours.

We wanted to move away from the existing muted palette as it was visually weak, and developed a diverse colour palette which is both friendly and fun, appealing to both genders and one which would also to appeal to older children. The colours are punchy, bright and eye-catching.

Typeface

The existing typeface was clumsy and didn’t read well as lower case letters placed in ‘blocks’. We developed a typeface that immediately says ‘children’ rather than just ‘babies’, customising each of the letters slightly to be individual. The use of capital letters makes it seem more ‘grown up’ and gives the words more coherence and presence. The handwritten look and feel represents children’s writing, in a contemporary manner.

Shape

The ‘blocks’ device was dropped to free the words, making the name seem friendlier, approachable and modern. The result was a beautifully balanced design with movement, which aided readability.

Usage

Although the brand is to be used primarily on the website, it needed to be adaptable across all media: emails, clothing labels and packaging. As such, the logo is able to be placed on a variety of different colours and mediums and maintain its readability.

 

Application

With a customer base from all around the world, the new brand wasn’t launched with a huge event or fanfare. Loyal customers have given the client positive feedback as the new owners begin to roll out their vision with confidence.

And the client feedback has been extremely positive. Director, Voni Davidson, says:

“After purchasing Coochy Coo, a small merino children’s wear brand, first on the list was rebranding as the logo we inherited was looking tired and did not capture the essence of the brand in any way.  We commissioned Sublime Design to help us with the rebrand and found the whole process with Sublime smooth, quick, plus Shelley absolutely nailed the brief on the first submission. 

Customer feedback has been 100% positive – they understand immediately the market our business is positioned in. We’ve experienced exponential growth since relaunching with Sublime’s new branding, exceeding projections.”

Developing and implementing the new brand has been a smooth transition – one that was achieved with no growing pains!

View a selection of Sublime Design’s logos here