A new handbag sized testament for leading brand to guide global marketeers at Unilever
In the beginning..
In 1930, British soap makers, the Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producers Unie, merged to become Unilever.
During the first decade the partnership grew and new ventures were successfully launched making tremendous
growth, thriving during economic crises like the WW1 and the Great Depression. Today, the multinational organisation operates 400 brands in over 100 countries. Whether cleaning your home, washing your hair or feeding your baby there is a Unilever brand sitting somewhere in your home.
First launched in the UK in 1954, Sunsilk very quickly became Unilever’s top international brand of Shampoo and within five years it was a success story in over eighteen countries worldwide.Now, Sunsilk, (also internationally known as Elidor, Seda & Sedal) is sold in over 68 countries across the globe.
Combining almost 200 years of experience into each bottle, Sunsilk has been expertly produced to provide a customised product to suits ones needs. Originally aimed at women, a UK ad campaign in the 1960’s saw a television commercial of Sunsilk featuring a tune composed by John Barry, “The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair”, which became so popular that it was later released as a chart topping single! During the 70’s, Sunsilk launched its first hair Conditioner featuring variants for Dry,
Internal spreads included exisiting advertising alongside editoral pages individualy designed to replicate the leading womens consumer glossy magazines of the day
Let there be light
Back in 2004 the Hatch missionaries were tasked with the design and print of a Sunsilk brand bible. A ‘live and die by’ piece of internal collateral, identifying & presenting the personalites of the ‘Sunsilk’ woman, illustrating both her and Sunsilk’s demographics and brand objectives to the companies global marketeers and their associated agencies. The piece was to form a handy, readable and attractive must-have using a new and popular format. And as previously mentioned with this product being sold in 68 countries world wide there was definatley cause to preach the same sermon in order to keep the brand faith true and consistent.
More David than Goliath
In the early ‘noughties’ all consumer titles from Marie Clare to Vogue were published in the standard oversized A4 magazine format. The success of ‘size pioneering’ Glamour Magazine, caused its rivals at Cosmo serious toothache, commanding a format rethink of the former top-seller, such was the success of Glamours’ A5 handbag edition, it soon took over to become the number one, must-have, travel companion for young women. Since 2003, this mini-mag format has set the president for many a publication and was to become the architectural basis of our Brand Bible which would also emulate the design style of these glossy titles.
More examples of internal double page spreads that really relay the unique nature of page
Sunsilks message gets untangled with Hatch
Our brief was not only to emulate this innovative new size format but the internal editorial pages were to be bespokely designed in the style of the above mentioned glossy consumer titles with no two pages following the same style template.
This proved to be a challenge with every spread requiring new header, sub head, stanfirst, body & quotation style, along with an ever changing colour pallete and a huge variety of typefaces.
Spreading the word
When it came to laying out the content we had to blend vital need-to-know company information & target info such as: brand ethos, performance information, global strategies,
product variants and media platforms, with an illustration of ‘the Sunsilk woman’ of which there were 5 main types
– this was a mount sinai of a task – but by no means impossible for the miracle workers at Hatch. So we locked ourselves away and began to part the waves of information, tease out the tangle of images and guidelines… and add order to chaos.
We looked at our creation, and were happy.
Spotting the Sunsilk Woman and their personality traits was key for the marketing disciples to truly understand their target demographic
Turning Water into Wine
When it came to the production of this process the client was happy for the Hatch team to see this job through to finalisation. With a whole host of tried and trusted specialist printers on our books we were able to source the most competitive quote which would include our agency discount. Added to this we were to oversee the print management side of things which took all of the post production stress and hassle away from client.
For a printed piece that was to be distributed internaly amongst the Sunsilk global marketing team and associated agencies the print budget was generious to say the least.
Lithographically printed with not one but two additional special metalic colours throughout, a gloss UV varnished perfect bound cover all printed on a premium paper stock sourced and suggested by ourselves.
Lithographically printed with two additional special metalic colours throughout, a gloss UV varnished perfect bound cover
Normal and Greasy hair, and the whole Sunsilk range was relaunched with improved formulations and packaging to bring the brand into the 80’s. Today the haircare range offers a unique formula’s and ingredients, to combine the best from the worlds of nature and science to combat any haircare problem.
Breathing new life into an existing brand was just the start for this Lithuanian outfit
An existing client summons our services
With a successful ongoing working relationship with Lithuanian public address manufacturer AMC we were approached by the owner who asked if we would work our magic on another of his Pro Audio company’s which was in need of an overhaul.
Audiotonas is an audiovisual product distributor & integrator offering products and solutions, dedicated to audio visual technology in business, the entertainment industry and stage machinery, voice alarm and public address systems, technology for conferences and communications.
The existing (and industry recognised) Audiotonas logo to be revamped
A critique of what was in place
Our clients brief, to explore different routes that will evolve the existing Audiotonas logo (right), refreshing, modernising and revisiting the existing brand and identifying the key elements that will retain recognition built up after 20+ years of business.
With an ageing ident reaching it’s sell-by date it was time for the Hatch team to suggest some ways we could evolve and expand what was in place. Above right, we see what we were given to work with. When assessing what was in place, our initial concerns were of an oversized icon eclipsing the company name. Reviewing the existing logo in a working environment such as the current Audiotonas website our first impression was
that the size ratio of icon compared to company name was unbalanced to the point where it is not immediately obvious who the website belongs to, with the ‘Audiotonas’ wording taking a back seat to the icon. Also the company name was smaller than the navigational menu text. Another point raised by our team was; what does the icon represent ? and what, if any was the relevance to the company & it’s industry sector? Other than the icon comprising of the company initials ‘A’ & ‘’T’ there is no obvious secondary relevance i.e. could also be viewed as an Audio based element. The clients response was that the graphic was originally created as abstract art.
Our approach
In the initial stage we worked up and submitted 8 x design routes (below 4 of our preferred options) that explored a multitude of different tailored and bespoke typefaces, each with their own distinctive look and feel. We also advised that with a non-industry relevant icon, the nature of the company’s core business or credo could be relayed with the addition of
a simple 3 to 5 word strap line. As such, a variety of suggestions were worked into these first round visuals.
Ultimately adhering to ‘retaining of recognition’ stipulated in the brief, we concluded that the recognisable feature of the existing logo would be the ‘AT’ icon, this was to remain in some way, shape or form.
We kicked things off with what we would class as the safe or obvious move forward which had the least departure from the existing identity.
• Retained all recognised Audiotonas typeface, icon and
colour elements
• Rebalanced the proportionate ratio between company
name and icon giving far more premise to the former
• Removed the Black keyline retaining box for a more
flexible creative use of White space
• Suggested an accompanying strapline of ‘distributing
sound technology’ set in Myriad Pro
NB: A note worthy point would be the double meaning
of the word ‘Sound’ (in English) e.g as in‘Audio’ or as in ‘Stable, Trusted & Solid.’We were not sure if this would
translate well in Lithuanian, as such sought advise from
the client
• Retained the recognised Audiotonas ‘A’ & ‘T’
abstract art elements by using them as part of the
company name
• As the icon originated from abstract art this bespoke
typeface was created in the same style from scratch
• Removed the black keyline retaining box for a more
flexible creative use of White space
• Suggested an accompanying strapline of ‘delivering
sound solutions’ set in Myriad Pro italic
NB: A foreseen advantage with this design is that
although not directly utilised the ‘A & T’ icon would be
even more relevant and could be used independently
or alongside
Our second offering disects the established and recognised ‘A & T’ icon and imagines how this typeface could appear if the company name was written out in full.
• Here we took a new ‘techno’ style typeface and
adapted it to create a bespoke logo in the one-word
style employed in the original logo
• Although a single word, lowercase style was used, division
was achieved with the application of two tones, black
and amber – this subtle, visual metaphor, underpinned
the company name
• Particular 3D emphasis was applied by adding a
‘cube’ effect to the ‘i’ and perspective to the ‘t’ and
the baseline
• The suggested strapline ‘new dimensions in sound’ was
affirmed with the 3D effect of the logo and was set
within the solid amber baseline
In option three we used a new typeface and employed a two-tone approach that offered a 3 dimensional feel.
• Here we created a bespoke, iconic logo in the one-word
style employed in the original logo
• Both ‘A’s in the company name were adapted to give
a ‘back-to-back’ feel by sloping them symmetrically,
thus drawing the eye upwards towards a newly
developed icon
• A new icon was designed by taking the recognisable
amber triangle from the original and evolving it into
a ‘mountainous peak’, symbolic with imposing
strength and endurance
• The strapline ‘sheer sound’ was to suggest a clear,
monolithic mountain face, affirming the relevance
of a new icon as well as bolstering the company
product base
For our fourth offering we have employed and adapted a new typeface and suggested a fresh direction for the icon.
And the winner was..
From the initial visuals presented above, a three word company description outlining the core business, and a few iterations in between, all parties were in agreement that a ‘worked up’ version of option 2 was the way forward. It answered all the requirements of the brief, and the bespoke typeface, specially created to sit seamlessly alongside the ‘A’ & ‘T’, which were elements that originated from a deconstructed original icon.
Laying down the rules
It is often the case that we come across medium sized companies that do not possess a full set of brand guidelines. Whether a company is set up in haste at the time of conception or they are deemed not neccassary, we would always advise on having this asset in place as it ultimately pays dividends on so many levels when considering future marketing projects, branding requirements and consistency of a corporate look.
Wisely, having witnessed first-hand the benefits that corporate guidelines bring to the table (from our work with AMC) our client took little persuasion, when it came to putting Audiotonas on the right track.
These guidelines have been created to ensure consistency with the Audiotonas identity and integrity when producing internal and external communications such as printed documents, signage and electronic media. Their purpose is to ensure that the logos, font usage and colours are always clear, readable and
applied in a consistent manner. They are designed to be simple, easy to use, but also as a reference point for anyone creating communications for Audiotonas. This document allows a certain amount of flexibility, but to ensure consistency across the board, specifications should be followed exactly.
Brand identity guidelines
Covering: Logo Usage, Backgrounds, Exclusion Zones, Gradient Creation,
Sizing, Variants, Colours for Print, Colours for Screen & Font Usage.
Applying the brand
With a fresh new identity in place, team hatch set about applying the brand; Creating requested, printed & digital items of collateral such as arming the Audiotonas team with professional business cards, electronic letterheads (created in MS Word) and a branded email signature, we also addressed social media, creating a series of cool new Facebook profile pic & cover photo to show off the new identity. To conclude the job, our design team liaised with the clients’ web developers who had been issued the above mentioned brand identity guidelines as they were about to undertake a website re-design.
However our design journey with this company was about to take off when we were asked to design what would become the ‘out of this world’ Audiotonas Corporate Brochure see more..
Digital Letterhead & Continuation Sheet templates
Branded MS Word templates can be dispatched
as emailable pdf’s or printed off in-house
Business Cards Ideas 6 x designs initially presented in our first round iteration ideas, with the client ultimately opting for a revised version of option 1
How we helped VisionFund International celebrate a million reasons to be proud
A valued working relationship
VisionFund International believe in brighter futures for children by empowering families to create income and jobs. Their financial services enable impoverished households to increase their incomes. They train their clients to grow successful businesses. Working together as part of World Vision – a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation – they enable communities to increase economic activity, access clean water, education and healthcare, and provide the foundations for local economies to flourish.
Our mission
This job was a request for some collateral that VisionFund International needed for an internal comms campaign. In May, the company reached their 1 millionth client. That meant that through their 36 microfinance institutions (MFI’s), the organisation now lend money to over 1 million people living in developing countries as a way to help them rise out of poverty. VisonFund wanted to use this milestone to engage staff, both at the Global Centre and in their MFIs. The three items of collateral required that were to celebrate the 1 millionth client were as follows:
A1 Poster – For MFIs celebrating the 1 millionth loan that can be printed and put up in the 36 microfinance offices.
Tea and Mug Gift Tag – Having identified their one millionth client as a tea picker in Sri Lanka, VisionFund had tea bags and were ordering mugs to send round to their global centre staff. Hatch were commissioned to produce a gift tag that says ‘thanks for your work.’ to accompany the tea and mug.
Loan Officer Competition Flyer – They also wanted to create a competition where loan officers nominate their ‘1 in a million client’ by sending in a photo and description of their favourite client. This would be a simple digital flyer that would be emailed round the globe to all of their offices. The source file was to be in the form of a universally recognised editable word document template which local communicators could translate.
One in a million
Seetha “Annakili” Lechchami, a 48-year-old tea plucker in Sri Lanka, represents the millionth client. She and her husband Ganapathi have lived for 25 years in a tiny pair of rooms in a line of identical homes on the plantation on which they both work. Like so many poor tea pickers, the couple had no choice but to bring up their children in squalid conditions and quiet desperation. She borrowed US$150 and purchased a pregnant
goat and its kids, with the intention of selling the males for meat and keeping the females to breed. Now, she has great plans. Once they have made enough money, she and her husband want to build a new home on a patch of land allocated to him by the plantation. They are continuing to support their daughter who recently married. And they plan to put money aside to give their grandchildren a better life.
A thousand pictures tell the millionth story
Having familiarized ourselves with the VisionFund brand identity guidelines and after researching the companies global positioning and core purpose we set about brainstorming our approach to the clients brief. VisionFund supplied a
comprehensive photographic library of their worthy success stories. These professionally taken shots where an individually endeering and humbling story in themselves. Ensuring we stayed on brand, we set about creating the required formentioned items of collateral.
In order to answer the brief and relay how many lives (over 1 million) this organisation had helped beyond recognition, we decided not to focus on one image of an impoverished child but to present 1 million (well 823 to be pricise). This idea was realized by using specialist mosaic software to develop an
attention grabbing mosiac graphic which had to be rendered at a memory consuming A1 size in order to accommodate the largest requirement, that being the poster. With a conceptual design in place and a solid set of brand guidelines ensuring we stayed on brand, the resulting collection of collateral was a heart warming success.
