Crown Labels
Industrial labelling specialist Crown Labels wanted to rebrand to move the business up a gear, but lacked the internal expertise to do so. Today, with a new corporate identity and website, the company is on track for meeting ambitious expansion targets.
Background
Sheffield-based Crown Labels is a leading manufacturer of plain and printed tags and labels for a diverse array of end-users spanning the chemical, steel and engineering, healthcare, manufacturing and print and packaging markets.
The company, which has a staff of 12 and an annual turnover of around £1m, has a strong reputation for quality and customer service. It operates in a dynamic and highly competitive marketplace where quality of service is an important brand differentiator.
In 2007, Crown Labels decided to rebrand as part of a three-year growth strategy to be underpinned by a sales and marketing campaign.
Problem
Crown Labels’ original logo was produced by a graphic designer friend of the managing director for the company’s launch in 1989.
Almost 18 years later, Managing Director Mike Hardy knew the old identity needed to be modernised to reposition the company as a leading player in a dynamic, 21st century market place. However, despite dabbling with the idea of re-branding for a number of years he knew the company lacked the marketing knowledge to turn its ambitions into a working solution.
‘We considered various options for bringing a new dimension to the old logo but nothing was worthy of launching the company into the 21st century,’ he admits.
‘While we have a studio in-house for producing label artwork, we are not designers and do not have the expertise. Designing Demand offered an attractive source of both professional advice and, through Business Link South Yorkshire, financial support.’
Crown Labels was partnered under Designing Demand with Design Associate Alan Warren, who worked with the company to bring its rebranding vision to life.
‘It was important to re-establish Crown Labels’ position in its marketplace with a higher, more impactful profile rather than positioning the business as just another provider,’ Warren explains.
‘I knew that good creative design could play a key role in positioning Crown Labels as a leader in its field. Designing Demand helped them identify what was achievable and gave them the confidence that their initial thoughts about how the brand could be further developed were right.’
Warren worked with Hardy to refine his vision and clarify the scope of the design project. He suggested three design companies to consider. Keane Creative in Sheffield was selected for its rebranding expertise and its ability to work to the tight deadline required to meet Crown Labels’ needs.
Once the brief was agreed, Keane Creative outlined a variety of possible creative solutions before evolving the one chosen: a logo in dark and light blue comprising the company name, a ring of people in the shape of a crown and the mission statement ‘identifying your needs’.
The design company then set about integrating the new brand identity across a new corporate website and all of Crown Labels’ printed, marketing and promotional materials.
Hardy says he was impressed by the thinking Keane Creative brought to the project, and by the company’s ability to ensure the new brand identity stayed on message.
‘We have always tried to promote our high customer service levels and reliability. These have always been our strengths and the main reason we have enjoyed long-term relationships with many of our clients,’ he explains.
‘Discussions during the briefing meeting revolved around my thoughts of a strong industrial/steel theme for the new identity. But Keane Creative put forward a far softer image for the company which clearly illustrates the strengths of the business in terms of its customer care ethics.
‘The supplier/customer partnership is clearly demonstrated within the new logo, and the typefaces selected bring a more modern look to our stationery and literature.’
The new logo and re-designed website were developed in two months and launched in January 2008.
Impact
Although too early to gauge the direct impact that the rebrand and website have had on the bottom line, Hardy says it was been well received by old and new customers and fully embraced by the company’s staff.
Another measure of the project’s success is the culture change it has accelerated within the business. Crown Labels recently employed a dedicated marketing executive to co-ordinate all promotional activities.
‘As a company, we ran for many years with ignorance and scepticism regarding the role design agencies play in helping small businesses grow and develop,’ Hardy observes. ‘This experience has opened our eyes and we expect to continue to utilise the professional services that the design industry provides.’
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