Spotty Otter
Children’s clothing retailer Little Trekkers took stock of its business and decided it wanted bigger margins. So it’s used design not just to refresh its identity but to create Spotty Otter, its own clothing brand.
Background
Little Trekkers, based near Sheffield, started in 2002 as a specialist online retailer of children’s outdoor clothing. It is run by Stephanie Butterworth and Matthew Jones and has a staff of eight.
Problem
Little Trekkers’ move to bigger warehouse and showroom premises in 2005 triggered a rethink about the business, including its brand. ‘When we looked at our existing marketing materials, the Little Trekkers logo was used inconsistently. Also, having researched brand identity, I concluded neither our logo nor our marketing were consistent with the fun, friendly and funky image we wanted,’ says Butterworth.
As well as rebranding the business, Butterworth and Jones decided to improve their margins by developing their own product range under a different brand to sell through third-party retailers.
The business had paid £60 for its original logo, relying on in-house expertise to refine it. But the owners realised they would need external expertise for this project and signed up for Designing Demand’s Generate service through Business Link South Yorkshire.
Response
Little Trekkers had already begun discussions with a designer on a range of UV-protective swimwear, but Design Associate Lesley Page was not convinced by the results and went to clothing designers Glacier Blue for a second opinion. A meeting between Glacier Blue director Sarah Renton and Butterworth then led to Glacier Blue developing what became Spotty Otter’s first product range. Renton says: ‘I wasn’t convinced there was a gap in the market, but the thinking evolved and it was agreed that we would develop a launch range of autumn/winter outdoor wear, with UV sunwear for a summer range to follow.’
Spotty Otter needed a brand positioning statement, and the business chose the words ‘funky and functional’ to encapsulate the brand’s unique appeal, provide direction for the look and feel of the brand, the products that would encapsulate it and the gap in the children’s outdoor clothing market it aimed to fill.
Little Trekkers worked with Lesley Page on a design brief for the rebranding and Glacier Blue introduced Butterworth to branding specialists The Engine Room, who were given two projects – rebranding Little Trekkers and creating the Spotty Otter brand. The name had already been chosen by Butterworth and partner Matthew Jones following market testing with staff, family and friends.
Spotty Otter’s products and brands were developed in tandem. ‘Constant dialogue between all parties was essential until initial designs were created to ensure neither side of the design brief went off-message,’ says The Engine Room Creative Director Darren Evans. ‘Stephanie and Matthew were very clear about their requirements from the outset and developed a strong relationship with the designers early on.’
Working with two design companies was surprisingly straightforward, says Butterworth: ‘I produced mini-briefs for each element – not to dictate design but to ensure everything matched the feel we were trying to achieve. It was also invaluable that Glacier Blue and The Engine Room had experience of working together.’
The resulting identity comprises the brand name with a distinctive letter ‘o’ containing a swimming otter. The launch product range comprised a selection of down coats, waterproof wear and wellington boots. ‘We are thrilled,’ says Butterworth. ‘The designs have far exceeded our expectations. We now have our own branded product range that sits quite comfortably alongside the big brands already established in our market.’
Impact
The first Spotty Otter product was sold within 45 minutes of going live on the rebranded Little Trekkers website. Distribution has since been extended offline into a number of retailers throughout the country, and the second range of clothing, also designed by Glacier Blue, was launched in spring 2008.
Butterworth says the process of creating Spotty Otter represented a steep learning curve, but that the skills she has honed are already proving invaluable. ‘Because of this project, I am now comfortable dealing with design agencies, clothing designers, factories overseas and freight companies. This has had a knock-on effect on our staff, who no longer just deal with customers but wholesalers and retailers too,’ she says.
‘Just as importantly, our approach to design has altered fundamentally. Up front, we thought long and hard about the financial commitment – investment in the branding alone represented more than ten times our total design investment since 2002. It was a major step for us. But seeing where we’ve got as a result, and the extent of the role design has played, has been a revelation and has more than justified the financial investment.’
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