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

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 and inherited 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, organisation 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 baby wear 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. It was cliche, clumsy and lacked visual impact; the new logo needed to be contemporary and have global appeal.

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 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', customizing 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 represent 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

The brand 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 gave our client positive feedback as they rolled out their vision with confidence.

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