Established in 1994, A Bothwell Plant Hire Ltd. have a strong reputation throughout Cambridgeshire for their experience in the operated plant hire and groundwork contractor field. Previous to starting this project with A Bothwell Plant Hire Ltd., there was no branding for their general advertising, such as machinery writing, printed material which includes business cards and invoicing, and branded clothing. What also appeared to be missing was an online presence, such as a website and social media pages. The company previously valued these considerations as not being necessary before, as existing customers knew who they were, but in order to attract new custom and tender for new work, a more professional approach was needed.
Their old logo presented an outdated, unidentifiable stamp, with no colour scheme, basic serif typeface and with the only purpose of it being a requirement. After revising this, the new logo includes a sans-serif typeface which clearer to read, especially on machinery and vehicles from a distance. Capital lettering was introduced, to help the logo stand out more, as well as fitting the image for a business in this industry. A 'trademark blue' makes the business instantly identifiable, as no other local company uses blue within their logos, and this colour contrasts significantly well against the yellow machinery.
Theses business cards may be the initial visual introduction to the branded business, so a simplistic and bold approach was considered when designing them. Using the blue as the sole colour of the business cards captures the attentions of potential new customers. Adding a personal touch was considered, by including the name of the director/contact so customers know who they are speaking to.
The letterhead is instantly recognisable as customers will be able to identify the logo from machinery, uniform, and online presence, which would have been seen previous to receiving the invoice.
On the new machinery, there were obstructions in the normal placement of where the logo would sit, so this had to be substantially redesigned to effectively present the company's name in the clearest way possible. This process required a lot of iterations of detailed measurements so the logo was not distorted, but still maintained a large presence.
Another consideration included the introduction of featuring their blue branding on their commercial vehicles, as beforehand the sign writing did not include their trademark colour. Designing the vehicle branding around a limited space means the blue should increase visual engagement of the informational areas of the truck.
Branded clothing was one of the most prime improvements to have been made, as the appearance of employees were immediately improved and through making them look identifiable and professional.
To enable this business to attract a larger customer base, a website had to be created to achieve this. Keeping it simple yet eye-catching, an introductory video was included of their machines working on site. Imagery from the very early days in business were used to advertise the fact that this business has been in in action for many years, reassuring prospective customers that they have a vast amount of experience. Also highlighted was a list of all the different services they offer, as well as a short introduction to the company, past to present.
