A workshop instead of a brief
So much more is a new brand of handmade shoes manufactured according to custom designs of its clients. Every concept lands in the hands of Polish craftsmen, resulting in unique, high quality, comfortable shoes being created.
Our client decided to rebrand a company in which he invested after returning to Poland. The long period during which he gained corporate experience abroad gave him the courage to take over a very interesting technological concept and to give it an entirely new form and position on the market. The starting point was the brand, which became famous through online sales, creating a shoe customisation tool. A large group of satisfied customers, a promising business model and great potential of the developing fashion industry in Poland must be combined with a good brand idea. First, we received a very precise description of the target group to which the new product was to be addressed — handmade, highest quality shoes created using an easy online customisation process. The rest of the brand structure was yet to be created.
A brief in a workshop.
We proposed a comprehensive workshop to the client to work on the brief. The brief was intended to lead us to the new brand through the plane of words, tone of voice and graphics. Our goal was to create a comprehensive rebranding strategy using the process of change of perception of the brand using entirely new communication — starting from the name, corporate identity, through packaging and appropriate slogans.
The workshop involved an analysis of similar, customisation-based business models on the Polish market. We have carried out research regarding foreign ideas for customised products sold online. We have collected good examples of brand structures, which enabled the owners to make their businesses conspicuous. Using the information we gathered, we proved to the client that reserved communication which would be too close to that of the old brand may lead to a detrimental return to incorrect positioning. The workshop enabled putting information on the market in order, determining final decisions and defining actual client’s requirements. This resulted in a brief being developed. None of the parties had any doubts about it—the workshop led us to an entirely new brand structure and communication proposal.
Strategic concept—assumptions
The work on the graphic design happened simultaneously to the preparation of the creative strategy for So much more. We have defined the most important ideas—what the brand is, what it says about itself, what it promises to its recipients and how it communicates with them.
The brand’s communication strategy combines three cohesive worlds which we have developed simultaneously.
GRAPHICS — the corporate identity system was created.
WORD — we have created the name, the slogan and key communications derived from brand identity.
TONE OF VOICE — we gave the brand a personality, we showed its temperament, convictions and goals, and the way it communicates with its clients.
So much more’s three key messages
CUSTOMISATION — every woman is different, which is why So much more gives the possibility to customise shoes according to your own idea—there is actual choice.
CRAFTSMANSHIP — even the best colour and the most fashionable form cannot guarantee that the shoes will comfortable. This is why So much more entrusts the production of shoes to experienced craftsmen who perform each order with a particular client in mind.
FASHION — it is very important for So much more. Classic shoe forms can be customised by each client to her favourite trends. Press releases were prepared based on that.
From the brand structure to the visual layer
The strategic workshop with the client facilitated the second part of the job. The design process was based on concrete information on brand structure and communication. We knew exactly to whom So much more speaks and what it wants to tell its clients, and therefore we used a single, strong concept as a base from the start.
More means greater, better, further. Ellipsis, which is frequently used immediately after a word, is meant to indicate continuation, great fun, pleasure, excitement and anticipation. This is how the mark was created. Greater, better, further—you make a contribution and, as a result, you get something more than shoes… You get So much more — a unique experience verging on design, fashion, great fun and a functional product.
The design we created was meant to be clear — like a blank sheet of paper for clients-designers.
We did not want to impose the nature of shoes customised by their recipients. Each of the elements is intended to invite clients to co-create their own products, without defining their style, imposing aesthetics or form.
The packaging became an important medium for So much more’s philosophy. White, minimalistic, yet with a curious form and prepared using highest quality materials. The three openings—the ellipsis—and coloured inside are a reference to black elements used in corporate identity. The shoe box is frequently treated as an ordinary cardboard box in the closet or wardrobe, yet in case of So much more it became a gorgeous addition. You can proudly display it indoors together with the shoes you designed.
The wordplay and the combination of images in graphic elements are parts of the whole. The message juxtaposed with the image in a minimalistic composition defines the core of the brand. The collection of pictograms is a continuation of this approach.
All elements we created are characterised by a modest form. Each design is ascetic, because we knew from the start that a strong emphasis on fashion will play first fiddle in case of So much more. We could not stifle the colours, cuts and shoe forms the clients can design with an ostentatious visual layer. We believe that a brand aspiring to the premium category should offer exceptional quality and great design, rather than an overly colourful “packaging”. This is why we created a transparent corporate identity with modest graphic elements.
For So much more we have designed the logo, corporate identity, letterhead and other company printed materials, a complete set of sales materials, POS, a product packaging concept together with its design, and a responsive website concept including a set of pictograms.
