Retail Archives - Brand Manual

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

Website
www.karlbilder.ee

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!

The brand lives through real life applications

Brand Manual created templates for communication like advertising, banner layouts and mood boards for photography. Some of these are very unified, like way-showing in malls, while the mall brands are very distinct.

It’s fun to see the identity live in various channels and media. Astri’s communication is much more streamlined and marketing teams don’t need to invent the bicycle every time they need to say something publicly. Now they can use existing moulds, fill them with creative content and share the results between malls. That is money saved and earned as well, through more consistency, which drives brand recognition. Teams in different towns feel more connected and aligned. And it works on a fun level too.

The group of malls are more coherent now. People on the streets as well as prospect business partners see it as a network of talented and experienced people, not just a pile of real estate.

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

Website
www.karlbilder.ee

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

Website
www.karlbilder.ee

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!

To ensure that our design also worked in real life, we proceeded to prototype full-size signage on-site to see if what looked good on the computer screen could survive contact with reality. It was a real pleasure to work with the client’s team, hanging signs around a cavernous space, to really get an appreciation for proportions. This led to several iterations until we had the necessary sense of place, to create the (almost) final working models, sizes and materials.

To test the concept, O’KEY launched a couple of test shops. One of them was as far as Tyumen in Siberia. After a few further adjustments following full-scale trials, we designed the final toolset for upgrading all O’KEY hypermarkets across Russia. It also serves as the guide for designing new stores and covers all touch-points that a shopper has with the brand.

The resulting 150 page brand identity guide starts with communication principles and tone-of-voice, visual identity basics and ends in the nitty-gritty of price tag structures and workwear design.

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

Website
www.karlbilder.ee

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!

Client
Karl Bilder

Industry
Specialised retail
Builders merchant
Building materials
Construction supplies

Website
www.karlbilder.ee

What we did?
Brand strategy
Rebranding
Naming
Visual identity
Shop navigation & POS
Internal communication
Communication platform

Värvikeskus was by far the most proficient paint and supplies vendor on the market. But their name was generic and too local — Värvikeskus means “paint centre” in Estonian. They were badly missing an identity on par with their new value proposition and much wider product assortment than just paints.

Rebranding was synchronised with the opening of their new flagship shop in Tartu, Estonia. It was a challenge – on one hand, it had a much broader selection of building materials than their existing paint shops. On the other hand the challenge was not to lose their competitive advantage and not to become another big box builders’ merchant.

After defining the essence of their service, their core character, it was natural that the new brand got a personified name. Karl Bilder is an expert who knows what he sells and educates his professional clients.

Karl Bilder is a character. He knows stuff

He takes time to find builders the best materials – and is fast when the construction is on, shipping stuff a.s.a.p. thanks to an optimal full service process. Karl Bilder speaks their language and makes sure they can focus on work at hand.

An upgrade in the shop concept – Karl Bilder means thoughtful service

No longer just a paint shop, Karl Bilder retains his expert role in the field. You call them when you need an expert advice on what paint would last in specific conditions. The new shop concept takes care of other needs of a pro as well, supplying him with quality tools and supplementary building materials. It also understands the daily needs of a construction manager – his car is his office and he really appreciates Karl Bilder’s coffee corner, desk and toilets. Some of them work at odd hours – so now there’s also a 24h pick-up machine.

What we did for Karl Bilder

Defining the values of the brand and giving it a name and a face was one thing. Launching that to the company of experts, real fans of their job was a delicate task. Brand Manual took an effort of onboarding the existing crew – and created the materials that would make it easy for future recruits to join the company. Also engaging key stakeholders in the business – from construction managers to architects and interior decorators. Focusing on professionals who take real pride in their work, like Karl Bilder does. Make sure to grab a copy of their magazine if you want good advice and some useful tips on renovation!