Transforming a Brand (Service Foods) With Tried&True

Andrew Sparrow of Tried&True often finds when briefed to refresh a brand, it can often be a slight refresh to what a business curently have. However is a tweak enough, is the current brand holding them back, does their brandmark tell their audience what they do, how much equity is in the current mark and if it did change would this have a negative or a positive effect? These are all pertinent questions that Andrew and the team ask themselves when working on a brand refresh.

The original brief for Service Foods was no different, it was to simply refresh their dated chef image in the current brand-mark to make him more modern and relevant. However, after initial research, the team went back to Service Foods and challenged the brand’s positioning, which resulted in a major overhaul of the brand. The new identity was designed to better communicate what the company actually offered – ingredients for chefs. Very few customers were aware of their diverse product offering and for Service Foods to grow their business, communicating this was paramount.

It was no easy task, having started out as a Christchurch grocer back in 1983, investment in branding was very new. The process of getting the identity across the line with the family took about six months and a whole lot of conversations with current and potential new customers to pave the way in having them understand there was very little equity in the current brand, which visually looked more like an out-of-date catering service.

The idea behind the new identity and assets was quite simple; it was about getting back to basics and visually illustrating what Service Foods did - they sourced a broad range of products from the source and delivered them promptly to chefs around the country. Although a large percentage of their product portfolio covers everyday items, there is huge array of specialist products which are sourced directly from local and international producers. Service Foods’ philosophy was all about service, and being able to source the best products, from the best suppliers, at the best prices. This, combined with family values and thirty years of experience, is how the man with the cart came into to being.

The man and the cart is a flexible design system that enables ingredients and produce to change out depending on the communication. The mark was executed in a mono-tone woodcut style, as it is representative of their simple philosophy of  craft and care, while the typography is purposely kept simple and modern to compliment the illustrations.

The hospitality industry sets the bar for expectations and Service Foods has to deliver to that, which meant the brand’s imagery had to be strong, delicious, real and inspiring, so Tried&True commissioned photography to capture a broad range of visually inspiring products from each of their core categories, once again pushing the client to take that leap and invest - because Andrew didn’t feel confident that their original brief of stock imagery would deliver a strong enough or consistent feel across this fleet. These stunning images were then rolled out over 85 plus trucks and then extend across stationery, events, sales and trade material.

For more information on branding agencies Auckland, design agencies and packaging design, please go to http://www.triedandtruedesign.co.nz .