A loss in brand equity driving  a passion to recapture it

At the heart of this work was a recognition that Hemsec had lost brand equity and growth had stalled in some markets  through a lack of investment in their brand. Alongside this was a huge push internally to make their work more purposeful. Hemsec wanted to focus more on giving back to the community that had served its business for 100 years and they wanted to bolster their green credentials by proving the long-term positive environmental impact their products have on the world. After some soul searching and a new strategic plan in place, Hemsec recognised that their brand identity and voice played a key role in unlocking new business and telling their impactful story with authenticity.

Capturing ideas and opinions through stakeholder workshops

To get to the root of what Hemsec wanted, we gathered diverse stakeholders from across the organisation. If we were going to understand how the rebrand was going to impact the teams internally, we needed to speak to them directly. Representatives from sales, marketing, HR, operations, leadership and more were gathered at Hemsec HQ to get under the skin of what they wanted. What got them here wouldn’t get them where they wanted to go. Through facilitated workshop exercises and visual stimulus, we were able to understand the journey they had gone on to get to this point, what the future felt like to them and the brands they admired (and crucially, why). 

Crafting an authentic voice with humanity at its heart

Central to our rebranding projects is brand voice. By beginning with personality traits that reflect the brand values, we’re able to build a complete picture that lays the foundation for the visual identity. Through stakeholder workshops, we built up a picture of the new version of Hemsec. Authenticity, optimism, bravery and kindness became central themes. Full brand voice guidelines were created complete with accessibility guidance, use cases and context on the personality traits.

Building a visual language focused on a better tomorrow

Hemsec’s previous identity lacked the bravery and optimism we discovered during the brand voice phase. The new visual identity needed to capture this bright outlook as well as position the brand as a market leader. The Hemsec Hexagon became a central motif in the designs and was used throughout as an anchor point. We paired this reassuring shape alongside a bold colour palette. Responsible green, protector blue, collaborator yellow and reshaper grey set the visual tone, and were reflective of the traits chosen during the brand voice phase. And, after carrying out competitor analysis, a chunkier font was chosen to help create standout. The end result is a more confident visual identity that enables Hemsec to rub shoulders with The Big Boys, all whilst holding its own space with integrity.