SPACES THAT MOVE US FORWARD.
Brand Identity, Launch Video
Launching The COR Brand
At one time, Herman Miller and Knoll were two powerhouse furniture dealers and competitors. Now, they've merged and have joined forces. Following suit, Creative Office Pavilion, a leading Herman Miller dealer, and Office Resources, a leading Knoll dealer merged together as Creative Office Resources. With a combined 60+ years of experience, we were tasked with creating a new brand identity that seamlessly unified the values of both entities while still uniquely differentiating them within a saturated space.
Brand Identity & Strategy
Copywriting
Illustration
Animation
Signage
Corporate Materials
Client: Creative Office Resources
Mergers can pose a number of challenges. To achieve a smooth transition, the new identity must be an equal reflection of both parties to avoid resistance. Each of the previous brands had a loyal following so it was important that those existing customers and partners felt like they would continue to get the same care and experience under this new brand umbrella. Creating a fresh look while embracing the experience of both previous organizations posed a unique challenge. Additionally, other strong competitors in the space put a similar emphasis on service and relationships that the COR team does, so we had to bring out another differentiator to stand out from the crowd.
The logo mark is derived from the merger. Taking Office resources and Creative Office pavilion and weaving them together. The O for Office serves as a common connection point between the two businesses. We wanted to create something that felt like a positive representation of the merger and didn’t leave anyone out.
“The Rugged team was thorough, involved and was able to manage a large room with a lot of opinions.”
Knowing the potential merger challenge around maintaining trust with employees, customers, and partners, as well as the general industry challenge around differentiating in a competitive space, we set about creating a brand identity and launch strategy that would emphasize company culture, trust, and interconnectedness. We had interviews with stakeholders, external partners, and staff to make sure all voices were heard and leveraged those voices to shape the brand. One of the themes that came through during the interview process was that people felt tremendous trust toward the female leadership driving the organization. We leaned into this trust and the ways that people described these leaders when approaching messaging.
Messaging is centered around connection. During the interviews we conducted, it was clear that clients valued that they felt listened to and that their feedback was incorporated into designs. Focusing on human-centered language emphasized that strength. Keeping in mind our visionary value proposition, we emphasized forward thinking throughout the copy.
Line work was inspired by forms within the furniture, paying tribute to their design process in a compelling way. These elements are also used to create a focal point when cropping imagery, making an otherwise static image feel dynamic and interesting. That variety of color and forms speaks to COR’s wide range of services and breadth of knowledge in the industry.
The COR team was enthusiastic about the end product. The brand identity has captured the strengths of both previous entities and brought them together in a cohesive way. It represents the voices of people from across the COR brand and beyond to clients and partners. This made the transition to their new brand seamless and gave all stakeholders piece of mind that they would not only continue to receive a great experience, but that it would improve with the merger.
“The process was engaging, easy and the end product was better than we could have imagined.”
