The story of how we became tapestry…
Part of the Tapestry Large Expensive Abstract Painting by Grayson Perry, 2019
At the beginning of 2021 we unveiled our new company brand, Tapestry, the response from friends, colleagues and family was positive but curious - why tapestry? Well, firstly, for many years our company name was an amalgam of urban & environment - this summarised the focus of our work, but unfortunately also caused challenges with spelling, pronunciation and confusion with similarly named organisations. In reflecting on these challenges, as well as the wide range of projects we have undertaken over almost a decade, we felt it was time for a change. In discussing how we work and what we value, the word tapestry began to emerge as a favourite - encapsulating how we seek to stitch together places like the edges of urban and rural areas, or the complex layers of cities. There’s the intangible feeling of being in a place that feels right - with a positive coming together of the natural environment, physical form, society & culture - creating something that is more than the sum of its parts. In thinking about a physical, woven Tapestry, we also appreciate the expression of story telling through a skilled and thoughtful craft.
For the past 5 years our studio has been based in a wider shared workspace, Main Yard Studios in Hackney Wick - home to a tremendous range of small businesses and fortunately for us, includes Adventure Stories, an award winning design practice who think about brands a little differently. Following several conversations with the wonderful Ed Clark from Adventure Stories Design, we commissioned them to undertake our rebrand using the new company name. Not only are we thrilled with the results , we found the process itself interesting, so here we hand over to Ed to explain more about the thinking behind a brand…
About us
How do you begin to approach rebranding a company?
Before we ever take pencil to paper, we always sit down with the business owners for an in-depth conversation about their journey so far, their motivations and their ambitions for the business. By looking at where the company has been already versus where it seeks to go, we look to answer two fundamental questions:
1. What aspects of the current identity are hindering their business ambitions?
2. What does any new identity need to achieve in order to fulfil these ambitions?
Through answering these questions we aim to conceive a new 'brand narrative'; a singular statement which summarises the essence of what makes the business (and its ambitions) both distinctive and unique. The brand narrative acts as a brief for the design process to follow, allowing us to sense-check whether any particular concept is worthy of pursuing.
Does a company’s industry or sector play a role?
Absolutely. We always thoroughly research the both companies sector and their competition, this is important in several ways:
1. For any brand to function well, it is of primary importance to be differentiated from its competitors. Researching brand identities from almost any sector will reveal category behaviour, illuminating any common tropes and the generic symbolism best avoided in conceiving a new and district brand identity.
2. In contrast, category research also helps us understand any overarching conventions or category cues which may be important to acknowledge. Often these are stylistic or tonal ideas, important in signposting customers to a particular category. For example; the logo for a Potato Crisps brand, will invariably need to feel very different to that of an Architecture business. The tonal distinction between these two is crucial in helping customers appraise and understand the respective logos.
The above considerations need to be balanced against each other, allowing any new identity to be both distinct yet understandable.
What are some of the key things to think about when considering changes to your company’s brand and how it communicates?
How risky is it? Depending on the business-type, the scope for risk varies widely, and should always be taken into consideration. Several of our clients are food & beverage product brands: These are businesses which sustain a relatively high-volume of sales to a large customer base. Continued recognition of their products on shelf is vital in maintaining customer loyalty, with any change to their design posing a risk to that recognition.
Whilst change can be vital for growth, it needs to be delivered in a highly strategic way. We'd urge these higher-risk brand owners to research and establish the most identifiable aspects of their brand (i.e. colour palette, typefaces etc..). This allows the weaker aspects of the brand to be improved whilst ensuring visual recognition is maintained.
For many service-industry businesses, the risks of change are lower. Here the smaller volume of clients can be communicated to individually, easily notifying them of any change. For these businesses, customer loyalty does not hinge on day-to-day recognition of their brand logo. Instead marketing material is primarily aimed at new clients. Whilst never to be taken lightly, it's often easier for these lower-risk businesses to navigate change, with radical steps such as a name-change being more practical to manage.
