There was considerable challenge integrating these four brands under one mark as the manufacturing powerhouse Grindmaster-Cecilware. All were related in purpose, being beverage and foodservice equipment, but they had vastly different markets, client bases, and environments.
But they were all related. This became my central concept for the rebranding strategy. Members of a family will undoubtably share defining traits and resemble each other. On top of that core construct, however, each individual expresses their own personality and passions. The visual identity of the corporation and the sub-brands was created to directly address this idea.
I developed the content strategy in a similar way, with the corporate brand exemplifying the five communication elements of Innovation, Information, Support, Expertise, and Adventure. Each of the sub-brands shares this same lexicon, but prioritizes the elements differently.
Reception • Result • Reviews
“Her impeccable sense of brand and business acumen has resulted in Grindmaster-Cecilware having the best brand messaging and identity building materials in the company’s 100 year history.”
Suzannah Stephens
Marketing Manager, Grindmaster-Cecilware
The visual identity began with unification. The corporate logo and color palette were created to be used by all of the sub-brands. Incorporating a drop of water, a lick of fire, and a frozen flake into the corporate logo reflects the company’s inclusion of hot, cold, and frozen beverage and foodservice equipment.
For each of the sub-brands, the typography of the logotype was differentiated, leaving their distinctness intact. Each brand uses a typeface that is a refined version of their historical mark, maintaining the continuity of 125 years, while still showing its family resemblance to the other marks.
Similarly, I created a unifying corporate brand platform, personality, and communication guidelines for Grindmaster-Cecilware.
While each of the sub-brands retains its own brand story and emphasizes different aspects of the corporate communication elements and personality traits.
