June 2020 - Current, ESC
Digital Content & Brand Strategy
Creating A Brand Identity
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Background
— Brief
Since 1987, ESC, a Bermuda-based company, has continuously expanded into new markets. As a result of these changes, their current branding needs revision to sustain growth. In collaboration, we are exploring what ESC represents in the community now and in the future.
— Skills
Logo Development
Brand Positioning
Web Design
Prototyping
Primary & Secondary Research
Synthesis & Ideation
Strategic Recommendations
— Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Shopify
Brand Archetypes
Landscape Analysis
Executive Summary
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ESC Limited started in 1987 as a residential lighting and light bulb company. They expanded to offer electrical supplies in 2002 and became a full-service lighting source for customers. In 2011, they added a wheelchair-accessible expansive showroom for lamps, candles, furniture, and home décor. They partnered with Nonna's Kitchen to create ESCpresso Cafe in 2019 and launched escbermuda.com in 2020. Recently in 2023, they acquired Frameworks, a custom framing company. Despite their growth, they remain committed to top-notch solutions and service.
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Through the changes, ESC created a different logo for each department under the same showroom: ESC Limited (Electrical), ESCape (Furniture and Lighting), and ESCpresso (Cafe). Separate departmental logos worked well when the company operated without a digital presence, but this has become challenging since creating social media accounts and acquiring Frameworks.
To address this, ESC hired me to create a new logo and brand messaging to unify the company's identity and enable future growth.
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ESC’s primary brand archetype (> 70%) is “The Hero.” This archetype is associated with honesty, mastery, and development, which are fundamental qualities of the ESC brand.
ESC’s influencer archetype (< 30%) is “The Everyman,” which embodies authenticity and friendliness. Connection and inclusion are critical drivers for The Everyman, setting ESC apart from its competitors.
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ESC faces more competition from local retailers and overseas suppliers than previously. They are also located in a low-foot traffic area, relying on word-of-mouth or online marketing to attract new customers. Additionally, the acquisition of Frameworks adds another market segment to ESC’s roster. In combination, this makes ESC’s brand identity more important than ever before.
The rebrand will give ESC a more precise target customer and a stronger brand identity for customers to rely on and relate to while internally providing actionable parameters for future expansion. As a result, this will lead to more sales, more robust engagement, and an overall sense of purpose.
ESC Branding Guidelines, Summer 2022
What we are looking to refine, realign, and grow from
Identifying the problem
With ESC catering to primarily two customer segments: electricians by trade and home decorators, the biggest challenge is marrying the two opposites into one logo design that captures the nuances of each without creating brand identity confusion.
Brand Archetype Exercise
ESC is unique because it caters to many different types of people: professional electricians, interior designers, architects, DIYers, and Yankee candle lovers, to name a few.
This range makes determining a brand archetype challenging. Ultimately, we decided “The Hero” and “The Everyman” make the perfect archetypal mix.
How Might We
Create a cohesive customer experience that promotes mastery, courageousness, and connection through a brand identity that celebrates ESC's history and future.
Key Insights
Most customers refer to all departments under ESC Limited as “ESC” rather than “ESC Limited”, “Escape” and “Escpresso”.
Electricians use ESC’s website as a catalog for pricing, but will buy in person for their trade discount.
Engagement and interest increase when ESC features staff members online.
To the right is a competitive landscape analysis; it helps ESC determine potential areas of opportunity and threats.
In ESC’s case, it serves a dual purpose to determine how they compare branding-wise and find points of differentiation.
The evolution of multiple logo ideations
An annotation of
the three most recent
logo iterations
Next Steps
Define who ESC is for
Complete a brand audit
Articulate ESC’s brand heart (purpose, vision, mission, values)
Clarify brand messaging
Determine visual identity
Create brand guidelines
Rebrand rollout