Helping a heritage brand leverage its brand story
Converse was founded as the Converse Rubber Company, manufacturer of rubber tires and winterized footwear. In 1915 the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis. Two years later they invented the "sneaker" aka the Converse All-Star basketball shoe. This created a new industry, paving the way for Converse to become an American icon. To help this truly American brand maintain their “ALL-STAR” legacy, Converse engaged Blackcoffee to foster new value through brand strategy and brand identity.
In reinvigorating this heritage brand, our objective was not to reinvent the brand, but to build on and leverage the existing equity trapped within it.
Nearly everyone has owned a pair of Chucks. We drew inspiration from this fact, digging deep into the brand’s rich history which spans from sports to lifestyle. Resurrecting retired symbols and developing a portfolio of new brand signals, we gave the company greater control and flexibility in supporting the brand story and conveying a consistent brand experience across both internal and external brand communications.
In addition to designing a comprehensive brand identity system for line extension within the master brand’s identity, including retail packaging and product naming systems, our team explored new opportunities to convey the brand's position to retail partners.
This engagement spanned every area of our practice to include:
- Brand Mapping
- Brand Positioning
- Image Mapping
- Naming + Verbal Identity
- Visual Identity
- Package Design
