A confident new brand expression for Howdens

A brand for everyone

Howdens are the UK’s biggest supplier of fitted kitchens and joinery products. Trusted by tradesmen - and even The Queen – this is an authentic brand with real equity. With ambitious growth plans, Howdens wanted to appeal to all its customers.  Having a complex business model in which builders sell to customers, it was doubly important to create a brand which worked for multiple audiences.

Refreshingly straight forward

We evolved Howdens' brand expression to support their future growth plans, creating a new identity that provides clarity and confidence. Our no-nonsense approach meant protecting its heritage and enviable brand equity, whilst modernising the brand image. Being a trade-only brand, helping build trust with the end-consumer was essential. Our clear-cut strategy to create inspiring content for all consumer-facing channels not only helps Howdens build their business, but also helps the builder grow theirs.   

The rooster symbol which forms a part of the identity is a nod to the founder’s story of the origins of the brand, which started with two brothers making chicken sheds in the 1930’s.
We focused everything around the trade. We embedded the company’s lineage of traditional craft and manufacturing ‘know how’ into everything we did - a code that the builder would understand.
The graphic language was developed to be a trade shorthand. Absolutely everything is direct and immediate. This plays into the idea of the brand understanding the builder’s everyday life – it’s busy, frantic and has no time for fuss. We call this philosophy ‘trade convenience and value’.
The brand strategy and philosophy has been applied to all assets, from brochure and website to depot design, signage and the transport fleet. Brand guidelines and internal communications invite everyone concerned to understand the spirit of the brand identity, and to see things through the lens of the builders and their working life.
We gathered insights about the latest future living and design trends in order to ensure that this trade brand appealed to the end consumer too.
The high end brochures became a prized sales tool for the tradesmen.

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