Case Study: Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore

Established in 2005, Bert’s Homestore sells a vibrant and inspired mix of cookware, home accessories, gifts and retro toys from three stores around our home city of Brighton & Hove. A couple of years ago we spent a few months working with them on a brand refresh.

We liked some of the elements to the Bert’s brand already: the retro logo, the old fashioned service, the brown paper bags, the stamped labels, the blackboard signage and the quirky, colourful products. Our task was to keep the aspects of the visual identity that we (and Bert’s) liked, but to develop a more rounded brand, with a wider range of visual assets. We set about designing new in-store labeling, packaging and bags, We also helped them establish branded social media channels and develop a band new Ecommerce website.

Brand refresh – Bert’s swing tags on red tin cups – Toop Studio

Our first job was to simplify the logo. We thought in most cases the word ‘Homestore’ should be dropped; we created a cleaner circular logo, which worked better online. We also came up with the simple strapline ‘Fabulous Things’.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – Before and after logo design – Toop Studio

Brand Refresh – Bert’s Homestore circle logo and strap-line – Fabulous Things

Next, we updated their brown paper bag designs, adding a pattern which was inspired by Mexican oilcloth and Scandinavian folk textiles.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – Before and after bag design – Toop Studio

Bert’s also use degradable white plastic bags in-store; We designed a coloured version of our paper bag design.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – Plastic bag design – Toop Studio

Bert’s also sell fabric shopping bags made of jute. Our design was based on a textile design we created using their products as inspiration. To see the original drawings that went into this design, go to our portfolio.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – Jute Shopping bag design – Toop Studio

Working with our web partner Moot Point, we began designing and developing a new shopping website for Bert’s. Our temporary holding site design was inspired by our bag designs.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – holding website design – Toop Studio

We also created a set of social media templates so that Bert’s could post branded updates to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Brand Refresh – Berts Homestore – Facebook social media – Toop Studio

Finally, the new Bert’s Ecommerce shopping site is now live. It was designed by Toop Studio, and built in WooCommerce to our template designs by our web partner Moot Point. It features a custom responsive theme and integration with the company’s stock control system.

Brand refresh for Bert’s Homestore – ecommerce website design home page – Toop Studio and Moot Point

Brand refresh – Berts ecommerce website product selection page – Toop Studio

Brand refresh – Bert’s website – About Us page – Toop Studio

Bert’s Homestore – ecommerce website design – product page

If you’re a small or medium-sized business thinking about undertaking a brand refresh (and you like what we’ve done for Bert’s), then get in touch with us at Toop Studio.

There’s more about our project for Bert’s in our portfolio.