Brave brand strategies for sustainable companies

"The students are highly skilled. It is almost embarrassing how obvious it was for them what challenges I am faced with - even those I could not even put my own finger on - and how easy it was for them to find a solution. They understood my brand, my challenges and, at the same time, the restrictions that exist," says Michelle Thorsbrenner, who has founded Thorsbrenner, which produces puzzle bags i.a.

As if it had been a regular agency collaboration, the three companies presented their respective challenges to the students, who then started developing a brand strategy as well as visual and verbal identity.

Group 4 had created a new logo, new typography and the tagline "I created products that will help parents get out the door and explore" as part of the manifesto "We each have our own types of family, but all of us have something in common: we love to spend time together and go on everyday adventures ". And then they encouraged Michelle to change the name of her company as well.

The students' analysis showed that the target group had difficulty pronouncing Thorsbrenner and associated it with fancy fashion. The group therefore suggested that Michelle change the name to Thorsbear, which has associations to nature, fun and cosiness.

And the students' inputs impressed everyone. No doubt, Michelle Thorbrenner will use their work:

"All the groups surprised me with one or more insights, which I had either not arrived at myself or which they had phrased better than me. They contributed to my understanding of the brand and made me better equipped to go out into the world and go crazy. "

During the presentations, it was evident that the companies felt understood and were able to identify with what the students have developed:

"Branding is about expressing human values and emotions which the students have really grasped. It is a rebranding that the students have made, and it requires empathy, insight, and courage to transform a brand's position. It is after all genuine

 ‘flesh and blood' we are changing, so it is a challenging brand design task. But the students developed strategies and identities that very accurately captured the brand's personality, both visually and verbally," says Nanna Kanneworff, teacher at Design & Business, Brand Design.

 This was also true of Barbara I Gongini, who was particularly excited about Group1's work on new logo, font and icons, and a tagline that was spot on: "We do not follow. We challenge”:

 "Interesting, clever, clear and concise," was the remark from the Danish fashion brand.