In January 2008 Apropos- was commissioned to carry out a comprehensive brand re-positioning exercise. Musto was established by British Olympic sailing medallist Keith Musto in 1965. Their product is worn by Ellen MacArthur and the majority of sailors in the Volvo Ocean and Vendee Globe races. They also make shooting and riding clothing, sponsoring members of the British eventing team. Our brief was to support Musto as a premium technical clothing brand who wished to extend their lifestyle product offer and town centre retail presence. We looked at every element of the existing identity and produced a series of options which were evaluated through focus groups. Throughout 2008/9 the new brand identity was applied to all communication, product, packaging, trade shows, advertising, catalogues, store designs and website.
Logotype -
The Musto Block logo is the cornerstone of the new identity. It implies creativity, technology, trust and consistency. In developing the logotype we experimented with completely new designs and versions of the existing logo. Directions were tested through a series of focus group sessions, run by Chris Forrest of The Nursery – who also carried out canvassing and initial research into the brand which informed our design briefing. The final logotype incorporates a subtly modified version of the existing brand signature.
Brand Positioning -
As part of our research we thought about what sort of personality the brand could/should communicate. Musto needed to become the brand that appeals to country, sailing and lifestyle markets – what do they all have in common? What cultural and creative trends could help Musto reach the broader market without alienating it’s existing client base? How do companies appealing to the same demographic present themselves? We looked at direct competitors but also sectors like technology and telecoms, financial services, healthcare, supermarkets, furniture and interior design, media and broadcast brands, etc. Five key brand values were identified – Quality, Technical, Innovative, Reliable and Genuine. These words describe the brand. Everything we do should support these values, be it product design, communication design, store interiors, trade stands, how we answer the phone, how we interact with our customers. Photography: From a series of landscapes created by Richard Legge.
Performance Anywear -
The tag line was chosen for it’s broad relevance to sailers, riders, field sports enthusiasts and lifestyle consumers. It alludes to the quality of the product and presents Musto as an enabling partner for outdoor people. The full-stop helps reinforce the message and adds a confidence to the statement. The word PERFORMANCE was retained from the previous logo, so as to evolve rather than revolutionise the brand. The tag line is presented in the Musto corporate font – Gotham Rounded. The rounded nature of the font creates a friendly technical message. It helps position Musto amongst contemporary brands from both the technical and creative industries.
Advertising -
A series of advertising templates were developed –
see Musto Advertising article.
Sailing Technology -
Evolved from existing designs but incorporating the spirit of the new Musto Block, Gotham typeface and simplified colour system.
Retail Concept -
We briefed RPA:Media to design a new retail system in line with the visual language. This was first applied to new stores in Brighton and Exeter, then the existing Musto outlets.
Trade Shows -
RPA:Media interpreted the visual language to produce a modular trade show system which was used at METS and the London Boat Show. The stand was built by Paul Budden.
Sales & Marketing Meetings -
Apropos worked with event management specialists HWJ Solutions and AV production company Crystal Clear Productions to dress venues for seasonal go to market meetings. The Musto brand was applied to catwalk shows and stage graphics, presentations, display panels, merchandising equipment, delegate packs and signage.
Web -
BT Fresca were appointed to re-design Musto’s web site and upgrade to full e-commerce facility. Apropos- briefed and worked with the development team. We also provided graphic components – banners, graphics, background imagery and textures. The site launched in March 2009. Visit http://www.musto.com/
© Apropos 2009
This was the dream job really, the brief was to go out and shoot a collection of Autumn/Winter landscapes. No art direction or hair and make up that goes with the fashion shoots, “just come back with some great shots”. This pretty much sums up most of my jobs working with Gareth, love them.
Managing the first global Musto go to market meeting for the new CEO, together with the launch of the new brand identity, was a great project – made all the easier by the involvement of the creator and guardian of the brand identity, Gareth. In his quiet professional and unflappable manner he gently but effectively ensured all the varied event visual demands stayed within the brand visual language parameters – resulting in a spot-on total brand visualisation which contributed massively to a very successful event and a very happy CEO!
I worked with Gareth to create a brand visual language (VL) at Helly Hansen, Reebok (football) and Musto. This VL was used to create a distinctive, powerful and consistent identity across all marketing and product communications. Gareth demonstrated a remarkable ability to interpret graphic and visual trends to find relevant and creative solutions which, at times, were going to market 18 months into the future. He then has a commercial and pragmatic approach to applying these to a brand and is responsive and committed. Strongly recommended. Andy Towne – CEO Musto