The Arc of the Brandstory in Building Centuried Brands
In a reflection of history—GIRVIN’s brand history at more than a half century of continued creativity— there is a story, goes back, 1973, when I first began to work as a brand craftsman: sign-painting, calligraphic broadsides and books, designing catalogues for the Evergeen State College, shopfronts, motorcycle pin-striping and tattoo designs.
And—in this pathway, for me—there have been plenty of narrative arcs.
For example, great wins, long-running projects and relationships, astonishing global on-site brand design programs; and yes, the downs: that legacy includes the real estate crash of 1987, the dot com collapse of 2000, the global collapse of 2008-2009, the fiscal challenges as an outcome of the pandemic in 2019, these events were part of the story, since they effected pivoting and evolutions in our strategy, and what this meant for how we worked, who we worked for, staff transitions and travails. This required a rethinking of brand modeling—and outreach storytelling—not only in our legacy, but too, for everyone we worked with,
or stopped working with.
I think about the journey as a road—a long meander that starts in a place, and ends, far out, in another place. I think this might be why I’m fascinated by paths, highways, railways and lines in the forest.
Every journey has a path, a route to the saunter, exploration and the explication of its meaning; and when I contemplate my journey—as a half century brand—it pales in comparison to brand historical legacies of other teams and enterprises, I’ve worked with.
The eldest brand soul[ful enterprise,] would be likely working inside the Lasallian tradition at St. Mary’s College of California. In a leadership summit with the Fathers and Sisters of this institution—a BrandQuest®, in Oakland, California—our brand work was about listening to their foundational learning strategies, created as an innovation in strategic comprehension by St. John Baptist de La Salle—during the period of The Enlightenment—a priest and scholastic innovator [1651-1719,] who has been named as the Catholic Patron Saint of Teachers and the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, focused on the principles of: faith, an abiding concern for the poor, to prevail in social justice, a quality education fortified within an inclusive community, and principled respect for all persons. This is the core of the brand strategy, and building to this criteria.
A foundational learning legacy of 485 years
Similarly, in our work for Seattle Preparatory School, and the later foundation of the Seattle University’s Matteo Ricci—as a early brand creation with Thomas Healy’s directives from Seattle Prep—we reached back to the Jesuit tradition, founded in 1540, Ignatius de Loyola and led to strategic positioning in the truth of a tradition. While you might say, “wait, these are schools in the present,” the brand strategy reaches back into the core of the spiritual tradition. The soul of the brand reaches back to the heart of the legacy
What that means aligns with authenticity—where the brand story begins, and what its truth and authentes would propound.
While I’m not a member of the Catholic faith, I listen
and build to what I hear.
A banking heritage of 350 Years
When I was working with the NA team of Metzler, Seattle, the core initiative was newly articulating their presence in the PNW, project documentation, as well as the expansion of the NA market. Still, the soul of the brand lies in remembrance, honor and tradition—noted as: “The origins of the banking house Metzler go back to a trading company founded by Benjamin Metzler in 1674. The name B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. is derived from the son of the company founder Benjamin Metzler, who wanted to remember his deceased father by this naming. As early as the end of the 17th century, there was a coupling of merchandise and financial transactions due to the significant distance trade activities.“
Soul-searching, and finding the brand stories in 100-Year-Old Brands
The Nordstrom Brand
123 Years Old
Working with the advertising and marketing executive team, as well as the members of the family it was noted by a stockholder in a investment summit that there were multiple logos on the storefronts in various California locations—these were pointed out; and I was asked by Bruce Nordstrom to develop an answer to the challenge—there were, inherently two styles, one, a classical version in San Francisco, as well as the 70s version of the logo in a more modern-styled, condensed rendering, below:
Our recommendation was to consider two complete comprehensive design applications reviews, utilizing the more classical rendering, utilizing a Renaissance-inspired logo-typography, a classical serifed font, as well as a san serif treatment, as a modernist reference. We created two font systems, then designed an exhibit room with two complete systems for study.
With a review by the Nordstrom family, as well as the advertising teams and top-ranked customers, the approach of a sleekly lean, modern elegance was deployed as the national approach for all signage, packaging and collateral, as well as a custom alphabet that we built—based on a 3rd century BCE, Graeco-Roman transitional alphabet.
This system was applied in all exterior and interior identity applications nationally, and Canadian stores while they were in play.
As you might note, while the national signage with the GIRVIN font is implemented in all stores, the packaging has shifted with the implementation of a blockier, older style font deployed by current marketing executives at Nordstrom.
Still, on floor sales staff say that people always ask
about the silver shopping bags and boxes—
“could I get my gift put in that box?”
Cheerwine is a 108 year old brand
While this is a brand that originated in 1917, it’s still in play, and is widely recognized as a premier exemplar of recognized Southeastern US brands. Working with the brand owners, the Ritchie family, and esteemed colleague, marketing executive Tom Barbitta, we were asked to aid in recovering the soul of the Cheerwine brand, which—in a string of tours, meetings and BrandQuest® sessions at Salisbury, North Carolina—and Seattle–we arrived at a premise of its legendary status—“Legend” as an on-brand additive.
Other components were its distinction in a flavor palette—the deep cherry note, the committed spirit of the family that stretches back generations—the southern lineage is key. Of course, given its formulary origination, the color is striking.
Our badging goes back, remembers, to go forward.
Stories that last should be empowered in their journey ahead, recognizing the past, walking to the future.
And another brand with history—Dukes, that would be part of this legacy, our history in retelling and newly visualizing legacy brand stories.
Dukes Mayo,
108 years old.
Familial legacy is still a genetic character to the brand, legacy is celebrated—and the premise of a geographic footprint, the American South, is a powerful stamp of placemaking or customer loyalty, and perceptions of place. The strategy of taste, its heritage—the literal spread of products, over an entire culinary experience—translated to the south. Interestingly, the foundress of the brand, Eugenia Duke, originated her innovations in San Diego.
We redrew the Duke brand, held to the black badged circle,
respected the legacy of extant assets, and refreshed and tuned the brandcode®—
GIRVIN’s term for brand visual genetics.
Thinking about time, the curve of the story, the arc of the brand—its history—and soulful characteristics are intimately connected to, from, built for, humans. As everyone knows, the word soul is an ancient one—probably about 2750 years old, as a seed sound in the Proto-Germanic lexicon.
Its ultimate legacy of meaning is “journey,” as in a voyage, as a way across—perhaps, metaphorically, “the sea.”
In the Greek and German heritage of life’s finality, this would be the life journey, across the sea to the other side.
People make brands; it’s a spark of inspiration, innovation, making something that wasn’t there before, or perhaps—to the maker’s premise—it could be better. But in the emotionalism of people dreaming, making things, offerings to their newly emerging community—these aren’t mechanized propositions—they’re inherently human, there is pain, joy, hard work, difficult moments in the art, and the arc, of brand making.
We respect the implications of time—we listen, we look, and we honor—as brand designers, we remember.
And make new, in the foundations of the past stories that
made everything that was, and is—and, in our work and collaborations,
what shall be.
Tim @ GIRVIN’s Queen Anne Studios, Libraries and Galleries
We are here to listen, remember, and design the future.
GIRVIN | Strategic Brands
OSEANSTUDIOS | Built environments
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