The Deerskin Leather Shop

Over 40 years of supplying quality, locally-crafted leather goods captured in a redesigned brand identity and implemented throughout a heightened in-store and new online experience to continue their legacy.

Background

The Deerskin Leather Shop has remained a prominent retail location within Kitchen Kettle Village since 1971, selling quality leather goods to loyal patrons and building a strong reputation within the local community.

Since its establishment, the brand evolved organically through product sales, word-of-mouth referrals and light advertising through local media outlets. All without any identity or visual guidelines in place to ensure cohesive aesthetics. To continue a long-standing leather legacy, Deerskin Leather recognized the need for an established brand identity and heightened shopping experience that represents their heritage and resonates with customers of different generations.

Solution

Paying tribute to the history of the store served as the core of the brand identity we created, paving the way for a successful launch in-store and online. Designing a logo using familiar details from the store’s history provided instant recognition amongst customers that felt fresh, not foreign. The visual system added cohesiveness for a unified shopping experience amongst a diverse selection of products through updated in-store signage and use of colors from a specified brand palette.

Process

From our first meeting with the team at The Deerskin Leather Shop, the focus to preserve the shop’s heritage and reputation was the highest priority. Before any design work, we spoke with store managers and interacted with loyal customers to get a true sense of what made this store and their products rise above the rest. All the responses aligned with their messaging, emphasizing quality and service with a personal touch. From there we worked hand-in-hand with The Deerskin Leather Shop to create a collage of images, styles, and colors that gave a sense of their future brand identity. We turned to the typography from previous signage as our starting point for designing the logo because of its role in the store’s history, incorporating the other results from our research phase into each concept. The team was presented with three logo directions, each targeting the goal of this rebranding effort from a different angle.

For the selected direction, we paired the logotype with a one-color antler mark, delivering visual interest and a recognizable logo. Using these two features of the logo, we developed a versatile system to cater to a wide variety of sizes and applications, achieving consistency regardless of interaction with the brand.

We followed the design of the logo and identity system with exterior and interior signage design, website design and development with ecommerce, and an implementation strategy for a successful launch of the new brand identity and website.

Results

23.8%

Revenue growth in one month

During the month of launching the rebrand, the store had its best June in over ten years.

14%

Revenue growth for the year

In the same year the rebrand was implemented, the store achieved their best annual performance in seven years.

26.4%

Revenue growth the next year

The year following the rebrand, the store continued to see growth in key areas.

Services

Strategy

  • Consulting
  • Naming
  • Positioning
  • Messaging
  • Research
  • Art Direction

Design

  • Logo Design
  • Identity System
  • Layout
  • Website
  • Illustration
  • Lettering

Experience

  • Print
  • Digital
  • Communication
  • Packaging
  • Environmental
  • Campaign
210 West Grant Street
Suite 406
Lancaster, Pa 17603

717-397-6979

[email protected]

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