Sharpening a
Category Leader
Available in over 80 countries worldwide, Chef’s Choice made a name for itself as the leading brand in technologically advanced knife sharpeners and countertop appliances. With over 100 models that span multiple product categories, the brand eventually found itself with outdated graphics and a disjointed architecture. Needing to maintain its leadership position and drive new sales, the marketing team initiated a brand evaluation and refresh.
Finding that consumers were alienated by the feature focused communication and graphics, we re-positioned the brand to embrace professional grade appliances for everyday use and become a lifestyle brand. This enabled a softer brand image and expanded the target audience from predominantly older males to 25-55-year-old females and males. We developed a modern brand architecture with new, premium product photography and simplified communication, making it easier to shop and differentiate the products. The brandmark was revitalized to support the new positioning and gave a subtle nod to the orange and red brand equity colors.
PROJECT SCOPE
Positioning
Brand Language
Brand Identity
Packaging Design
Photography & Illustrations
Production Management
Brand Guidelines
BEFORE
The first step was cleaning up and modernizing the Chef's Choice word mark. A slicing icon was created using established red and orange spot colors, tying the brand back to its roots as a leader in knife sharpening.
BEFORE
By leveraging the orange brand equity color, the new architecture was able to brand block and demand a cohesive presence amongst the cluttered competition of the housewares category.
To educate consumers on the premium value and benefits offered by the hundreds of Chef's Choice products, we established a new communication hierarchy with visual cues such as attribute icons.
We captured the new branding system in a brand style guide and adapted all integrated marketing materials for a seamless brand experience.
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