The excitement of heading out on a road trip with friends, the coziness of roasting marshmallows over a campfire and the comfort of climbing into a warm bed after spending the day exploring outdoors—these are just some of the experiences we associate with RV camping and travel.
When ArrKann Trailer & RV asked us to update their brand in a way that would convey the RV dealership’s rich history, family values and experience in the industry, we packed our gear, laced up our imaginary hiking boots and got ready for an adventure.
We weren’t sure where the journey would take us, but we knew that the freedom and fun of the RV lifestyle, combined with ArrKann’s deep roots in Alberta, would present all kinds of creative possibilities.
Opportunities on the horizon
After getting to know ArrKann and taking the time to understand their business and their goals for the future, g[squared] got to work. We researched the world of RV travel and tourism, the various players in Alberta’s RV market, the demographics of RV buyers and more.
Since ArrKann was established in 1977 and has been family-owned and operated from the beginning, the ArrKann team already had a strong understanding of the company’s purpose, values and strengths when they came to g[squared].
Our job was to build a strong brand identity that would reflect ArrKann’s strengths, help differentiate them from the other RV dealerships in Alberta and speak to their different audiences.
Building an authentic brand
Depending on the client, the journey to a new brand can involve some detours and unexpected bumps in the road. With ArrKann, the journey was as smooth as cruising down a resurfaced highway in a luxury motorhome (and now we can’t stop using RV analogies).
ArrKann was ready for an all-new logo, tagline, colour palette and approach to their marketing materials. And that gave us the freedom to develop a consistent brand that extends across all the touch points where customers might interact with the company.
g[squared]’s creative team designed a bold and distinctive new logo for ArrKann that is both contemporary and classic. The timeless design references the company’s long history and draws inspiration from the graphic style of roadside signage and national parks iconography, both of which are associated with RV travel and camping.
If you look closely at the trailer icon, you can also see that it’s in the shape of a capital “A” for ArrKann.
Colour plays an important role in a brand’s visual identity. It can affect consumers’ moods, create associations in their mind that they’re not even consciously aware of and sway their purchasing decisions. (For more on that, see our blog post “Colour Matters: The Importance of Colour for Brand Identity”.)
For ArrKann’s new brand, we created a refined colour palette with a vintage feel that brings to mind the colours you see on an RV camping trip.
Photography and other imagery also contribute to a brand’s visual identity. For ArrKann, we selected photography focused on the experience of RV travel. ArrKann can use this imagery in a variety of applications, online and in print.
In addition to the lifestyle images with the slightly faded, Instagram-style treatment, we also designed a set of badges featuring some of ArrKann’s brand messaging.
Featuring phrases like “Best Trip Ever” and “Alberta Proud”, these badges are styled after the new logo and share the same vintage feel.
Website redesign mock-up
ArrKann unveiled their updated brand online and at RV expositions in early 2019. The response to date has been very positive, with RV enthusiasts on social media keying into the warm, family-friendly feel of the new brand imagery and commenting on the effectiveness of the logo.
As more people interact with ArrKann online and in person, we hope they’ll see the updated brand as an authentic representation of the company—and connect with the values it represents.
Is your organization ready for a brand refresh?
Whether you have a new business and need to develop a brand from scratch, or you want to update an established brand to better reach your target audiences, g[squared] can work with you to make your brand fresh, compelling and consistent.
Check out our blog post “4 Signs That It May Be Time to Refresh Your Brand”—and then reach out to us.
