When Kent Brushes, the world’s oldest brush maker (est. 1777), needed to refresh its brand and relaunch its website, it looked carefully for a small British company who would give the new site a personal touch.
Ultimately it chose BlackOrange, a small web design company in Leeds. ‘BlackOrange was not some faceless corporation that chucked together a website and then sent us a bill,’ says Ben Cosby, creative director for GB Kent and Sons.
Kent Brushes knew it needed outside expertise to create a new brand identity that showed how it could move with the times. After all, it has acquired many logos and styles that have, quite literally, evolved over hundreds of years.
‘We wanted to project a cutting-edge, fashion-led persona whilst retaining our long-established traditional heritage. Quite a tricky task to deal with, but one we feel BlackOrange completely mastered,’ Cosby says.
Kent Brushes was impressed that BlackOrange knew the company was in need of a rebrand by the time they had their first meeting. Its image needed a modern makeover, so as part of the site redesign a whole new identity for the Kent Brushes website and its products, which are all available to buy from the site, was created.
Now, the site depicts galleries of beautiful, trendily-coiffed models brandishing hairbrushes. There is now also an online store.
Ultimately, the success of the Kent Brushes site can be measured in hard sales. But it’s not just about making money. ‘It was also as much about the company’s projection in the eyes of consumers,’ says Cosby. ‘The world we live in today is so different to the world we lived in just ten years ago. Our product is beginning to be seen as a fashion item and not just a necessity for grooming one’s hair.’
By presenting brushes in a fashionable light, consumers and the hair and beauty industry are now looking at Kent Brushes with fresh eyes – and new business opportunities have come about from the strength of the new site and brand, says Cosby.