Realising it needed to sharpen its competitive edge, Harrison Fisher began working with a group of designers under the Design Council's Immerse programme in 2002.
MD, Alastair Fisher says, ‘We realised that there is little future for us with retail customers so what we’d got to do is get out there and do something else, which is where the Designing Demand programme slotted in absolutely right.’
The team discovered that Harrison Fisher had an entrepreneurial spirit, but it reacted to the demands of its customers - powerful buyers from supermarkets and department stores - rather than carving out a design strategy of its own. It needed a fresh perspective.
‘We were put under the microscope by four high powered design executives. What impressed us was the speed with which they identified our problems and the challenges we were facing,’ says Fisher.
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How Harrison Fisher invested in a design strategy.
Read the video transcript
The team agreed that three areas needed attention - Harrison Fisher’s 'Taylor's Eye Witness' consumer brand, the packaging and its product range. A strong consumer brand was especially important as Harrison Fisher was being edged out of the supermarket 'own-brand' market by cheaper competitors.
The company wasn’t clear about its brand values but with the help of a design mentor, it developed a 'brand language' that would guide the rest of the design process. Harrison Fisher decided its 'Taylors Eye Witness' brand should be contemporary but take into account the company's heritage and its reputation for quality.
The branding exercise - which cost £20,000 - gave the company a new sense of purpose.
