With new branding, packaging and products, Harrison Fisher has turned a corner. It has invested approximately £80,000 in design since 2002, in 2007 it rebranded to be Taylor's Eye Witness, and it's core business now focuses on high quality, well designed products from cutting edge experts.
The new ranges have led to new, sometimes unexpected business, both here and abroad. House of Fraser has been very keen to develop a relationship with Harrison Fisher following a presentation of the new knifes series and, following the publicity surrounding the German design award won by the new Chantry knife sharpener, the company received interest from the leading American kitchen retail chain Crate and Barrel.
'We gained lots from the experience, not only did we gain a number of new products and we gained a clearer understanding of the sort of things we should be doing,' says Managing Director Alastair Fisher.
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Reaping the benefits.
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But the lasting result of the design programme is the change in the company's culture, says design mentor Jonathan Ball. ‘They have raised their game. Before, Harrison Fisher saw design as a distress purchase and not as an important part of the business. Alastair is now clearly very passionate about the products he is developing with Sam and recognises the value of his investment. He knows that the responses he's getting are not just because they look different but because they are a part of a clearly communicated new brand and strategy.’
‘We’ve learned that we will only prosper with distinct and good design,’ says Fisher. ‘Only one company can be the cheapest so you have to compete on other factors. Design has got to be the easiest way of differentiating yourself from the rest of the market.’
He adds, that the design programme has been ‘transformational’. ‘The great thing for us about the programme was that we became involved just in time. We had been under a lot of pressure and we had been losing business. The programme helped us get ahead of the competition instead of always playing catch-up, and that is why it has been so very, very important for us.’
