Cape-based creative consultancy, Adhesion was enlisted to guide a process of repositioning and rebranding for Duro, which has included developing a new visual identity as well as marketing collateral, a website make-over and a revised through-the-line and digital communication strategy.
Greg Morris, CEO of Duro, believes that "both consumers and those in the building trade are really demanding more than just a good product". Indeed, through its extensive rebranding process the company also seems to have addressed the philosophical question of "what are we here for?" - emphasising not only the profit principle, but also highlighting customer satisfaction and stakeholder engagement. "Building with Pride" is the tagline that Duro have settled on - and proudly conveys its philosophy in all areas of engagement.
The design team, headed by Brian Bainbridge and supported by Duro in-house designer Cezaan Boshoff and national marketing co-ordinator Mercia van Schalkwyk, set out to create a symbol of the new Duro philosophy, whilst acknowledging the heritage of the company and simultaneously projecting its new culture, product ranges and approach.
Historically, the core business was pressed steel - as conveyed through the company name Duro Pressings, yet the company had diversified over the years such that Duro's vast product offering includes quality steel and aluminium products that are sold under recognised brand names, as well as structural steel and innovative modular building solutions, DIY products, sanitary ware and low-income housing systems and solutions.
The final resolve was to drop the word "pressings" from the logo and to entrench durability and strength with the typographic treatment. The "P" of pressings is still present and, true to its roots, has been "pressed" out of the "D". At the centre of the D - its heart is a deep red, which acknowledges the red oxide colour of its core products and symbolises that people are at the centre of its world.
A further requirement of the brief was to include the brand product offering categories with logo when required in certain cases, for example Duro Doors, Duro Windows, etc. The same design cues need to be carried through in a consistent manner. To resolve this, the Adhesion team established a system whereby each category could simply be "tagged onto" the Duro logo, differentiated by an ultra-light version of the bold Duro name font for each category name. The lightweight font mimics the thin "P" in the centre of the mark, balancing the letterforms across the logo.
Chief sales and marketing officer John Lamb said: "We wanted our new identity to consolidate the brand - although Duro's product range is vastly diverse, pride - fierce pride - is a common unifying factor. The same can be said of our company; even though we are different, each with our own unique qualities and skills, our shared sense of purpose and pride in our work has been our collective strength".
