Truewerk is a leader in modern performance workwear on a mission to elevate the perception of trade work and the industrial athletes who choose it as a career. We were invited by The Tilly Group to bring their most excellent strategy to life, visualizing the brand's position that trade work is hardly a step back. It’s a step up.
Marketing in the workwear industry is dominated by a portrayal of brooding toughness and grinding labor. It might look badass, but it is utterly joyless. We wanted our look and feel to reflect trade work for what it really is – a career that doesn’t beat us down, but lifts us up. We helped define this visual concept early in the strategy process with The Tilly Group and then briefed Truewerk’s digital design agency, Pattern, to execute the new brand identity and website. We also created a robust brand book to formalize our strategic and design choices and inspire future creative work.
The Truewerk design language is a balance of three principles: STRUCTURE, OPTIMISM and GOOD LIVIN.’ In practice, that means our layouts and composition feel purposeful and precise with confident shapes and angles that evoke architecture while our photography champions the big, vibrant lives that tradespeople lead. These are men and women who love their job and lifestyle… And it should show. When we nail this balance of technical precision and bold, effusive personality, we nail the brand.
As the brand refresh began its launch, we briefly consulted with Truewerk’s internal marketing and creative team, led by their superbly talented photographer and filmmaker, Ryan Murphy. We helped Ryan and his team develop scripts and photography briefs for the early content work that would embody the TRADE UP ethos and introduce it to their customers.
Brand
Jeb Tilly, Strategy
Noah Clark, Art Director & Writer
Mike King, Writer
Josh Jevons, Designer
Photography & Video
Ryan Murphy
Identity & Web Design
Pattern