MAY 30, 2022: CityMag - GRAPHIC IDENTITY
Jacquie and Scott Arnold wanted a strong brand presence from the very first moment their athleisure jewellery line, Ever, hit the market. For this, they turned to Gilbert Street studio Divide.
When Jacquie and Scott Arnold launched their athleisure jewellery line, Ever, they knew they had a niche product.
This article first appeared in CityMag’s Love Edition, on streets from December 2021.
They also knew that niche alone wasn’t enough to take their brand to the level they wanted.
As is required for any business looking for success in the digital age, they enlisted the help of a design agency to take the next step.
Rather than look to the east coast design meccas of Sydney and Melbourne, Jacquie and Scott opted for a home-grown team to build their brand image.
The couple, who are established in the jewellery game with their venture Blush and Co, turned to Gilbert Street-based agency Divide Design, with the success of the project laying the foundations for a strong friendship which has since blossomed.
“We wanted someone to come in and understand our vision and our values and be on that same path and deliver something exceptional,” Jacquie says.
“They really understood the look and the feel of the brand very well and we just all connected.”
Divide was tasked with producing a rebrand which showcased the elegance of Ever pieces, whilst capturing the brand’s key message: wear Ever, when Ever.
For Divide co-founder Jason Thomas, rebranding a fashion label was somewhat outside of his experience, but not his comfort zone.
“It’s not a common one for us, in terms of a jewellery project or a fashion brand,” he says.
“We have worked on a couple of different clothing lines and stuff like that before, but it would be our first major fashion brand going into that sort of space.”
Jason says Jacquie and Scott’s vision for Ever made for a strong foundation from which to start the project.
“Some people come to you with a back-of-a-napkin type of concept and some people come to you with a full business plan,” he says.
“In this case, we had a full pitch from Jacquie in terms of what she was wanting to achieve with the project.”
The durability and aesthetic of the Ever range was captured through the lens of Adelaide photographer Josh Geelen, whom Divide commissions for the majority of its projects.
Inspired by Jacquie and Scott’s shared love of sport – basketball in particular – Ever’s designs draw on the geometric shapes and lines of hardwood and other sporting grounds, with the couple channelling this passion into every piece.
More than just creating contemporary and practical wearables, Jacquie and Scott see Ever as a means to support larger social issues.
Beyond Blue is an official partner of Ever, with a gold coin from every sale of an Ever product going to the mental health and wellbeing organisation.
“We know how important mental health needs to be, and that needs to be a focus,” Jacquie says.
“It’s not much we’re giving, but every little bit counts.”
Jacquie says the collaboration with Divide needed to showcase Ever from the get-go, given her and Scott’s desire to get the brand out of the gates early following its launch in June.
The end result was a total brand package, from the first click on the boldly designed Ever website through to the unwrapping of the packaging on delivery day, and the process left Jacquie and Scott with an even greater appreciation for the importance of the designer’s role.
“We learned so much from them and how important it is to have such a presence, especially when you’re starting out,” she says.
“It definitely opened our eyes to how much you do need a design team and a marketing team to really get things moving.”
https://citymag.indaily.com.au/commerce/graphic-identity/everlasting-design/