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A New Era

A New Era

A New Era

A New Era

Michael Hill

Michael Hill

Michael Hill

Michael Hill

Brand transformation to bring the romance back to an iconic brand

Brand transformation to bring the romance back to an iconic brand

Brand transformation to bring the romance back to an iconic brand

Brand transformation to bring the romance back to an iconic brand

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Overview

Michael Hill Jeweller creates contemporary fine jewellery to mark
life’s most meaningful moments. But after decades of discounting, the brand had lost it’s romance. Seen as downmarket and outdated, the brand was fatigued, overly masculine and mass. We were tasked to bring the sparkle back to this iconic brand.

Michael Hill Jeweller creates contemporary fine jewellery to mark
life’s most meaningful moments. But after decades of discounting, the brand had lost it’s romance. Seen as downmarket and outdated, the brand was fatigued, overly masculine and mass. We were tasked to bring the sparkle back to this iconic brand.

Client

Michael Hill

Type

Brand Identity / Experience Design

Brand Identity / Experience Design

Agency

CHEP

CHEP


A brand that looked to its future by uncovering its past. Central to our work was the insight that Michael and Christine Hill were originally independent fine jewellers hailing from New Zealand. But after decades of discounting this story had been lost. So, to create a new identity, we looked to their past to inspire the future. The new brandmark is deeply grounded in their origin story. A ‘M’ and ‘H’ combined creates a window form, paying homage to the iconic window displays that Christine designed in the brand’s formative years. It elegantly reflects their heritage and passion for craft and creativity. The new colour palette references the lush green landscapes of their birthplace, Whangārei New Zealand. The new typographic palette reflects the craft and precision of jewellery making, creating a sense of contemporary elegance.


An identity that elevates the brand and its positioning. We embraced the hallmarks and aesthetics of luxe branding to elevate the brand to attract a whole new customer set. Our design work was intentionally reductive, creating a more refined, elegant and feminine identity that spanned all touchpoints and channels. From the smallest button on a digital banner, to the biggest billboards in the country.


Extending the brand beyond the identity and into experience. The identity is integrated into the new retail environments, using a pared-back palette, natural materials, and clean architectural lines to reflect the brand’s more premium positioning. The updated monogram and typography are applied with restraint across signage and fixtures, while focused lighting and simplified displays create a calm, elevated shopping experience. The curves of the monogram are reflected in the curves of the store design. The result is a retail space that aligns with the new brand direction and appeals to a more design-conscious, high-value customer.


Launching the brand to the world. And to launch the our work, we turned to an iconic face who also had a history with the brand - supermodel Miranda Kerr. Her image supports the brand’s appeal to a more discerning, high spending customer segment.

Project Information

Years of retail-led promotion had convinced shoppers to buy from Michael Hill overwhelmingly on price - eroding perceptions of quality and commoditising the product. Considered downmarket and outdated, the Michael Hill brand was fatigued, overly masculine and mass. Our initial research confirmed that the brand was seen more ‘like a suburban accountant than a fine jeweller'. However, the business' ambition was to break out from this discount retailing to become a premium jewellery brand. Successfully repositioning the brand would increase their market share and find new growth in higher-value customer segments. To do this a complete brand transformation was needed. And we were tasked to create a whole new identity. One that would move them into a more aspirational, premium space.

Creative Credits


Creative Credits

National Head of Design Christian Hewitt Executive Creative Lead Christy Peacock Executive Strategy Director Katie Peacock Creative Director Kate Allen Associate Design Director Vanessa Saporito Designers Anna Forsyth, Saxon White Copywriter Hannah Stokes Junior Motion Designer Michelle Nguyen Junior Designer Juliette Davies Managing Partner Christine Gannon National Head of Integrated Production Tash Johnson Executive Producer Tania Jeram Film production Larchmont Brandmark animation + 3D Collider Spatial design The General Store Photographer Nino Munoz

My role

Creative Leadership Creative + Design Direction

(002)

I use the power of design, creativity and technology to solve complex problems and transform business.

I use the power of design, creativity and technology to solve complex problems and transform business.

mail@christianhewitt.co.uk

mail@christianhewitt.co.uk

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CHRISTIAN
HEWITT

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HEWITT

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HEWITT

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HEWITT

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