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 Considered downmarket and outdated, the Michael Hill brand was fatigued, overly masculine and mass.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. So we were tasked to create a whole new identity. One that would move them into a more aspirational, premium space. Central to our work was the insight that Michael and Christine Hill are the original independent jewellers in New Zealand. 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. Our identity work spanned all touchpoints and channels. From the smallest button on a digital banner, to the biggest billboards in the country. And to launch the our work, we turned to an iconic face who also had a history with the brand - supermodel Miranda Kerr.