Helping Collagen Tribe develop its brand for the future
One of the things I enjoy most about running a design business is getting involved with clients who are looking to take their businesses to the next level. Sometimes that means creating something completely new. Other times, it's about taking something that's already established and helping it evolve.
Our recent work for Collagen Tribe is a good example of the latter.
Collagen Tribe is a premium collagen and wellbeing brand with ambitions to grow beyond its existing product range and develop a broader lifestyle offering. The business already had a clear idea of where it wanted to go, but its visual identity needed to catch up with those ambitions. And that's where we came in.
More than a cosmetic makeover
Collagen Tribe appeals to a broad audience, predominantly women of different ages who are interested in looking after themselves, feeling better and making wellbeing part of their everyday lives. The challenge was to create an identity that felt premium and aspirational without becoming exclusive or intimidating. Something sophisticated, but still approachable. The challenge was to create an identity that felt premium and aspirational without becoming exclusive or intimidating. Something sophisticated, but still approachable.
We wanted to move away from anything that felt overly clinical or like another generic supplement brand. Instead, the aim was to create a softer, more elegant personality that would work just as comfortably in the wider lifestyle market.
Getting the look and feel right
We developed a refreshed identity built around a distinctive monogram, elegant typography and a carefully considered palette of muted, natural colours. Sage, linen, oyster, mushroom and stone might sound more like a collection of paint samples than a branding project, but together they create exactly the understated, premium feel we were looking for.
We also developed a decorative repeat pattern from the brand symbol, giving Collagen Tribe another recognisable graphic element that can be used across packaging, marketing materials and digital communications. Of course, a brand identity is much more than a logo. The real test is whether all the elements work together consistently, wherever a customer encounters the business. That's why we produced a comprehensive brand guide, establishing how the identity should be applied as the business develops.
The next stage was to bring that refreshed personality into the company's Shopify website, updating the design to create a more consistent experience and provide a visual foundation for its expanding range of products and lifestyle content.
Looking beyond the logo
One of the interesting things about this project is that Collagen Tribe wasn't starting from scratch. It already had a business, products and customers. What it needed was a visual identity that better reflected its ambitions.
And that's an important distinction.
A rebrand doesn't always mean throwing everything away and starting again. Sometimes it's about recognising what already works, understanding where the business wants to go and making sure its appearance supports that journey. As designers, our job isn't simply to make things look attractive. It's to understand what a business is trying to achieve and use design to help it get there.
I'm pleased with what we've created for Collagen Tribe. It's a lovely example of how thoughtful design can help an established business move confidently into its next chapter.
You can see the refreshed brand and website at collagentribe.co.uk.
And, as I've said many times before, a logo isn't a brand. But it's a bloody good start.
