Trim-Tex

Uncovering an innovative identity

Brand Research | Creative Direction

We began our engagement with Trim-Tex under the original goal of creating a new website. Throughout our initial conversations though it became abundantly clear that the very brand's identity was somewhat hazy. The client made it clear that any future website needed to be grounded in an understanding of who they were as a company, and we agreed to help them shine that light on themselves.

Roles & Collaborators

Mitch Harris Creative Director

Predrag Negrievski Primary Designer

Brand Research

What does trim-tex represent to its ideal customers?

We decided to start the branding project with an incredibly in-depth research phase. We asked Trim-Tex to provide a list of customers and channel partners who have a good relationship with the company. We wanted people who accurately represent the ideal audience so that we could determine two things:

1.) What makes these people an "ideal" fit for Trim-Tex?

2.) What do they see in Trim-Tex that resonates so deeply with them?

Over the course of 2 months we interviewed more than 10 different participants for an hour and a half each. The result was over 500 individual insights that needed to be processed and analyzed.

The process was daunting

Me, around hour 3, hoping I can learn to absorb data through osmosis.

The effects of our labor proved incredibly fruitful however. At the end of the research we had discovered some extremely clear trends that revealed what the best version of Trim-Tex could be.

"I like solving things. With the help of Trim-Tex, that makes me the hero in my company...Trim-Tex helps me be the guy who resolves things other drywallers couldn’t."

— Richard, one of our participants

"They sell a commodity-type line, and how they can do it and do it so well and be so innovative is always intriguing."

— Pete, one of our participants

Brand implimentation

Creating our validated vision

With a crystal clear vision for what Trim-Tex was and could be, we then set the team out to develop the brand visuals to embody it. Full disclosure: I did none of the actual graphics work on this project. It was all handled by the talented Predrag Negrievski, but I'm just too dang proud of him not to show it off.

After re-iterating the chosen direction we started by breaking down how the existing logo was inherently in conflict with their identity as a company.

Then, we presented our concept and the evolution of the new logo. We didn't make it ver far into presenting the new concept before we were interrupted by the client...

[Interrupting] "Am I allowed to give my opinion yet?"
'Cause that looks f***king awesome."
"I look at that and that's it. That's the future of Trim-Tex."

— Francis Walker, Director of Marketing and Business Intelligence at Trim-Tex

We increased the brand's identifying power by developing a series of patterns that could be used. These patterns took inspiration from the product itself and are immediately recognizable.

Results & Lessons learned

How creative work magnifies delivered value

I'd have a hard time thinking of another client who was as satisfied at the end of a project as the Trim-tex team seemed to be at the end of this one. It's also worth pointing out that in terms of butts-in-chairs-hours this was not nearly the largest project we've ever taken on. Despite that though, I believe Trim-Tex feels like they got more than they paid for.

I look at this project and see not only an overwhelming success story, but also an interesting math equation demonstrating the multiplicative power of creative work. To me, this will always be an excellent case study where data-driven creativity can deliver immense proportional value.

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