Michaels Arts & Crafts Stores
For this Corporate Identity rebranding of Michaels Arts and Crafts stores, I wanted to give personality to this massively successful and widespread brand. I found it unfortunate that a brand that caters to artists and other creative people didn’t seem to have much of a personality as a brand itself. I felt that this brand needed to be bold, energetic, and exciting.
As an artist, I was already familiar with the store and how disappointed I was at times with how pasteurized and neutral the brand was in its tone and identity. I researched other stores, online and brick and mortar varieties, such as Dick Blick, Utrecht, and Hobby Lobby. It seemed that these brands were very similar in their neutrality and I felt that this was an opportunity for Michael’s to stand out as the store for artists who want to express themselves boldly, loudly, and proudly.
Logo
I started with the redesign of their logo. I felt that a simple signature wordmark just didn’t give an expression of what Michael’s is or could be. So I went with a logo depicting the initial M with imagery of a paint tube encasing it all, leaving a trail as an underline when used as a wordmark. When used as an icon, the initial paint tube and streak resemble an exclamation mark to reinforce that essence of excitement.
Brand Style Guide
& Annual Report
& Annual Report
Throughout the rest of the rebranding execution, I used bright and bold colors, imagery, and treatment to stay consistent with the energy. Even in the pages of the annual report, which could have been a dry read, but turned out to be something you would want to pick up if you saw it lying on a table.
Merchandise & Ephemera
A collection of merchandise and ephemera for brand became a must-have to further establish the new identity. Collateral for internal and external consumers of the brand was created to generate enthusiasm and recognition for the rebrand.
The Website Redesign
When redesigning the website, I wanted to keep that energy, but didn’t want to overwhelm the user, considering they are there for a task. I included sections for social media and web videos to further establish the idea of customers expressing their creative side and sharing it with others.
In retrospect, I think that I would tone down some things with the website and consider user experience more. I think that some of the elements I tried to implement didn’t work out as much as I wanted them to such at the menu animation and the WooCommerce integration. Overall, it was well received by my classmates and professors.
View the live website here.
