New depths of design

Here at tothepoint we’re not afraid to offer our opinion, so when Rockpool originally came to us to work on the design of a folder, we offered up our challenges not only to the brief but the brand itself.

With such an impressive history (founders include one of the City’s first “superwomen”, Nicola Horlick) and two arms to the business; Rockpool Investments and Rockpool Network, we could see great potential for the identity and the brand. With an office move imminent, the team at Rockpool decided to seize the opportunity to undergo our proposed brand refresh.

We put forward a budget to look at a series of concepts to help enhance and build the brand. However, if none of these were liked or used no fees would be charged. This approach (in a non-group tender situation) created an opportunity for a bigger project for us, and a no risk undertaking for our new client.

Our first concern was the logo and its legibility. Tints of grey, intended to mimic foil blocking, were over complicating the logo and hindering legibility. At the same time the quirky little device used to reflect water on the 'O' was too subtle at small sizes.

Once the issues were identified it was time to set to work on their solutions. The ripple in the ‘O’ was something the client and we were keen to maintain, by simplifying the device we were able to make it work better at smaller sizes. The letter ‘O’ was evolved to become an icon in itself, representing the water element of the brand, and the indepth research they undertake to find investment opportunities.

Rockpool are so named due to their ability to find undiscovered investment opportunities (less so because of memories of youthful summers spent rockpooling in the hope of finding crabs…), but we liked the analogy and proposed 'finding the opportunity' as their new strapline. This integrates the new 'O' symbol, which is also used with other key words like 'NETWORK'.

Rockpool have now settled into their new office, so the new identity is being rolled out across stationery, the folder (we didn’t forget about the original brief!) and other materials. We’re working on a series of symbols, for both areas of the business, to add to their toolkit, which will help build the unique and striking visual language that will help Rockpool stand out in their crowded marketplace.

Our main goal is always to produce something our clients are going to love (isn’t that everyone’s goal?), but what sets us apart is our willingness to challenge something if we can see a more effective solution for their brand, and a better way to allow our clients to take ownership of it. Our 20+ years of experience is what stands us in good stead when we do challenge a brief, but we like to think of it as a partnership approach.

Elizabeth Orbell , Marketing Director at Rockpool said “tothepoint developed a simple but effective new design style for us. Our unique and contemporary identity takes Rockpool’s branding beyond being just a logo and, importantly, reflects our position in the marketplace.”