Growth RingsBranding the oak flooring and furniture company that’s gone against the grain since 1947
Natural heritage
Growth Rings brings almost seventy years of New Zealand sawmilling heritage to the Kent coastline, where they hand craft the finest oak flooring, furniture and homewares this side of Auckland. As a social enterprise, they also provide education and training for those who have otherwise been met with barriers to employment.
We rebranded the business, providing strategic and creative thinking to help them to transition from a traditional woodworking studio, to an oak lifestyle brand.
Sectors: Home and Interiors, Social Enterprise
Services: Research and analysis, Brand story development, Visual identity development, Guidelines and artwork
“Working with Lantern was a fantastic experience. They completely understood our business and injected character and personality into the brand from the outset. We couldn’t be happier with the results, which have already been described as “world-class” by one of our customers.”
Mike Managh, Founder
Celebrating imperfections
A new identity was introduced to visually represent the concept of growth rings found on tree trunks. The 'G' at the heart of the design was angled to reflect the quarter-sawn technique often used to slice oak timber, also providing a unique attribute to the design.
The identity is underpinned with a compelling visual and verbal style, designed to celebrate the imperfections of the timber and trainees that are so integral to the Growth Rings story. The creative messaging looks beyond the surface of the company's oak – and its folk – to personify the strength, history, character and personality that lies within.
A growing legacy
From bullet holes to bomb damage, their hand selected, heritage oak is shaped by its environment and history. Today, the trainees work tirelessly to craft these stories of yesterday into the products of tomorrow. This sentiment is again captured through creative messaging and the use of a wealth of heritage photography, from the brand's near seventy year history.
The project culminated in the delivery of a brand guidelines document to help underpin the delivery of a consistent and compelling identity system. Today, we continue to work closely with the team at Growth Rings, supporting them in the delivery of key print and digital marketing material.
