The Goldsmiths' Company
Brand positioning & identity

A Touchstone for the industry.

One of very few of the 12 Great Livery Companies that are still active in the field for which they were founded, The Goldsmiths’ Company original raison d’être was to regulate the craft and trade of the gold and silversmith.

Over the centuries, however, it had evolved into an organisation that did much more than just act as a guardian and facilitator. Today, The Goldsmiths’ Company occupies a unique space with a 360° influence. And while there are other organisations that offer, for example, assaying services, training and technology facilities and promotional support, only The Goldsmiths’ Company can claim to be active across all these areas, and many more.

Neon won a competitive pitch to define The Goldsmiths’ Company brand message, to clearly communicate their offer and help them engage with their multiple audiences. The task also included bringing structure and clarity to their brand architecture — along with reinstating a sense of craft, clarity and elegance to The Goldsmiths’ Company brand identity.

Brand idea.

The Touchstone held by the demi-maiden in the Company’s coat of arms is an essential tool of the trade, used for testing alloys. Based on this original use, Touchstone has come to mean ‘a benchmark by which others are judged’. So there was our brand idea: Touchstone; a single word that encapsulates The Goldsmiths’ Company’s role within their industry, their unique 360° influence (as guardian and facilitator), and their commitment to delivering the highest standards of usefulness and quality across their entire range of activities of keeping the craft alive, developing new skills and technologies, bursaries and support, promotion and education activities.

Brand identity.

After our initial concepts pushing the possibilities as to what the new brand identity might be including options moving away from the Coat if Arms and including the odd bit of sans serif, The Goldsmiths’ Company’s preferred direction was a brand identity informed by its extraordinary history while also reflecting its present and future role as a champion of quality for the goldsmith’s craft and craftspeople.

We then had to find that delicate balance of refreshing the Coat of Arms in a way true to its heritage, while clearly being seen as a major step forward, and working as a practical future-facing logo/icon.

And when details matter, you have to go all in and geek out on them…

We did our research; and we picked apart the existing brand mark which was in a very sorry state. All the elements of the Coat of Arms lacked craft, and there was no sense of coherence or consistency between them. Some of the elements had become ugly and distorted, over time.

For example, the crest looked male, while supposedly depicting a ‘demi-maiden’. The ‘cloud proper’ below the demi-maiden looked like flames. The ‘scroll’ in the hand of the demi-maiden was meant to be a ‘Touchstone’.

We lovingly crafted a more harmonious unit, changing the configuration of the cup and buckles (which also saved space within the shields fields). And we reshaped the shield to accommodate the legs of the unicorns.

We also created different variants from the standard mark: an even more detailed one for super-sized applications and a simplified one with tweaked line work and spacing, for small use, or for challenging reproduction techniques like foiling.

We then set about redesigning a more elegant logotype, with a more size-practical stacked unit.

The result, we hope you agree, was a harmonious whole, with real craft and gravitas – and powerful enough to work as an icon. All within the same space footprint of the existing Coat of Arms.

If you would like to find out more about Neon or have up and coming project you’d like a chat about then for sure DM us.


Kind words…

“Heavyweight creative thinking, with a lightness of touch.

We were impressed by Neon’s direct, professional approach. The Neon team was given a complex brief which involved unifying the many disparate directorates of the Company, each with their own constitutions, priorities and agendas, into a distinct and comprehensive brand. This was achieved through research which enabled Neon to get beyond the surface of the Company and into its very being. The outcome was an accurate assessment and the resulting rebranding not only embraces all the existing elements of the Company but also incorporates a framework for future initiatives such as the proposed Goldsmiths’ Centre in Clerkenwell due to open in 2011.”

PAUL DYSON
Director Promotions
The Goldsmiths’ Company

“Neon were brought on board at the Goldsmiths’ Company to refresh and consolidate the company’s reputation and message through its visual identity, which had never been reviewed before. Branding as a concept, was completely new to us, and Neon were brilliant at taking us through every step of the process, as well as managing stakeholder views and expectations. The way in which Neon work is great, everything is founded on logic, which makes their processes really easy to understand, this is combined with creative thinking both graphically and how they use words and text. They were subsequently commissioned to work on our £18M project Goldsmiths’ Centre because of the work they had completed with the company, and were extremely easy and flexible to work with, they became part of the team. I would have no hesitation in recommending Dana and his team.”

REBECCA VAN ROOIJEN
Project Manager
The Goldsmiths’ Company

To find out more: [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 3289 1733 Share this: Email, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Download PDF, follow us on Instagram or view our animations and movies on Vimeo

 

TRADE BODY/CHARITY
Branding

GRAPHIS INTERNATIONAL
Poster Annual 2016
Awarded ‘In book’

PROJECT SUMMARY
Art direction
Brand positioning
Brand architecture
Brand identity
Brand guidelines
Literature scheme
Promotional posters
Trade advertising
Website
Exhibitions
Stationery
Digital templates


The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry brand identity.

The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark showing the redrawn Coat of Arms and logotype elements. The new Coat of Arms reinstates all of the detailing and correct elements of the original Coat of Arms, with the typography through the use of Capitals reinforces the stataus and stand out of the word Goldsmiths' – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark old vs new comparison.

The-Goldsmiths'-Company old vs new logo comparison

The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark developing the details.

The-Goldsmiths'-Company-Analysis
The-Goldsmiths'-Company-elements
The-Goldsmiths'-Company-details development
The-Goldsmiths'-Company-logotype development

The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark detail – gold foil blocking with pillow emboss on stationery.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company redrawn Coat of Arms, shown using gold foil blocking onto stationery. Highlighting the high quality of detailing applied to each of the elements of the Coat of Arms, all crafted to elegantly interlink with each other – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company redrawn Coat of Arms and departmental descriptors.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company redrawn Coat of Arms reinstating all of the detailing and correct elements of the original Coat of Arms, especially the scales and touchstone held in the demi-maidens hands. All the Coat of Arms elements were carefully redrawn to carefully interlink with each other and the leopards carefully so they could continued to be used as the compnay hallmark – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company redrawn Coat of Arms and departmental descriptors.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company brand mark with department descriptors, helping to make clear the different entry points and rerources and departments of The Goldsmiths' Company – reflecting the breadth and high standard of The Goldsmiths' Company offer, which underpinned their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company visual system old vs new comparison.

The-Goldsmiths'-Company-overview comparison

The Goldsmiths' Company exhibitions and events poster style.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. Two Goldsmiths' Company posters designed within new brand identity scheme and structure – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company – Goldsmiths' Fair Posters.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A set of three Goldsmiths' Company, Goldsmiths' Fair exhibition tube posters – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company exhibition posters.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A set of three Goldsmiths' Company exhibition tube posters – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company literature system.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. Six sample covers from The Goldsmiths' Company literature scheme highlighting the visual system and photographic style used for all printed literature materials – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company technical literature.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company Branding Touchstone Technical Literature sample cover from The Goldsmiths' Company Technology & Training literature highlighting the visual system and photographic style used on all printed literature materials – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com
By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A sample cover and spread from The Goldsmiths' Company Technology & Training literature highlighting the visual system and photographic style used on all printed literature materials – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com
By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A sample cover and spread from The Goldsmiths' Company Technology & Training literature highlighting the visual system and photographic style used on all printed literature materials – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com
By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A sample cover and spread from The Goldsmiths' Company Technology & Training literature highlighting the visual system and photographic style used on all printed literature materials – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company Gold: Power & Allure exhibition digital animated tube posters.

The Goldsmiths' Company Gold: Power & Allure exhibition posters.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. A set of three Goldsmiths' Company Power & Allure exhibition tube posters, showing the three signature graphic crown montages – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company exhibition literature.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. An exhibition guide for The Goldsmiths' Company Power & Allure exhibition – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company 'New Designers' exhibition stand.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company New Designers exhibition showcasing the latest up and coming gold and silversmiths / designer makers to the UK and international markets – reflecting their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com
By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company New Designers exhibition detail. Helping young talent get noticed. For up-and-coming jewellers, The Goldsmiths’ Company’s annual New Designers exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents. With a very tight turn-around time, we were asked to create a simple yet elegant “welcome” stand to introduce the new designers, and direct visitors to each individual jeweller’s exhibit. We were rather pleased with the outcome, particularly the dot-screen frames, which looked convincingly three-dimensional, while also giving visual coherence to a disparate collection of supplied images. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com
By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company New Designers individual detail. Helping young talent get noticed. For up-and-coming jewellers, The Goldsmiths’ Company’s annual New Designers exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents. With a very tight turn-around time, we were asked to create a simple yet elegant “welcome” stand to introduce the new designers, and direct visitors to each individual jeweller’s exhibit. We were rather pleased with the outcome, particularly the dot-screen frames, which looked convincingly three-dimensional, while also giving visual coherence to a disparate collection of supplied images. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company website.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company website which helped segment and make available all the different departments that would be useful to the trade and the public within The Goldsmiths' Company – reflecting their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company brand positioning and identity guidelines.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company brand guidelines (available as a hardback book and digitally) documenting The Goldsmiths' Companys new poistioing of Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. The guidelines also documented The Goldsmiths' Companys brand identity elements, the new brand mark, brand architecture and visual system for all communications. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office new Hallmark.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The new Goldsmiths' Company hallmark for the Assay Office. The new leopard hallmark was designed to works as a stand alone hallmark for as also to be integrated into The Goldsmiths' Coat of Arms – reflecting the new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office advertising and posters.

The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office website.

By Dana Robertson Creative Director and Founder of Neon. The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office website by Neon – reflecting the breath and new high standard of all Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office communications outputs, which underpin their new positioning Touchstone. A positioining inspired by the touchstone (an essential tool of the trade for testing alloys) held by the demi-maiden in the Coat of Arms. Part of the new brand identity for The Goldsmiths' Company. The Goldsmiths' Company a Touchstone for the industry. Idea, art direction and design by Neon Design & Branding Consultancy www.neon-creative.com

Other projects you may find of interest...