Bringing Back the Cool: Kokuyo Camlin and Camel's Epic Rebrand
Client: Kokuyo
Requirements: Branding and Packaging
How do you revive a brand that has been a part of India's artistic heritage for decades? How do you make it stand out in a crowded market of art and stationery products? How do you appeal to customers across different age groups and segments? These were the questions that Kokuyo Camlin faced when they approached Landor & Fitch for a branding and packaging makeover. They wanted to restore the glory of their two iconic brands - Camel and Camlin - and make them relevant, aspirational, desirable and premium.
The Big Challenge
One of the biggest challenges they faced was to clearly define and distinguish the two brands across products and target audiences. But a task like that does not happen in a vacuum. Soon, other challenges followed.
Split Camel and Camlin into two brands for art and stationery.
Meet the diverse customer demands, not just the product types.
Create age-appropriate visuals for each brand - fun and colourful for kids, sleek and modern for teens, and practical for adults.
Revamp the brands with a fresh and remarkable look that honours their legacy.
Even Icons Need a Change
The design team faced a challenge: how to innovate while honouring the brand’s legacy? They found inspiration in history, studying how other brands like Rolls Royce achieved this balance.
They realised they had to use the brand’s equity - its unique colour and camel logo - to create designs that appeal to different audiences. They also had to align the designs with the category codes and the brand’s personality and add some freshness and energy. The outcome is a design that is both new and familiar; a design that reflects Kokuyo’s heritage and vision.
The design team focused on three key aspects:
Respecting the legacy, but making the brand ready for the future. They evaluated the current equity of the brand and used it as a basis for the process.
Creating strong brand ideas that can guide the brand.
Creating a flexible design structure for a large-scale brand - one that can adapt to various SKUs.
Own the Edge With Camlin
Stationery is more than just a tool, it’s a catalyst for success. This realisation inspired the big idea for Camlin - ‘Own the Edge’. The aim was to make Camlin a reliable partner that helps people achieve their unique vision of success. The brand creation process focused on connecting with the wide target audience that Camlin caters to - whether it is the young learner who seeks joy in their stationery or the professional who requires meticulous precision, the new Camlin design system empowers each person to embrace their own edge.
Keep Creating With Camel
The transformation of the Camel brand was a quest to discover what fuels an artist’s passion. And the answer was simple: a relentless desire to create. However, this creative drive must be nurtured, because artists are made, not born. This deep understanding served as the guiding force behind the renewal of Camel. With this insight, the big idea was developed: ‘Keep Creating.’ Camel is not a static brand, but a cherished creative companion for artists at every stage of their journey. From the moment a child first grasps a crayon to their ascent into the realm of professional artistry, Camel promises to be a constant companion, encouraging and inspiring them to persistently ‘keep creating
