The invaluable advantage of the spyglass is to see what lies ahead just a little sooner.. This information, paired with human wisdom and experience, allows confident navigation into the waters ahead. The trust to confront the unknown isn’t given to just anyone. They need the right tools and proven success anticipating and overcoming the unforeseen.
Changes are happening faster, uncertainty is more certain and adaptability is essential to avoid extinction. Capsule does many of the same things most would know us for, but also more things that many would find a bit curious. We are a co-founder-led agency with deep practical experience and calming wisdom to interpret and navigate a brand’s cultural journey, with our spyglasses always looking toward the future.
We have 25 years of building brand, packaging, and digital work skills and we rely on these capabilities, but more importantly we have 25 years of solving very specific, complex organizational challenges. Each one unique, but together they’ve revealed patterns: shared motivations, hurdles, and needs that connect the dots between brand strength, sales growth, and margin health. Applying this quarter-century worth of insight is the essence of special projects. It is an approach that is both practical and philosophical, and it elevates the work, the output and the results.
Today, the stakes of thoughtfulness could not be higher, which is why we confidently stake our reputation on each and every special project. We’ve seen what happens when brands aren’t treated with the required care.
Let us explain.
How Brands Age
Brands age as a reflection of both the internal and external cultural dynamics around them.
Some brands age well, others less so.
The great brands transition from being under the control of the organization to being owned by the audiences and their memories.
If you change a brand that you think has aged but your audiences don’t agree, you've done what might be called a “Cracker Barrel.” Jack Daniels went through a bottle and brand refinement recently, most would never know it. We “refeathered” Red Wing Shoes and the same is true, a strategically subtle adjustment given the challenge and need. The redesign didn’t shout change, but it did amplify it.
Making Change Special
Brands need to keep pace with cultural changes, both inside and outside an organization.
Much like people, brands age, but unlike people a brand refresh doesn’t require a medical technician.
While there are many brand design firms who would say they can do brand change work, there are few with enough experience to navigate the “Cracker Barrel" situation into a success versus a scorching. We’ve led dozens of brand transformation projects across nearly every industry. These special projects have saved and advanced careers because they were done with precision, and grounded in strategy and empathy.
When done well, a refreshed brand catches the cultural wind and glides forward. When done poorly, it drops anchor. Viewing brand change as a special project, not just a design task, is one reason we’ve succeeded all these years.
Looking down a Barrel
Any significant brand change starts with a deep understanding of the existing customers, surrounding culture and leadership’s plan for the future. This is how we approach every special project, including a rebrand.
In the case of the attempted Cracker Barrel refresh, either there was little respect given or a bias blindness impacting the role of existing customers. The change happening inside the restaurants (experience, menu, decor, product packaging, etc) was a strong signal of positive change. Yet the logo (often the signal of change) was stripped of meaning to a degree far beyond what happened in stores.
It would be hard to believe existing Cracker Barrel customers were exposed to the new logo, in comparison to the old one, and reacted positively. This belief is reinforced by the pop-up event in Manhattan NYC, to announce the rebrand, where there are zero Cracker Barrel restaurants. This communicates a disconnect between the leadership team and actual customers. The distance of this disconnect was where risk set in and a lack of perspective festered.
When Change Sends the Wrong Signal
The great disparity between the signal sent and the audience receiving it is the reason the Cracker Barrel fiasco matters so much, and is worth spending time picking apart. Any significant brand shift should be reflected in its visual identity, but the degree of change must align with the real experience.
If a brand makes major internal changes but no visual updates, it fails an opportunity to signal renewal. If it changes its mark dramatically but leaves the experience untouched, it risks sending a false signal, one that breeds distrust and damages relationships.
Done well, brand and design invite people back. Done poorly, they push people away.
A Human Approach to Brand Leadership
At Capsule, we believe brands are an extension of us as human beings. First, brand owners, founders and creators put forth a version of themselves. But as businesses are bought or go public, founders fade away and new stewards must do the same. Great brands are led by people who seek to have their brand be a part of category culture.
Strong brand leadership requires builders. People who are optimistic, forward-looking, and willing to invest in the next version of themselves. It’s not an easy button. It’s the one that works. Our special projects approach helps such leaders get from brand ambition to brand success, even when the way forward is uncertain, by keeping humanity front and center at every point in the process.
Next Up: Part 5: But What Does This Mean for the Capsule team?
We find our inspiration in the diversity of challenges.
