The LL Flooring brand design image of a wood floor with one hand installing.

LL Flooring

THE challenge

LL Flooring, a retailer offering an on-trend assortment of specialty flooring products and accessible, professional expertise, undertook a massive rebrand to mark a step in a new direction and more accurately reflect who they were and what they had to offer. They chose to partner with Capsule to ensure their rebranding effort had a firm footing in their values and vision for the future.

THE SOLUTION

Capsule helped strategically think through an identity shift that would keep current customers and stakeholders informed and involved through meticulous research and design strategy, from name to logo to visual identity system design.

The LL Flooring brand logo design with icon and LL Flooring on transparent background.
The LL Flooring brand design logo with icon and words on a transparent background.
The LL Flooring brand design logo icon with wood planks on a transparent background.
The LL Flooring brand design logo in a seal on a transparent background.

THE LOGO

Capsule developed a spectrum of concepts to determine just how far the visual language could stray from the former brand. We conducted multiple rounds of focus groups with flooring contractors and homeowners to determine this direction and overwhelmingly found support for more premium design that would balance the equity of the name, while still signaling a more significant brand identity shift.

The new logo and subsequent visual identity system bring together abstract rectangular shapes, warm colors and approachable typography, harkening back to ideas of a tight knit, cozy home. Negative space in the mark showcases a hidden ‘plus,’ symbolizing all the brand offers beyond flooring, such as flooring accessories, tools, service and installation.

The LL Flooring brand design and Lumber Liquidators logo comparison.

Filled with photography of lived moments and beautiful product shots, the designed visual system is flexible and allows product quality to shine. This visual energy and life signals the warmth, support and confidence LL Flooring brings to a decision as important as flooring a home.

Capsule also designed two intermediate logos to help communicate the transition gradually and transparently as well as a standards manual that gave the brand solid ground on which to effectively roll out their new brand system.

The LL Flooring brand redesign with business cards iphone app and icon.
The LL Flooring brand design brochure for wood flooring.
The LL Flooring brand design icons for testing of logo concepts.

TAPPING INTO THE SUBCONSCIOUS

Using Implicit Association Testing (IAT), we were able to identify any psychological inherent biases with new name options among contractors and homeowners. Findings strengthened the decision to choose a name that retained the affordability, economic equity and longstanding heritage of the brand, while still moving away from inaccurate brand associations with “lumber” and “liquidation."

The LL Flooring brand design logo concepts and descriptions in paragraphs.
The LL Flooring brand design testing examples showing charts.
LL Flooring brand design logo with truck and building and description of the logo.

Testimonial

"Based on early feedback from customers, we believe the store rebranding will help make our stores more attractive and approachable. And, we’re excited about leveraging our physical store footprint to further reinforce our value proposition." — Charles Tyson, Chief Executive Officer, LL Flooring

LL Flooring brand design logo guidelines for logo and signage implementation.

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