Updating a 130 year old brand

The Øyo Brothers in Geilo have produced tools, axes, knives, kitchen utensils and gifts for more than 130 years. Quality is the cornerstone of this family business – and that is the way it has been since Knut Øyo started the company in 1882.

The company required an update of its strategy, design and the way in which the brand was to be perceived and managed in the future. For Øyo, preserving the company’s traditions and craftsmanship as well as a sense of history was very important. The company also wanted to showcase Norwegian design and craftsmanship at its best. The project became a balancing act between the old and the new both in terms of design and other means of communication.

“Finding a supplier who could offer a turnkey package and show that they really cared about our business was important to us. We were willing to be challenged, but we also felt that it was critical that traditions, roots, quality and experience were prioritised. This has been solved in an exciting way which has helped us to increase our aspirations even further. We really value this partnership and will continue to work with Design Container as we develop.” Katrine Øyo.

Client: Brødrene Øyo
Solution: Together with Øyo we redefined the brand position and revitalized the brand for the new century.

Our brief was to develop a new brand platform and visual profile for the company as well as a web solution and web shop.

At the start of the project, we redefined Øyo’s mission and their position in the marketplace. The company’s mission has been changed from only focusing on Norway to thinking in more international terms. This raised the stakes for Øyo while also providing guidelines for the design, communication and brand strategy. It was important to anchor these new thoughts and ideas very strongly with Øyo to ensure that the entire company as well as the creative team were pulling in the same direction to facilitate all the major changes.

On this project, preliminary work was crucial in order to ensure that work further down the line was done on the right basis. We organised several workshops where we looked at project target group, personas, values, mission and aims. Setting realistic, but ambitious goals is incredibly important to make a project successful, but we believe that it is even more vital to examine a current solution and ensure that it is also sustainable for the future.

We use several methods from service design and look at the whole value chain and the brand in a wider perspective which often means the company’s business model itself. We also employ user tests and focus groups throughout the process and apply an iterative process with our clients. For Øyo, this process was useful and provided room for a wider level of ambition and new ways of thinking.

Updating a 130 year old brand Updating a 130 year old brand

Brødrene Øyo

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Updating a 130 year old brand