Heal’s has collaborated with brand strategy consultancy Tomorrowism on its biggest brand repositioning in over a decade. The campaign looks to reassert the brand’s status as one of the country’s leading design authorities, as well as combat what the team sees as a widespread “flattening” of British interiors due to “fast furniture and short-lived trends”.

Comprising a new visual identity, brand position and tone of voice, the campaign – titled Where Design Lives –marks a fresh chapter for the 215-year-old business. Working with Tomorrowism, the Heal’s team has developed a new look, feel and approach that also hopes to safeguard the brand’s reputation into the future.

“For over two centuries Heal’s has been more than just a shop: it’s where generations have discovered what design is, and what it can do for us,” says Heal’s CEO Hamish Mansbridge. “Where Design Lives reignites our role as a design institution.”

The refreshed identity for Heal’s includes a new logo lock-up, featuring the handwritten tagline Where Design Lives, which provides an intimate touch and aims to speak to the processes of human creativity. There is also an updated colour palette which nods to the heritage of Heal’s via legacy blue tones, plus a reworking of the brand’s typography, introducing a more contemporary feel.

Beyond the visual aspects, a new tone of voice for the brand was also key to the project, with Tomorrowism keen to forgo the usual “polite messaging” we’ve come to expect from heritage brands, and instead opt for something wittier and with more edge. This comes to life across OOH, with striking billboard displays bearing lines such as ‘You can stop blurring your background now’ and ‘There’s a reason why all the best chairs are always taken’.

Looking to engage audiences further, Tomorrowism also developed a five-part documentary series, directed by Stella Scott, focusing on the role of good design in people’s lives – in particular, British tastemakers. Featured in the short, shoppable videos are filmmaker and writer Reggie Yates, Net-a-Porter’s global head of styling Harriet Haskell Thomas, textiles designer Pearl Lowe, master tailor Charlie Casely-Hayford, and renowned baker Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery.

These influential figures discuss how design has shaped their lives and careers – with the occasional reference to the role of Heal’s in this – and offer exciting glimpses into their homes and workspaces. The mood is intimate and aspirational, and we are encouraged to reflect on our own relationship with design.

“We wanted to create interesting documentary content our audience would enjoy, rather than advertising they’d tolerate,” explains Beth Bentley, founder and strategy partner at Tomorrowism. “So while the films are embedded with shoppable products, they also tell a much bigger story about the life-changing power that good design can have on all of us.”

Finally, Tomorrowism worked with the Heal’s team to come up with eye-catching window displays for the historic flagship store on Tottenham Court Road in London, plus engaging in-store and external events, and print partnerships with well-known design and culture publications.

Reflecting on the importance of the collaboration, Bentley adds: “We felt strongly that Heal’s should raise its voice about what’s happening in British interiors culture right now. Who better than Heal’s to stand up for true, real design – and designers – during a moment when our spaces, and our retail landscape, are becoming more and more repetitive, derivative and throwaway?”

tomorrowism.co