William Austin
Providing high quality bespoke furniture
William Austin is a specialist upholsterer based in Little Maplestead, Essex. As a small family business, they build upon the traditional values of personal service and quality craftsmanship in order to stand apart from larger upholstery brands. With skills passed down through multiple generations, they have grown into a luxury business offering premium furniture and re-upholstery services to a wide clientele.
Philip and Becca Austin identified the need for a refreshed brand identity and approached Mackman in 2019, requiring guidance on a new logo in the first instance. We worked with them to audit their existing brand and recommended a full refresh to align their brand with their heritage and values. After conducting some thorough insight, we carried out a highly focused branding exercise which produced a fresh new visual identity to enhance their commercial offering.
William Austin, formerly Zinc Interiors, is a family run business that has specialised in luxury handcrafted upholstery for over 20 years. They produce high quality bespoke furniture and offer a re-upholstery and loose cover service to both private and commercial clients. In addition, they provide handmade curtains and blinds with a selection of fabrics from leading design houses such as Voyage, Romo, and Swaffer.
Our brand development project with William Austin consisted of thorough insight to establish their vision for their new brand and the strategy that would support it. We worked with them to create a refreshed brand, a new website, bespoke photography, signage, and van livery, providing marketing support to William Austin in order to supplement their business’s growth.
We’re currently working with the team at Mackman to rebrand our business, William Austin Upholstery, and so far it’s been a very positive experience. They have great vision and an understanding of our business whilst delivering a personal and friendly service. Looking forward to building a long lasting relationship with them.
Becca Austin – William Austin
Brand Facts
- William Austin Upholsterers pride themselves on the quality and artistry they offer in their products and service.
- Each one of their upholsterers has over 7 years’ experience with over 80 years’ combined experience.
- Philip and Becca Austin carefully consult with clients at every step of the way on furniture, handmade curtains and blinds.
Project Facts
- Philip and Becca Austin approached Mackman to update their brand, formerly known as Zinc Interiors.
- Mackman worked with William Austin to support them through their next phase of growth, updating their branding and providing all the supporting items they required in the form of a website, signage, livery and photography.
The Challenge
The main challenge with this project was getting the brand image right, aware of the fact that we were dealing with the identities of those working there as much as we were the business itself. Philip Austin’s grandfather owned the popular furniture shop Conways in Dunmow, Essex, and his mother Rosemary Austin is a skilled seamstress, and therefore communicating the rich heritage of the family in a relatively new business was a priority.
Our Process
Elevating the William Austin brand
After identifying their business needs and direction the company wanted to follow with its branding, we began work on development of the company image. Together with Philip and Becca, we came up with the new name ‘William Austin’ in recognition of Philip’s grandfather. This new name instilled the brand with more of a sense of heritage, despite the business being relatively new. We then created a bespoke new company logo which fell in line with their new name and presented a sophisticated design to meet their identity requirements.
Our work on the wider elements of the new William Austin image included the delivery of professional photography and imagery which aligned with the company’s values. This also provided customers with a visual representation of their business, focusing on the people who work there, in addition to the premium products and services they offer. We progressed this imagery into the designs of their company vehicles and on aluminium signage outside their premises in Little Maplestead.
This was combined with the design of a new website, for which we produced a design focused upon the traditional, specialised nature of William Austin and the quality service they provide. Using our own bespoke photography and expertise in website design, the new site is optimised for search engines and improves their ability to cater to higher end audiences.
The Results
This highly focused incubation project resulted in the complete renewal of the brand, paving the way for their expansion into the higher end market of London and beyond. A new name, logo design and modernised website have allowed William Austin to continue their development into the next decade with a renewed identity and sense of confidence. With guidance from the branding experts at Mackman, what was initially a project to create a new logo became a comprehensive refresh that showcases William Austin’s offering to a wider audience.
