July 10th, 2010 // by admin

Rebrand: New Identity System for Bradford

Bradford Systems Corporation came to Miles Design earlier this year. They had a strong reputation in Chicago for selling premium architectural storage products, often used for storing paper and files on shelving. Although their reputation was historically accurate, it was only telling part of their 42-year-old story. As an exclusive Spacesaver dealer, Bradford had grown to become leaders in premium, compact storage for anyone who had any kind of valuable items to store: museums, public safety agencies, medium to large businesses, healthcare providers, academic institutions, and government agencies. In addition, their electronic records and software divisions help clients digitize valuable files and keep exacting records of where physical artifacts are located.

Their existing identity felt more dated and industrial than what the Bradford brand had grown to represent. They needed something clean and high-tech, as well as something that would appeal to architects. As Bradford Systems grows in marketshare and reach outside of Chicago (across Illinois and Indiana), they need a brand that can grow with them.

Our goal in rebranding Bradford Systems was to create a clean identity that would leverage their expertise in consultative services and software offerings, as well as represent Bradford Systems as the architect’s choice for compact storage.

“After 42 years of working side-by-side with architects, designers, and clients of all kinds, we decided it was time to take on a very important renovation project–our own brand. For months, we’ve been working behind the scenes to craft an identity that better reflects our business and our commitment to you, our clients. Today, we’re proud to unveil our new logo, tagline, and website.” – Dave Bradford.

The new Bradford Systems tagline “Smart. Storage. Solutions.” speaks to the breadth of their offerings and their approach beyond selling shelving and hardware. The elegant lines of the new identity echo rows of shelving and imply a “bridging” of data and organization. The convenient number of spaces in-between the letters of “Bradford” allow each vertical rule to line up with the letters of “Systems.” In some of the collateral pieces, the rules continue below the mark creating a pinstripe texture seen both on the website and print collateral.

As part of the rebranding process, we also overhauled BradfordSystems.com to create a cleaner, more simplified look that would appeal to architects as well as the end users of their products and services. Shown below is a before and after of the website design: