Rebranding – Oakywood turning a new leaf

Continuous growth and tireless pursuit of functional solutions to fully meet our clients’ needs – these are the goals which have been part of Oakywood’s ethos from the very beginning. For the past year, we have been working on some big changes to help us reach those targets more effectively. Today we invite you to take a look at the behind the scenes of our operations, the rebranding process, the direction we’re taking, and how we’re intending to get there.

Genesis: the audit and strategy

At the root of our decision to rebrand and create the ‘new Oakywood’ were two interconnected issues: our long growing urge to refresh our visual identification and design a new website, and the brand audit conducted by Magda, our Head of Design.

The audit provided us with information about various aspects of the company's functioning. Based on this data and a range of in-depth analyses, Magda created a design strategy that became fundamental in breakthrough changes in avenues such as visual identification, business model, and communication.

What’s new and improved?

Visual identity

We have settled on a comprehensive change of our visual identity: from the most basic elements such as the logo, typography, or color palette, through all visuals (printed and digital), to the website. The first step was drafting a project brief including all concepts related to the new version of Oakywood. Based on this brief, Magda designed the sign and brandbook, followed by Key Visual and all other necessary graphic materials.

One of the key elements of the new identification is the symbol, designed with three principles in mind:

• The symbol must contain the logotype and signet (something we didn’t have before),
• It has to look good both digitally and in print,
• Its form must be minimalistic, universal, and timeless, drawing inspiration from the Bauhaus movement.

Business model and communication

One major change in our business model and communication strategy is putting more emphasis on transparency and designing accessories to increase comfort and ergonomics of remote work. We create our products with home office users in mind, so providing them with functional and quality solutions is our top priority. This also means that our blog and social media content is geared towards helping them increase productivity, improve wellbeing, reach vital work-life balance, and optimize their workspace.

Transparent messaging is very important to us as a brand, so we made sure that the changes included strengthening the clarity of our communication regarding materials, production process, and prices. Each of our product pages in our online shop contains precise information on its components and price: production costs, materials, profit margins, etc.

Visuals

Photo and video materials are an integral part of communication strategy – which is why we decided to completely refresh our aesthetic. We have created a series of new, modern, and aesthetically cohesive visuals to showcase our products, making it easier to explore their features and assess their functionality prior to purchase.

Our most recent photoshoot emphasizes the fact that our products are crafted by people for people – which is why, rather than showing an empty desk, the images present our accessories and their users. Additionally, in the spirit of transparency, we chose to show more materials coming straight from our workshop. This lets you see who crafted your new desk, wireless charger, or laptop stand.

Website and online shop

As part of the rebranding process, we remade our website and online shop. Together with We Can Fly agency (which also implemented the website), we designed a project based on accessibility, inclusivity, and functionality. In short, we made sure the website is more user friendly and helps make more deliberate purchases. To achieve this, we created a product configurator which allows you to tailor our accessories to individual needs.

3D configurator

Full customization and optimization of our products is a long-term goal we consistently and actively pursue. Operating from our own carpentry workshop gives us complete control over the production processes and makes us able to fulfill personalized orders swiftly.

Our new website is outfitted with a 3D configurator developed in tandem with Precismo, which – using innovative texture transfer technology – provides the most realistic 3D models on the market, taking into account materials, textures, colors, and proportions.

Such 3D configurator allows for a precise tailoring of the chosen product with individual wants and needs in mind. For example, a customized wooden desk has several options to choose from:

• tabletop color,
• leg color,
• type of milling and shape of the tabletop,
• precise tabletop dimensions (you can change the width and length 1cm at a time!)

Thanks to the photorealistic quality of the 3D model, adjusting the parameters in the configurator allows you to see the changes being made in real time and visualize the way the real object will look in your space.

Our configurator is a revolutionary tool in home office customization. We’re not planning to rest on our laurels, however, and will continue to develop it and introduce new features.

Sustainable development

Environmental care and sustainable production are permanent elements of Oakywood’s philosophy. During our rebranding process, we thought of ways to further our efforts and cement our commitment to these values.

One of the changes we implemented was stopping the production of our smartphone cases. Their composition was dominated by artificial materials while natural wood constituted only a small part of their makeup which didn’t align with our beliefs. 

Procuring an FSC certificate was a monumental moment in our development. The certificate guarantees our materials come from verified suppliers and are obtained in a responsible, sustainable way, respectful of nature and human rights.

Back in 2019 we teamed up with One Tree Planted – a tree planting organization which receives a portion of the profit from every product we sell. Since then, we have planted almost 80 000 trees and we do not intend on stopping. This year we began supporting a Polish foundation Las na Zawsze (Forest Forever) and for every sold product we plant 1m2 of forest. We’re counting on you to help us reforest our planet.

The future: goals, plans, and directions

Oakywood’s rebranding is only the beginning of changes which – we hope – will help us become a leading brand in the sustainable office accessories industry and allow us to reach new markets. Our most immediate plans include launching new collections, including the innovative MagSafe accessories range we’ve spent almost a year designing.

The mission we’re currently on is helping our customers in creating a comfortable, ergonomic, and fully tailored workspace by offering them aesthetic and functional products made from highest-quality materials. Our aim is to set the standard for sustainable production and transparent business practices.