The Brief
Mills & Boon is a household name with over a century of history, but the brand was facing difficulties shifting the very strong consumer perceptions it had built over time. Mills & Boon enjoyed a very loyal customer base, but in order to keep the brand growing there was a need to become more approachable to a younger demographic. The brief was threefold: allow Mills & Boon to act like a brand rather than a publisher, rejuvenate the cover design to appeal to a younger audience, and create a flexible portfolio structure to cope with the 50+ books they launch each month.
The Solution
We drew upon the heritage of the rose, which has been used by the brand since 1960, incorporating it into the ampersand device, which reflects the notion of relationships. The ampersand identity has the flexibility to hold a large number of ranges together, whilst retaining differentiation. We created a portfolio architecture that allowed the individuality of each series to be represented, whilst unifying the brand as a whole.
The individual book covers have been carefully designed to reflect the personality of each range, and to appeal to the reader profile. We also considered the potential for new product development during the design process by creating an identity that allows the brand to grow.
Results
The result is an identity that can work alone or in the context of the wider range. Above all it builds brand appeal to new demographics without alienating the existing customer.
12%
ROI Increase
The in-store retail units rented by Mills & Boon have seen a ROI increase of 12% following the redesign.
