&Barr
2022 Brand Refresh
Some rebrands happen to appeal to new audiences or to match the trends of the time.
But in all honesty, this was about us.
It was about defining our purpose and finding a way to express where we’ve been and where we’re going. A fresh look was a long time coming, but it took certain levels of discomfort to create new levels of epiphanies. What do you get when you get down to bare bones? When a global pandemic makes you reevaluate what really matters? When years of change and passing batons creates a new pace? You take a deep breath. You lean on each other. And maybe—you find yourself.
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The words that started it all.
You remember what it was like. It was takeout food, sweatpants and a severe lack of toilet paper. It was Summer 2020, and people were at home, stripped of some modern luxuries we thought we couldn’t live without. But instead of wallowing, people all around the world chose to find new passions. And you know what? We did the same.
At what could have been our lowest point, we chose to explore the words that were meant to fuel us. Our updated mission and vision statements were drafted after hours of conversation, reminiscing and newfound focus. Our core values flowed out of us the same way, made permanent in words in a way they hadn’t been before. These intrinsic motivators became the kindling to the fire, lighting a sense of passion that would later fuel our new brand identity.
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Art imitates life.
With new purpose comes a new look and feel. We’ve matured, and we look a little different—as we should. We’ve worked tirelessly together to develop an updated logo, a new color palette, new overall visual identity, new brand messaging, and a sense of pride that can’t be faked. We pushed ourselves to creative and emotional limits to capture not just 65 years of passion behind us—but also the infinity of the future before us.
It’s the theory of adaptation that drove the creative. What can one use to illustrate adaptation? What is something that captures the theory of change so well that it feels synonymous to our brand’s journey? It came to us like a wave. Water. Water is the ultimate adapter. It takes the shape of whatever it’s in, matching the needs of the environment as it becomes ice, fog, rain, or even a rainbow. When you think of water, you think of power. The work we do now is bold. It stands out with a sense of refreshing edge. In the sea of sameness, our work is the wave that crashes with power, purpose and belief in our clients.
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The state of success.
Two hydrogens and one oxygen will always make up water’s core truth, no matter what added variable changes their appearance. Add heat, they become gaseous. Add a couple decades and a handful of incredible clients, Fry Hammond Barr became &Barr. Still the same core structure and beliefs, but in the state we must be in to thrive.
Water then became the inspiration for our new visual identity. Waves of graphic elements now fill images, icons representing each department take after a form of water, and our color palette evokes the colors reflected on water.
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Here’s to the next 65.
This company hasn’t survived 65 years because of the building’s bricks and mortar. It thrived because of its people. What you see now is an identity that represents every one of us that’s ever been a part of the brand—clients, vendors, team members and beyond. It’s together that we’ve triumphed longer than most agencies in America. And it’s together that we’ll continue to explore, expand—and adapt.
