Inside Happy Socks’ Brand Refresh: New Logo, Website & More
Happy Socks has a new look.
After two years of development, the Swedish accessories company has unveiled a brand-new makeover including a refreshed logo, product labels, on-product branding and more.
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According to Laura Frisk, chief marketing officer at Happy Socks, the need for the rebrand came from wanting to stand out more in the market. “We pride ourselves on being that brand that helps people stand out, but we felt our look didn’t reflect that same attitude anymore,” Frisk told FN in an interview. “We really wanted to create a new logo that can accomplish this for us in both a marketing perspective and product perspective.”
In order to create Happy Socks 2.0, the company tapped designer Yorgo Tloupas from Paris-based Yorgo&Co. Frisk said that the process was “truly collaborative” with Tloupas, who worked closely with Happy Socks’ creative director Paula Maso and the company’s in-house creative agency, The Happy Agency, to develop the new look.
“We ultimately landed on something that felt bold, modern and contemporary but still kept that playful element that we are known for,” Maso told FN. “It was something we were really missing in our branding.”
Maso added that the “most important” element to the redesign was the creation of an icon for the first time. “This will allow us to brand all of our products in a distinctive way through the new ‘H’ icon. It’s a small but potent detail that hits all the marks from standing out on products to animating for digital applications features.”
Other elements to the refreshed identity include updated branding on the socks with knit and woven labels; two custom typefaces; a healthy dose of new core brand colors; and new product labels with paper hooks for a sustainable move – allowing the brand to get rid of plastic hooks.
Along with these updates, Frisk said that Happy Socks is relaunching a new e-commerce site today that will provide a “simple yet unexpected experience” for new visitors and longtime customers alike. “We want to be sure we are refreshing all of our customer touchpoints with this launch,” Frisk said. “So, a new e-commerce site is essential to how our customers experience our new identity.”
This same idea will also infiltrate Happy Socks stores as well. While no major store refresh program is in the works, Frisk did note that the brand will redesign its SoHo flagship in New York City to “align both the in-store experience and style with the brand’s new visual identity.” The redesigned shop is slated to debut in November, the executive added.
The final step in the brand refresh comes in the form of Happy Socks’ first brand campaign, Frisk added. “We’ve done seasonal campaigns before, but this is truly the first time we did a campaign just for the brand,” she noted.
For the project, the company tapped 18 photographers and filmmakers from around the world, most of which Maso said Happy Socks has worked with before over the last 15 years. Called the “Happiness Everywhere” campaign, each photographer was tasked with communicating their own happiness through a series of photos. “The only requirement was that they show feet in the air,” Maso said. “We love the final series of photos. Each photographer has their own aesthetic and thoughts of happiness, so it was interesting to see the campaign come together from such different points of view.”
But, in the end, Maso and Frisk want this refresh to feel natural to the consumer. “This logo change isn’t something that is supposed to be shocking,” Frisk said. “We put a lot of thought and intention into the design as we aim to grow our business. The folks who really appreciate color and creativity and really love the world of Happy Socks will understand our progression and that’s all we could really hope for, to be honest.”
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