Sharpie Transitional Mark and campaign
Sharpie, the iconic brand known for its bold, vibrant markers, has been unleashing creativity and self-expression for decades. With a wide range of colors and tip sizes, Sharpie empowers individuals to bring their ideas to life on virtually any surface. From artists and students to professionals and DIY enthusiasts, Sharpie is the go-to tool for leaving a lasting mark. Whether you’re doodling, outlining, or labeling, Sharpie’s high-quality, long-lasting ink ensures that your creations stand out. With a commitment to innovation and a passion for unleashing imagination, Sharpie, a staple product for every space and occasion, continues to inspire and empower creators worldwide as a cultural icon.
When initially approaching the Sharpie brand, we conducted comprehensive survey research to better understand the sentiments of our consumer base. The findings revealed that Sharpie products are primarily used for student, office, and creative work, as well as for marking on difficult surfaces. However, our research also uncovered that consumers did not find the Sharpie logo inspiring, nor did they associate it with boldness or cultural significance, which are all key components of Sharpie’s brand mission. Many participants expressed concerns about the legibility of the cursive handwritten font used in the logo, feeling that it was not accessible to a worldwide audience. Alarmingly, our research also indicated that Sharpie faces the threat of losing a significant portion of its consumer base, with 46% of users stating they would switch to competing brands for their frequently or daily used products. This underscores the urgent need for Sharpie to reevaluate its brand image and messaging to better resonate with its audience and maintain its market position in the face of increasing competition and the threat of technology potentially rendering stationery brands like Sharpie obsolete.
Tackling this challenge is all about embracing the unique characteristics of stationery and Sharpie's genuine voice, boldness, and quality. To do so, we created a social media campaign, transitional branding, and a system for creating customizeable iconography. Even the brand manual is designed to become interactive and encourage excitement for the feeling of holding a quality, genuine article in your hands, which is something technology could never replace and competing brands don't measure up to.
With the #GrabASharpie campaign, we’re taking the social media world by storm by joining in on the creative fun. Leveraging pre-existing TikTok trends of creative exercises, we’re inviting users to showcase their imagination with Sharpie markers. Whether it’s doodling, crafting, or brainstorming, we want the first response to any creative impulse to be #GrabASharpie. Our goal is to make Sharpie the go-to product for both professional and creative endeavors, standing out above its competitors. With #GrabASharpie, we’re not just selling markers; we’re building a community of bold thinkers and doers, where big ideas come to life with every stroke. The #GrabASharpie campaign is all about fostering a sense of community and personal connection with our customers. By creating a collaborative space, we aim to showcase a variety of ideas and communities. We want to feature real people and the unique ways they use Sharpie in their everyday lives on all social media platforms.
Sharpie’s branding should empower individuals to unleash their creativity and leave their mark on the world. Consumers should recognize Sharpie as being committed to providing high-quality, innovative products that inspire both professional and creative endeavors. Our brand system is bold, inspiring, and represents a cultural icon, embodying the spirit of self-expression and imagination. With a universally legible logo that reconnects with our diverse audience, we aim to ensure that Sharpie remains the go-to product for all who seek to make their ideas a reality.
The new logo serves as a transitional mark from the previous Sharpie logo, enhancing legibility and functionality for both professional and creative spaces. Designed to reflect the character and boldness of a classic black Sharpie, the updated logo maintains the brand’s iconic essence while ensuring universality and clarity for our diverse audience. It is available in three colors and an outlined variation for applications where we really want it to shine.
The wordmark should always be used in a consistent lockup system when applied to each product. When arranging the wordmark, key elements to consider include the name of the product line, style (e.g., S-gel, smear guard), and the ACMI approved product seal. These elements should follow the system below when applied to Sharpie products: Sharpie Logo, Product Name, Product Campaign, and the ACMI approved product seal.
When the logo is displayed on both sides of the pen or marker, only one side needs to display the ACMI seal.
With the rollout of this campaign, we are excited to introduce a new custom typography called Sharpie Hand. This handwritten typeface is inspired by the distinctive curves of our logo and the character of a classic sharpie, adding a personal touch to our brand identity. Sharpie Hand embodies the spirit of creativity and self-expression, reflecting the bold and dynamic nature and geometry of the new sharpie mark.
Sharpie Hand and the wordmark were both created through an exhaustive hands on ideation process where we used a real sharpie on paper, practicing the same forms hundreds of times over to ensure we are representing the product and how it behaves as faithfully as possible. The result is a truly dynamic and approachable system that bleeds the boldness and genuineness of the Sharpie brand.
Another crucial element of the updated Sharpie Identity is the customizable iconography, container, and linework systems that are all tied to the character of a sharpie. We provide templates for users to create their own elements and illustrations based on the needs for each specific design. This process is as simple as creating a sketch with a classic black sharpie, and scanning it into a vector program. We reccomend a 1x1 inch template to create consistency in line weight.
This faithful representaion is further emphasized by the use of color. Our primary palette consists of colors that are reflective of the hues offered in our product line, ensuring a seamless integration between our branding and our products. These colors serve as the predominant colors across all brand materials. Additionally, we have secondary palettes that incorporate accents and decorations, allowing for versatility while maintaining brand cohesion. For products such as highlighters and metallic markers, which are offered in a variety of colors, we provide additional color schemes to accommodate their diverse range. This is furthere complimented buy other color useage such as opacity blending for highlighters and reflective feeling gradients for metallic products. By carefully selecting and consistently applying colors, we ensure that our brand remains visually engaging, memorable, and reflective of our product offerings.