Brand design studio, Without, was recently appointed to rebrand luxury bedmakers, Savoir. Roly Grant, Creative Director of Without, speaks about key considerations when reimagining brands in the luxury space and how the Savoir project came to life.
What prompted the rebrand project for Savoir and how did your partnership come about?
We were approached by Savoir to re-establish the bedmaker’s luxury credentials, tell the story of British craft and quality, and sell its benefits to a global audience.
Originally commissioned for the Savoy Hotel in London in 1905, Savoir is known for handmaking the finest beds in the world, using top-quality natural materials and with just one craftsperson per customer. But the almost limitless bespoke nature of the portfolio had been confusing the offer. So much choice can be a little intimidating, and a focus on designer and celebrity collaborations was emphasising ‘design’ rather than what mattered most to customers: ‘comfort’.
How did you begin the rebranding process and what were the key objectives that you established with Savoir prior to starting the project?
Research showed that what matters most to consumers is comfort and good-quality sleep, so our rebrand centred on that.
We simplified Savoir’s portfolio to four iconic beds (No1, No2, No3, No4), each with its own character, from “The New Standard” to “The One”. To reinforce these four icons, each bed has a dedicated story, told in terms of the time it takes to make. Visitors to the website can roll back the hours to see the stages of manufacture – the skills, techniques and materials that go into each step. The rich heritage of the brand is also woven into the narrative, from its history with the Savoy Hotel to famous personalities who have had a good night’s sleep on the beds.
It was also important to create an online environment that celebrates the unique Britishness of the brand and speaks of heritage, nature, craft and luxury. It’s now a fully branded online setting, even down to an original ticking design by Lady D’Oyly Carte, wife of founder Rupert, which provides a fitting and ownable backdrop.
What did you identify as the most important factor that differentiates Savoir from its competition?
Our work seeks to emphasise the craft and materials that make a Savoir so conducive to quality sleep and, as a result, health and wellbeing. Celebrating the value of craft was central to this. We used the rebrand of the site as an opportunity to allow the customer to explore the 120-hour process to understand what makes Savoir beds the best.
Were there any challenges that arose during the rebrand? If so, how did you overcome these and what was the outcome?
Whilst consumers like the idea of choice, too much is an impediment. Refining almost infinite complexity down to four recommended starting points was a challenge but, in doing so, the brand now has a confident identity.
Also, this was an international project, so the rebrand and website needed to appeal to a global audience and, practically, to work across six different languages, from the European alphabet to Russian Cyrillic, Chinese Hanzi and Korean Hangul characters. Quite apart from the design and technical challenges, making sure everything worked perfectly for such a wide audience was a big concern.
What is it that you think the Savoir customer seeks when it comes to bespoke product design, and how did you work to convey that in the rebrand?
Consumers using bespoke products are seeking a lifetime assurance of quality, and also with Savoir, they are looking for a bed that specifically suits their needs. When rebranding we channelled this into the high-quality service offered online which goes on to inform the offline experience. The new website allows people to refine their selection at home, before a call to action puts them in touch with a spokesperson so that the finer details and more bespoke elements can be finalised.
Read our profile of Savoir from LB 214 here.