One of the first questions we ask a client when taking on a branding project is “What brands stand out for you? What really floats your boat?” and barely a month goes by when Innocent isn’t on the list; and who can blame them? What company wouldn’t aspire to be in the shoes of Innocent Drinks? Its by far one of the best brands in the UK (if not the world) and lets face it, they’ve got it near perfect.

But what a lot of people may not realise is that Innocent’s graphic brand is 100% homegrown and established completely in house by their creative team.

Like most businesses, in the early days Innocent did not have the thousands needed to employ a design or marketing agency to establish the graphic side of their brand and so instead hired friend Dan Germain as the company’s Head of Creative, and with his talent used their other friends to user test and improve the designs they developed for their packaging and logo.

Over time Dan’s skills were paramount in the development of what Innocent has become, working on everything from the apple and halo logo to the packaging, posters, ads and flyers used to promote the companies product. All done in house, without the need to employ an agency and or tie up financial resources.

They had no plan in place just the idea that they “…wanted to like the way it looked and tasted and for it to stand out on café shelves”, not a 200 page marketing outline, but a effective idea and one that has served them well. The company have won a barrage of awards including Marketing Strategy of the Year Award, Business XL’s ‘Brand Campaign of the Year’ and countless prizes for their branding and simple grass roots marketing strategies.

The point? Simple. Spending thousands on hiring a design agency to develop a companies branding isn’t always necessary. Innocent have shown that a well made product, strong brand values, good solid down-to-earth communication and lots of careful thought are enough to establish one of the best brands on the planet, something that could very well work for your company.

We love Innocent and bloody wished we worked there!

The Design Council’s Case Study on Innocent is a must read for anyone thinking about branding for the first time or even if you’re looking to re-invent your companies identity. For more information check out Innocent’s superfine website at www.innocentdrinks.co.uk and their blog at http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com.