Alex’s Automotive Finishes – Brand Development, Website, Packaging & Apparel
After establishing 3 successful brick and mortar locations throughout Florida, the owner of Alex’s Automotive Finishes decided the next step in developing his business was building an online store to gain internet sales and developing a product line of automotive detail products. Alex’s Automotive Finishes is a paint distributor that works directly with other businesses in the local area and everyday consumers too. At the time I was presented with the project, there was no established brand or logo/identity for the company and a template website with no content.
After meeting with the owner and doing some research on the automotive paint and detailing industry, the lightning bolt translated to fast cars and the high-energy and electric personality of the business owner, Alex. Establishing the lighting logo was the first step in developing the new brand.
Due to the major brands dominating the marketplace for such a long period of time, we were up against some pretty tough competition. Brand recognition alone meant that our competitor didn’t need to update their label design for many years – which from a designer’s perspective was to my advantage. I decided in order to get consumers to consider Alex’s brand over another we needed major shelf presence. The “Alex’s” name was given prominent space on the front of the label because the company has established themselves as honest and trustworthy – which current customers will quickly recognize. In order to gain new customers, the product needs to appear to be high quality and clearly labeled as the purpose of the product. We used straight forward product names and descriptions with a clean and modern layout. Black product packaging often times translates to a consumer that the product is luxurious and high quality, which is why we decided on the black bottles and labels.
I worked directly with local vendors to print the labels for the newly developed product line as well as packaging vendors to obtain the perfect bottles, lids and trigger sprayers for a slick new look. The response to the product (and the logo) has been overwhelmingly positive. Consumers have a desire for the product and sometimes ask where they can buy a shirt – which as a designer is great to hear!
In the process of designing the product line I worked to re-design the website from a old template to something clean, fresh and user friendly. Using BigCommerce.com, I set up an online store for Alex’s Automotive Finishes. I merged the square.com payment system they were already using in the brick and mortar locations with their new online store. I photographed new products for the website and uploaded other product photos from different vendors.
Today, I continue working with Alex on developing a web presence by maintaining his e-commerce site as well as his social media accounts and using print marketing for his individual locations.
