a wonderbly
rebrand

a wonderbly
rebrand

growth

strategy

At Wonderbly, we changed our business goal dramatically. Rather than focus on being a leader in children’s publishing, the goal post moved to becoming the leading publisher of books given as gifts.

To achieve this new goal, we had to focus on these key objectives:

Increase the value of unpaid acquisition and repeat customers
Open up meaningful new gift book categories with strong repeat potential

We could only achieve these goals if we focused on becoming a more distinctive and mature brand. We also needed to be a brand that could support books for any relationship, occassion and taste.

photography art direction

video art direction & storyboarding

brand strategy

ui design

print design & production

paid ad design

organic showreel direction

signage artwork

A pitch to the board

As much as I loved Wonderbly's original branding, I realised it wouldn't work for the more mature categories we wanted to explore. I needed to convince the executive team and the board that a rebrand was necessary. To make my case, I drew inspiration from BBH's 'when the world zigs' philosophy - a tip of the hat to Sir John Hegarty. This approach helped illustrate why we needed to take a fresh direction.

Lovework Studio

I brought Campbell from Lovework Studio to meet our Wonderbly CEO. I knew Campbell from his time at DesignStudio and felt he'd be an ideal partner for our rebrand. He had recently launched his own agency in Australia, which meant his team could give us plenty of attention as one of their first clients. I was confident his experience and fresh perspective would be just what we needed for this project.

The Wonderbly Moment

Our brand proposition remained strong and flexible enough to support our expanding book portfolio. We used it as the foundation for all our work. We knew we weren't just selling personalised books; we were enabling family and friends to feel seen and loved through creating meaningful and personal connections.

How did we achieve this? By being delightfully premium, meaningfully personal, and creatively uplifting. These principles guided our approach, ensuring that each product and interaction reinforced our brand's unique value proposition.

premium

art direction

While Lovework focused on the visual identity, I took ownership of our photography's look and feel.

Our previous images primarily appealed to children and felt staged. Kids holding books with forced smiles worked before, but wouldn't cut it for adults. We needed to tap into portraying real, meaningful connections while elevating our premium feel.

This rebrand demanded a complete overhaul of our photography approach. I aimed for 'evergreen' and inclusive lifestyle imagery that would stand the test of time, both for budget and efficiency. We captured varied ages and relationships, focusing on emotional connections.

For product shots, we needed a premium look that was distinctly Wonderbly, even out of context.

We categorised our new imagery into three types:

Clean and premium product images: Consistent sequence of our books clearly showing what customers are buying.
Relatable product lifestyle images: Realistic contexts, like overhead shots of someone unwrapping a Wonderbly book at a table.
Authentic lifestyle images: Conveying meaningful connections through Wonderbly books, focusing purely on emotion with micro shots of faces and interactions. No book-holding here.

premium

art direction

While Lovework focused on the visual identity, I took ownership of our photography's look and feel.

For product shots, we needed a premium look that was distinctly Wonderbly, even out of context.

We categorised our new imagery into three types:

Clean and premium product images: Consistent sequence of our books clearly showing what customers are buying.
Relatable product lifestyle images: Realistic contexts, like overhead shots of someone unwrapping a Wonderbly book at a table.
Authentic lifestyle images: Conveying meaningful connections through Wonderbly books, focusing purely on emotion with micro shots of faces and interactions. No book-holding here.

premium

art direction

While Lovework focused on the visual identity, I took ownership of our photography's look and feel.

For product shots, we needed a premium look that was distinctly Wonderbly, even out of context.

We categorised our new imagery into three types:

Clean and premium product images: Consistent sequence of our books clearly showing what customers are buying.
Relatable product lifestyle images: Realistic contexts, like overhead shots of someone unwrapping a Wonderbly book at a table.
Authentic lifestyle images: Conveying meaningful connections through Wonderbly books, focusing purely on emotion with micro shots of faces and interactions. No book-holding here.

Karen is tenacious and determined. She has high levels of energy and ambition that inspires others around her.

Robert May

Chief commercial officer, wonderbly

Karen is tenacious and determined. She has high levels of energy and ambition that inspires others around her.

Robert May

Chief commercial officer, wonderbly

Karen is tenacious and determined. She has high levels of energy and ambition that inspires others around her.

Robert May

Chief commercial officer, wonderbly

“Karen's vision and organisation within the rebrand has been invaluable - working with the agency and syncing up the teams in house. Rebranding is always hard within a company but she has made it happen by pushing the boundaries creatively and ensuring other teams are progressing - it is looking amazing and she deserves a medal!

“Karen's vision and organisation within the rebrand has been invaluable - working with the agency and syncing up the teams in house. Rebranding is always hard within a company but she has made it happen by pushing the boundaries creatively and ensuring other teams are progressing - it is looking amazing and she deserves a medal!

Robert May

Chief commercial officer, wonderbly

The picture with the mommy just makes the website stand out, especially with Mother’s Day coming very soon. You just know that the aim of this website is to personalized books from somebody special. I just got special and lovely vibes when looking through pictures and the books provided

User 1

USABILITY HUB RESPONSE

The photo of the mother and child at the top humanizes your product. I also like the process oriented photo with the pink background toward the bottom of the page. It's a nice behind the scenes look. These images were more effective at capturing my attention than the alternative

User 2

USABILITY HUB RESPONSE

These look like real life scenes, unlike the other route. These images feel relatable and isn’t just focused on selling a product straight away

User 3

USABILITY HUB RESPONSE

new pdp

videos

Since my first day at Wonderbly, I expressed a desire to add video to our PDP carousels and this was the perfect opportunity to shoot them.

A video can show so much more value in a much shorter amount of time. In just a few seconds, having product walkthrough videos shows premium quality (page thickness, layflat format), the content of our books and of course, engaged readers.

We shot several books to test and we placed them at the end of the PDP image carousel.
The variant video versions won so we have now moved the video to the first spot in the carousel!

Sessions up by 10.2%
Add to cart up by 8%
CVR +6%

new pdp

videos

From day one at Wonderbly, I championed adding videos to our PDP carousels. This rebrand presented the perfect opportunity to make it happen.

Videos can convey so much more value in a fraction of the time. In just seconds, product walkthrough videos showcase our premium quality (page thickness, layflat format), book content and engaged readers.

We shot videos for several books as a test, initially placing them at the end of the PDP image carousel. The results were clear: video versions outperformed static images. Based on this success, we've now moved the videos to the prime spot - first in the carousel!

This approach not only aligned with my long-standing vision but also proved to be a game-changer in how we present our products. It's a perfect example of how combining strategic thinking with visual storytelling can significantly enhance the customer experience and drive results.

Sessions up by 10.2%
Add to cart up by 8%
CVR +6%

FIGMA

GUIDE

Presenting these guidelines in Figma was crucial. As the owner, this allowed me to continuously update the prototype with changes reflecting immediately. It also provided everyone easy access to the guide with just a click, eliminating the need to download PDFs repeatedly.

I personally designed the prototype and I'm constantly updating it.

This approach ensures our guidelines remain a living document, evolving with our brand and design needs. It's a practical solution that keeps everyone on the same page and makes our design process more efficient.

The Figma format not only streamlines our workflow but also embodies our commitment to innovation and adaptability in our design practices. It's a small change that's made a big difference in how we maintain and share our brand guidelines.

Figma prototype

FIGMA

guide

I personally designed the prototype and I'm constantly updating it.

Figma prototype

relatable

tov

To revamp our TOV, I brought in creative copy consultants Claire Wilkinson and Matt Phil Carver. The comprehensive process spanned about 4 weeks, involving several workshops, writing guidelines, and training sessions for the creative team and key marketing stakeholders.

We didn't stop there - I also had Claire present a TOV update to the entire business. The response was overwhelmingly positive. This approach ensured that our new TOV wasn't just a document gathering dust, but a living, breathing part of our company culture. By involving experts and engaging the whole team, we created a TOV that truly resonated with our brand and our people.

The success of this initiative highlights the importance of investing in clear, consistent communication across all levels of the business.

Read the TOV guide

relatable

TOV

The success of this initiative highlights the importance of investing in clear, consistent communication across all levels of the business.

Read the TOV guide

“Karen is an inspiring creative leader. She had a strong vision for the creative potential of the Wonderbly brand and beautifully orchestrated the entire rebrand process carefully and thoughtfully. The process was a delightful collaboration and the outcome was wonderful.”

“Karen is an inspiring creative leader. She had a strong vision for the creative potential of the Wonderbly brand and beautifully orchestrated the entire rebrand process carefully and thoughtfully. The process was a delightful collaboration and the outcome was wonderful.”

Campbell Butler

lovework studio

great

results

I invited Campbell and his team to work with us in December 2022 and we went live across all comms in April 2023. A 5 month rebrand is pretty impressive, if you ask me!

Before the soft launch, I hosted a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session with the whole business, taking everyone through the brand strategy and guidelines and welcomed any questions before the big day. I also ran through a Figma prototype I designed of how the website would look on mobile and desktop on launch day.

Our first OOH campaign since rebranding was Father’s Day and I designed and managed the print production of the ad. It got a 14% uplift in brand searches.

Our email welcome series and abandoned cart CTR went up significantly too.

Agency

Lovework Studio

Photography

Sane Seven

Videography

Diopter

great

results

We kicked off the rebrand with Campbell and his team in December 2022 and went live across all communications by April 2023. A 5-month rebrand is quite an achievement, if I do say so myself!

Before the soft launch, I hosted a 'Lunch and Learn' session for the entire business. I walked everyone through the brand strategy and guidelines and opened the floor for questions ahead of the big day. I also showcased a Figma prototype I'd designed, demonstrating how the website would look on mobile and desktop on launch day.

Our first post-rebrand OOH campaign was for Father's Day. I designed and managed the print production of the ad myself. The results? An impressive 14% uplift in brand searches.

Our email welcome series and abandoned cart click-through rates saw significant improvements as well.

This quick turnaround and immediate positive results demonstrate the effectiveness of our rebrand strategy and execution. It's a testament to the power of clear vision, thorough planning, and cross-team collaboration.

Agency

Lovework Studio

Photography

Sane Seven

Videography

Diopter

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