Insolvency that puts people first

Team Work
Worrells
Helping to remove the stigma of a business failure
Strategy + Messaging + Branding + Website
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Financial adversity in business or as an individual is tough

Sometimes it happens. Failure is part of life.   

There is a certain stigma attached to going broke in business. These failures happen for a whole variety of reasons but what's important to remember is the humans behind these stressful events. Worrells is one of Australia's most trusted insolvency brands because at the heart of their expert process is genuine care for everyone involved. 

Brand strategy

Finding the truth in the Worrells brand

The early stage of any brand process is full of potential. It's where we have the privilege of bringing together people from different parts of the business and of varying degrees of experience & perspective. It's this meeting point that determines how we shape a brand. From our early workshops we uncovered 3 Worrells brand truths; 


1. They are a brand that performs insolvency with thought and care

2. They'll always look to turn a business around before any other option

3. And that a personal touch that's backed by technology is a winning combo


These core pillars helped to drive us towards a brand direction that would set Worrells apart, giving the company a clear market position & differentiation. 

Messaging

Softening the tone of insolvency language

Insolvency speak can be pretty dry, legalistic and also somewhat intimidating for people going through the closure of a business. One of the key changes both studio and client were keen to make was a shift in the way the brand spoke. 

Our aim was to soften the way in which the firm communicated to potential clients, removing the clinical, cold aspects of insolvency and replacing the language with a conversational, sympathetic tone that acknowledges the difficult time the client is going through but also delivers core brand messages in an upbeat and positive way. Or put another way: there's always an answer, a way forward, a way out.  

Brand mark

Bringing new meaning to a brand with history

Worrells is one of the oldest and most established insolvency brands in Australia. We didn't want to leave this history behind, but rather bring it forward into the future. Behind every brand mark is a 'formula' that builds the basis of the concept. Our core idea was made up of three parts; 

1 // Parallel lines signify working together to achieve an outcome

2 // When a business or individual can longer see a way forward, they have come to an ‘end’ in the same way a full stop represents the completion of a sentence. It’s at this endpoint that Worrells provides the positive options and guidance

3 // 48 years of practice, reflected in the most recognised W in the insolvency game

Brand Elements

Extending the brand

Building on the theme of communication and working together to solve insolvency woes, we developed a set of communication marks as secondary devices that could be used in various settings. Supporting these elements, Ply built out image styles and also containers to hold key messages within. 

Website

Shifting perceptions

The final phase of the brand transition was to help the Worrells team build a new digital platform to communicate a new position and messaging that more accurately reflect who they are and what they are about but most importantly, how they can help. Again, both teams came together for a series of web workshops to uncover key goals, content architecture, site maps, functionality and page stories. The ply team then went to work, delivering the content strategy, wires, design concepts, UX and finally delivering a custom-coded statamic website to amplify the Worrells brand. 

Taking the takeaways

Thinking differently

Because the Worrells team were open to different ways of positioning themselves for the future, we were able to unlock a new way of speaking about insolvency and removing the old dry, legal speak and replacing this with a brand that speaks 'human' and feels very different to a standard consulting firm.  

Letting go opens up horizons

It's comforting to hold onto an old brand - it's what we know and it's 'safe'. But old brands can't accurately convey or reflect what's happening today. By braving new waters, Worrells have been able to modernise and also better represent contemporary attitudes inside the company and new ways of doing business.

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