Francis Brown Brand Strategy and Visual Identity

Services

Brand Identity, Brand Strategy, Verbal Identity

Sector

B2B & Professional Services

Engineering global progressive excellence

The Brief

Francis Brown were experiencing a change of leadership and had also conducted an independent survey with employees to identify areas to improve. They engaged Better to modernise their brand, making it ready for a more sustainable direction in engineering, with goals to improve recognition, talent attraction and retention, as well as increasing sales.

Background

Francis Brown is a global specialist bespoke fabrication and engineering service, targeting dynamic industries seeking high-quality, customised solutions. They leverage their 120-year heritage and 100-strong team to transform intricate, large-scale projects into a simple, painless process.

The Solution

A modernised verbal and visual language that positions the brand for a progressive future. The redesigned visual identity includes a bespoke monogram that integrates the F & B initials with a sense of simplicity and forward momentum. Elsewhere, updated typography conveys modernity, structure, and clarity, while a new colour palette transitions their heritage red to a vibrant orange and contrasting teal, symbolising energy, precision, and growth.

Engineering global progressive excellence

The Brief

Background

The Brief

The Solution

Small improvements, made over 120 years

Francis Brown has been able to achieve remarkable results by leveraging their vast experience and expertise over the past 120 years. All of those marginal gains, all those refinements in mastery, have brought them to this point. Through meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of complex processes, they have streamlined operations and created seamless solutions for businesses and individuals alike. Their rich heritage and strong engineering capabilities have allowed them to constantly adapt and improve, one small step at a time, making them ready to shape a brighter future not only for themselves but for the world.

The Supportive Engineer

The Francis Brown archetype blend represents a trusted problem-solver and meticulous creator – serving as a translator and collaborator for clients, navigating them through the intricacies of their projects and the industry. This archetype provides reliable guidance and comprehensive solutions while striving for collective improvements for the greater good.

Direct, clear and confidently succinct

The voice pillars bridge the gap between the archetype and voice. These pillars are a reflection of Francis Brown’s character: authentic and genuine, precise and focused, bold and confident. It emphasises the way they speak: direct and digestible, but without compromising the depth or significance of the subject matter.

Grit with gravitas

This is a confidently direct tone of voice that is as real and as grounded as it gets. It leans into a robust heritage, unwavering authenticity and diligent attention to detail. It speaks with the gravity of expertise and the assertiveness of experience.

From their time-served knowledge to their commitment to quality, everything they say is designed to deliver confidence, safety and reassurance to partners. Their voice carries the weight of legacy but stays approachable enough to allow the modern custodians of the brand to express their visions for a brighter future.

Structured, modern and defined

Francis Brown’s typography visually reflects their progressive shift with a precise, modern and minimal aesthetic. It inherently feels established, robust and trustworthy, but exacting and future–focussed in equal measure. This is complemented by a bold and prominent use of numbers and stats, alongside an engineered icon and graphic style. A distinct photography style enhances this further, with a device that can be used dynamically to add texture and focus or reveal.

Energy, precision and growth

Supporting the structured and defined type choice is a colour palette that transitions their established heritage red into a more vibrant orange and contrasting teal. This re-energised palette is a symbol of Francis Brown’s growth, combining its progressive outlook and highly precise engineering that’s been built over 120 years.

“The brand refresh builds on our rich heritage and legacy, allowing us to guide the next generation and strive higher as both a business and individuals. We now look, feel and sound like the organisation we’ve grown into. Progressive excellence is the perfect encapsulation of that. Small continuous improvements, added together over 120 years; all those marginal gains, all those refinements in mastery have brought us to this point. And they’ll take us into the future too.”

Jamie Brown

CEO, Francis Brown