west elm
Brand Strategy

Studio: Trollbäck+Company
Role: Chief Creative Officer

We partnered with west elm to articulate a new strategic path forward that scales the business beyond retail into a more emotionally resonant, experience-driven, culture-shaping lifestyle brand.

Over the past decade, the Brooklyn-based design studio has taken its industry by storm with a unique offering of stylish and accessible home goods—but was looking for a better way to communicate its sustainability, community, and lifestyle-focused initiatives.

We built a strategic identity designed to help take west elm from a stylish and successful furniture company to a multi-faceted, experience-driven lifestyle brand. From articulating a new brand positioning and tone of voice, to workshopping a new brand manifesto, we helped set the stage for everyone at west elm to start designing with purpose and tell the stories behind their products and craftspeople around the world.

View the full case study at Trollbäck+Company.

At the heart of the new strategy is a celebration of all the makers, innovators, style guides, and creative community members that make west elm more than just the sum of its parts.

Our new guidelines also paved the way for west elm’s transition into new industries and experiential offerings that help the brand stand apart from both its mass-market and high-price competition. From brand voice to brand imagery, the revitalized brand foundation helps west elm expand beyond its retail spaces, re-envisioning the company as a destination for good design that’s good for everyone.