A Breath of Fresh Air Into the Yukon Charlie's Brand

Yukon Charlie's is a winter outdoor sporting goods brand that primarily sells snowshoes. I had the opportunity to spearhead the Yukon Charlie’s rebrand, conceptualizing and building the visual identity, brand positioning, brand guidelines, packaging, and displays. I presented and led the discussion on each element of the rebrand to a core stakeholder group, leading a positive discussion and decision-making process along the way.

THE PROBLEM

Lack of clarity around "who we are" and "who we want to be"

THE PROCESS + STRATEGY

Phase 1: Discovery and Research

Phase 2: Write and Develop

Phase 3: Visual Branding

PROJECT KICKOFF & PHASE 1

During the 6 month process, I presented and discussed each phase of the rebrand with a core stakeholder group. The core stakeholder included the Creative Marketing Team, the Director of Marketing, the Director of Product Development, the National Sales Manager for the Outdoor Retail Channel, and the CEO.

SWOT Analysis from Discovery and Research Survey

Competitve Statements that echo "high-quality at a reasonable price"

PHASE 2: WRITE AND DEVELOP

The core values represent who we've been, who we are now, and are especially who we want to be. A big emphasis was on bringing a young, diverse life to the snowshoeing industry. Our slogan, developed in 2019, still rang true: "Yukon Charlie's is Made for All to Experience Winter."

Lighthearted
To play, make memories, and be whimsical. We work hard and take our products seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously.

Iconic
To be recognized, revered, and respected by consumers, customers, and competition alike.

Family
Family is diverse; made up of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, and preferences. Life is best enjoyed with those we love, those chosen, and those born into that we call family.

Explore
Trying something new can be intimidating, putting on a pair of snowshoes shouldn't be. From the backyard to the backcountry, we're with you every step of the way.

PHASE 3: VISUAL BRANDING

The visual branding process was kicked off with mood boards developed to represent the core values and serve as a conceptual guide. We also looked at competitor logos; one of the largest takeaways was to stay away from any visual reference to mountains as it was overused.

Lighthearted Moodboard

Explore Moodboard

Competitve Analysis: Competitors Logos

The first round of logo variations. I highlighted the key qualities and refrenced which images from the moodboard were most prevelant in the wordmark.

The original brand mascot of Charlie the moonshiner, seen in the 2016 logos, did not fit the "Family" core value. If we were to introduce a new mascot it needed to be the perfect fit. A caribou was just that: Caribou stay in herds (Family) and travel the furthest distances of all North American land animals (Explore), their hooves are also compared to snowshoes in functionality. 

Conceptual poster, highlighting typography and brand message as a standalone element

BRAND GUIDELINES

Creating consistency from here on out.

BRAND LAUNCH

Unveiling the new brand.

On December 15, 2021, we officially launched the new branding across our social channels. Our focus remained on the language and conveying our intentions in our defined values and the visual updates were just the cherry on top.

Creative direction by Kendal Krol, Jon Bausman, & Krista Huffman. Video by Digital Peak Productions.