camel vacuum flasks

Challenge

Camel has been manufacturing vacuum flasks in Hong Kong since 1940. Its products are an iconic part of Hong Kong, their shapes are unmistakeable. Due in part to the decline of Hong Kong manufacturing, the company has struggled to develop beyond its roots. On the occasion of Camel’s 75th anniversary we were given the task of modernizing the brand, developing and updating their product lines while preserving heritage designs and recording their history for posterity.

Revamp and iconic Hong Kong brand
Create a new identity for the company and set out a roadmap for the future of the metal work factory behind it
Document and preserve history via interviews and cataloging photographs

Solution

Starting by archiving documents, photographs and hand painted signs that had been left to moulder we also interviewed Camel’s key people including its owners, engineers and other key personnel. It took us a year to record a thorough history in written accounts, photographs and artefacts. Some of these materials were presented in a short documentary which we wrote and produced.

It took an additional year to create a new brand identity for the company. This identity was to relate to the old one while remaining distinct and giving Camel the freedom to reference their own heritage but also develop without it hindering them. The new identity will apply to Camel’s new expanded range of homeware goods which will be designed according to their old pragmatic design ethos and informed by their technical know-how developed over their long history.

Interview all stakeholders and key staff at the company to record a comprehensive history from several perspectives
Having understood the history and heritage behind the company, creating a strategy which will allow it to evolve rather than become a nostalgic brand
Transcripts of interviews formed the basis of a short documentary film
New product lines and launch strategies for these product lines developed

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Featured

Camel's New Identity

We worked with Camel to modernize their brand and update their product lines while preserving their heritage. Ultimately the result is a revitalized identity that respects and preserves the history of the brand while creating a bridge to the future where the company does not rely solely on nostalgic products

An Iconic Design

Camel's products are iconic. Their shapes, designs and artwork are classics and part of our work with them involved the translation of these classics into modern products. A vintage line has been preserved for continuity but for sustainability we devised a strategy that involves development of contemporary products.

Archiving and Recording

Part of our work involved archiving documents, photographs and hand painted signs that had been left to moulder in storage. We also interviewed Camel’s key people, recording these and condensing them into a narrative history.

A Story Documented

The interviews and narrative we wrote formed the basis for a short documentary film about Camel which we wrote and produced. The video captures their spirit and pride in Hong Kong and its industries. The full film can be viewed here.

Camel's Spirit

We created a font based on art deco stylings to reflect Camel's historic roots while celebrating it's modernity. This is being uniformly applied to all brand touchpoints as they gradually roll out. Here, it is applied to Camel's slogan '一味靠滾’.

Applications and Illustrations

One of the first brand touchpoints to roll out is a series of illustrated posters which we created for the Camel themed hotel, Camlux, which is the company's factory building repurposed. The interior of the hotel celebrates the company and the building's history.

Outcome

Camel’s history has been safely preserved and presented and now the company can comfortably move on and develop for the future with a revitalized identity and purpose. Camel’s new range of light fittings are being applied in a new development due to open in 2016.

History successfully recorded.
New identity has been seamlessly integrated into the company's overall strategy which recognizes and has preserved its heritage line while using the new image as a way to modernize and move forward.