Precision
Christian and Ben founded Vinna, a small but growing company focusing on precision electrical engineering and camper van conversions.
We met because my wife Fern and I kept walking the dog past their unit and seeing frankly jaw-dropping vehicles - VWs, Land Rovers, British classics, American muscle cars, hot rods, street racers - and every time I would say to Fern, “I wonder what they do in there?”. Wasting no time Fern stuck her head around the door and asked. This led to introductions and a chat. Soon enough the same question came back to me. “I think about and help implement how brands define themselves, how they sound and look, how they communicate, engage customers and make sales,” I said. “Interesting”, said Christian, “Our business is growing and we’re about to expand into a purpose-built unit. We need to re-think our identity and communications.” And that’s where we left it.
200 yards later Fern turns to me and says, “You should work with them.” “I'm not sure they'd have the budget, they’re investing everything into the new building,” I replied. “You should still work with them,” was Fern’s reply.
True to our way of working, I shared the encounter with David and in the weeks after the information percolated. We began to look at the world of ‘van life’, to uncover its history as well as current market trends. Ideas bubbled and surfaced and in conversation one day we hit on something that instinctively felt right for Vinna. We arranged a meeting, we presented a single thought that they loved and we haven’t looked back.
The exciting thing for David and I was to see two young people who had started a business of their own, were passionate and whose hard work was paying off. The first two years had gone well and they were looking to take it to the next level, but beyond planning to move to a bigger unit they didn’t know quite where to begin. Both David and I remember various people in our careers who had gone out of their way to help us. It dawned on us that this was a fantastic opportunity for us to do the same.
Even though we were stupidly busy, we gave our time, experience and expertise to help Vinna to the next level. It was fun. It was freeing. It was rewarding. It was a great business decision and the start of a great relationship.
Three years on and we’re still working together - our studio is now just a few yards from Vinna’s base - and we’ve recently begun the design of a suite of vehicle designs that will be applied to the completed camper conversions. More than that we’ve become a brand sounding board for their business as it grows, invited to give advice or hold up a mirror to their thinking on anything from ideas for expanding the brand, material choices in the camper conversions, team growth and inevitably brand therapy when the going gets tough.
Project deliverables
Brand & Design Strategy, Identity design, Website design & build, campervan liveries