Background
An established and innovative health care manufacturer, Thesis Technology specialises in supplying products which enable people with broken limbs and plaster casts to bathe and shower.
In 2008 the company realised its unique water resistant seals could have other commercial applications and began producing a new line, Neocape, for the hairdressing market. Unlike a traditional hairdressers cape Neocape offered the added benefit of preventing cut hair and water penetrating below neck level, keeping customers’ clothes completely clean and protected throughout the washing, cutting and styling process.
The challenge
Becoming part of a fashion driven market has meant something of a learning curve for Thesis. Shaun Nightingale, Technical Director is quick to acknowledge that their medical products are manufactured and packaged to meet a need rather than compete with others in a fast-changing environment. However, the company quickly established a market, completely selling out during its first outing at the national hairdressing show, Expo Salon in 2008 and again in 2009.
Thesis then spent the next year adapting and redesigning the Neocape in time for Expo Salon 2010 where they not only had their third sell out but also met up with a Spanish contact keen to place a major order.
“From there on in things moved very fast,” said Shaun. “We knew we had to seriously upgrade our packaging to get the maximum benefit from this potential export market. But we had very little time to our agreed delivery date. It was a huge challenge.”
The response
Already interested in the benefits of improved design, Shaun had booked on to a Designing Demand workshop before the exhibition. Now, when he attended the workshop he had a very specific task in mind and was delighted to find that the Designing Demand programme could offer tangible help and had in fact been developed by the Design Council specifically to help businesses use design more effectively.
In the South East the programme is delivered by South East Design and, once Shaun’s deadline became clear he was quickly linked up with Design Associate, Gavin Pryke.
“From our first meeting this project was all about producing high quality design within a very tight timeframe,” said Gavin. “And it was a challenge that we all found immensely energising. I had my first meeting with Shaun on Thursday morning. By Friday night we had agreed a brief to give to the design agency the following Monday. In the same spirit the agency, Brighton-based Ape Creative, also pulled out all the stops. In all the process took just three weeks, from my initial briefing to Shaun taking delivery of the finished packaging.”
Russell Hales, Creative director explained. “For the project to work successfully the packaging design brief had to be tight and the process run very smoothly. We quickly focused on three core areas, to produce designs that would look good on the shelf, allow the tactile nature of the product to be self-evident and retain an element of Britishness. We managed to turn round three design options in just a week and Thesis were unanimous in their choice”.
Shaun describes the chosen packaging design as “neat, trendy and modern.” In all a far cry from the plastic bag and leaflet they had been using. “Ape had changed everything to reflect the quality of the product in the packaging,” said Shaun. “They even tweaked our logo to make sure it looked right with the new design. Better still, having given them a green light they then went on to handle all print and production.
“Even in retrospect I find it difficult to believe how easy the whole process was. Gavin really did provide enormous help, especially when it came to briefing Ape, as he knew exactly what information they required to meet our exacting timeframe. And Ape then worked in the same professional way, making sure we knew what was happening at every point in the process.
“In a matter of just a few weeks, we had secured an export order, briefed designers, arranged translations, chosen new packaging, and had it printed and delivered in time to complete the order successfully. I can honestly say we would never have managed the process so smoothly without Gavin’s help and support.”
The outcome
Neocape’s first export order was a great success. So much so that the buyer phoned to say how impressed he was with the boxes. It is early days but Thesis is predicting both increased turnover and an increase in staff as a direct result of its diversification. The company has also come to appreciate the real benefits that design can bring and will be continuing its relationship with Ape, including developing new packaging for the UK market and improving the visual appeal of its website.
“We have a unique product and no serious competition,” said Shaun. “But that alone is not enough. Our product also has to appeal to the buyers. There are hundreds of gowns on the market. We had a choice, we could be the cheapest or the best. We will never be the cheapest, but incredibly, even with the time restraints and our health products background I think we actually are the best, with packaging that reflects the high quality of both the manufacture and design, as well as the uniqueness of our neoprene sealed products. That is a major result for us, for Gavin, Ape and Designing Demand.”
Download the Thesis Technology case study
Tags: designing demand, generate, Neocape, Thesis Technology
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