The Mill

Media

World-class visual thinking.

The Mill is launching new strategic visual brand identity to support new American studios, expanded repertoire & new business plans.

After more than two decades of making practically everything look amazing for anyone on anything with a screen… SomeOne was asked by The Mill to create major strategic overhaul of the visual brand identity.

The Mill has for 24 years been at the forefront of the visual effects industry. Winning awards every year for its work and frequently topping the awards charts for its consistently high-level of output for Advertising visual effects.

The Mill is synonymous with the best, most beautifully crafted moving image creative in the world and it goes about its business with style and humour. Yet its globally connected and witty approach to work was missing from the way it represented itself visually. All it really had was a logo (albeit a lovely one!).

The new visual brand identity stems from the iconic Mill word mark, extending the stripes across print and pixel based applications to add a greater level of charm to primary branded surfaces.

The Mill is already justifiably famous for it’s exceptional levels of customer service, so every part of the customer experience has been reconsidered.

This ‘above and beyond’ approach to business echoes through all it does, from the way every pixel is considered for the latest global TV campaign to the state of the art digital archive in its London reception.

Now the new visual brand identity system runs through everything from business cards to complimentary umbrellas for rainy days.

Internal communications, a sector often forgotten by rebranding initiatives are being entirely rethought. New ways of representing the brand extend throughout the organisation, not just externally.

Online systems are being re-designed under the new design approach to create a single cohesive brand experience.

With over 650 people it is also now one of the industry’s largest and most trusted organisations, managing to tread the delicate balance between cutting edge technology and creativity and efficient systems that guarantees delivery under pressure.

The Mill has worked with London based branding specialists, SomeOne to create an cohesive and connected way of communicating across the multiple disciplines and its four offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

2014 promises significant growth for the business with further expansion it in US offices and a re-location to purpose-designed premises in London’s Fitzrovia.

2013 saw the launch of Mill+, the creatively-led offering that enables a high-profile and celebrated roster of creative directors, designers and animators to work directly with agencies and advertisers.

An interconnected but independent visual brand identity was developed for Mill+ to enable the group to have it’s own voice.

From the clocks that countdown the beginning of the next global blockbusting advertising campaign, to the notebooks provided in edit suites, The Mill now demonstrates a level of care, craft and attention that it has always held dear.

Here we’ve created an entire BrandWorld with The Mill — ready for another two decades of excellence.

More from Henry Jones of the Transfrom Awards Website…
(For which we are nominated 8 times this year!)

Jaguar’s 2014 Super Bowl commercial ‘Rendezvous’ became a viral success this week when it united legendary actors such as Ben Kingsley and Tom Hiddleston with an Oscar winning director in Tom Hooper. Also nestled in among these screen credits was the iconic visual effects company The Mill who managed post-production on the advert.

The Mill has just begun a comprehensive rebrand of its visual brand identity. This sumptuous new visual rebrand seeks to bring the elegance and wit of the company’s content to its own visual branding. Having worked on a staggering 20 of this year’s Super Bowl adverts their strategic overhaul coincides with an expansion into its American market where three of its fours offices are based. The need to ‘convey personality’ across its multiple markets stems from a transformation of The Mill’s already renowned logo into a comprehensive brand which allows its four bases to be both original and interconnected.

The wordmark of four small vertical lines followed by two longer lines to spell out the word Mill typifies the deliberately playful character of this rebrand. So comprehensive is this rebrand that it will extend to ‘everything from business cards to complimentary umbrellas for rainy days’. The comprehensive scope of this rebrand is meant to show the ‘above and beyond’ ethos of the company – from its innovative and award winning content to its ‘free umbrellas’.

In addition to a new visual brand identity the creative team of Simon Manchipp, Laura Hussey, and Lee Davies at SomeOne agency has also redesigned Mill + a creative studio for connecting directors, animators, and designers. Furnished with a rebrand of its own, Mill + is currently awaiting the launch of its own full website but is operating a large and promising temporary showcase of the group’s previous material. Although no specific date has been given for this launch Simon Manchipp has described the site as looking ‘very exciting’.

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