Pre/Served | Brand Naming & Product Identity
Background
The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) supports serving personnel, veterans and their families through a wide range of life-changing services. Following our work on Race Across the UK, the charity approached us to develop the brand for a unique new retail product with an equally unique story.
Created by master sailmaker Pablo, the collection transforms decommissioned Royal Navy life rafts and life-saving equipment into handcrafted accessories, giving materials that would otherwise end up in landfill a remarkable second life. Every product carries its own history while helping raise funds to support the Royal Navy community.
The Challenge
The collection had already generated strong interest through the RNRMC online shop and fundraising events, but with the Southampton Boat Show approaching, the charity wanted a distinctive brand identity that could elevate the range and help it reach a wider audience.
Our brief was to develop a memorable brand name, visual identity and positioning that celebrated the products' naval heritage, sustainability credentials and fundraising purpose, while sitting naturally within the wider RNRMC brand.
The Creative Strategy
The strongest brands are built around a simple idea people instantly understand.
Rather than focusing solely on sustainability or craftsmanship, we looked for a name that captured the entire story.
The result was Pre/Served.
A name with multiple layers of meaning. It references equipment that has already served at sea, materials preserved from landfill and the servicemen and women whose lives the charity continues to support. Simple, memorable and unmistakably connected to the Royal Navy.
From there, we developed a complete brand identity inspired by the textures, colours and materials of the original life-saving equipment. The visual language balanced premium craftsmanship with authentic naval heritage, creating a distinctive retail brand that worked across packaging, point of sale, digital marketing and fundraising communications.
To support future growth, we also produced comprehensive brand guidelines, giving the in-house team a clear framework for rolling the identity out consistently across every touchpoint.
Impact
Pre/Served transformed a collection of handcrafted products into a distinctive purpose-led retail brand with a compelling story at its heart.
By combining strategic naming, brand positioning and creative direction, the project gave RNRMC a scalable identity that celebrates sustainability, honours Royal Navy heritage and creates greater opportunities to generate awareness and fundraising income through retail.