How Templo’s colourful rebrand brings GF Smith into the future

Tackling a rebrand is never a walk in the park. But what about overhauling a brand that deals in a material so central to your industry that every one of your peers has crossed paths with it? It’s a brief sure to spark equal parts trepidation and excitement in anyone who takes it on.

In this case, it’s Templo, the cause-led branding and communications agency, taking on the challenge of rebranding GF Smith, one of the world’s oldest paper specialists. It could be tempting to not stray far and focus on maintaining a level of continuity, but instead GF Smith and Templo have gone for something entirely new. By injecting motion, colour and personality into the brand, GF Smith hopes to expand it’s international audiences alongside resonating with one particular subsection of the creative world: its emerging practitioners.

The paper specialist’s last major rebrand took place over a decade ago in 2014. But, as often happens, much has changed – in the business, the creative industry and the wider world. “Our previous visual identity was pivotal in shaping the GF Smith brand that resonates worldwide. But as the world evolves – becoming more digital, immediate and connected – so must we,” says GF Smith’s global brand director, Ben Watkinson. “This rebrand isn’t about leaving our roots behind; it’s about adapting to meet changing expectations while staying true to who we are.”

With the need to modernise front of mind, choosing the right agency to see the rebrand through was key. When the GF Smith team first met the design and communications agency Templo, they knew they’d found the right fit. “Templo understands that branding isn’t just skin deep – it’s holistic,” says Ben. “Not just what you look like, but what you do, how you think, and how you make people feel.” Over the years Templo has worked across a vast range culture and community-led projects, including an identity for the corporate watchdog Raid, an optimistic new look for the Free Syria’s Disappeared campaign, and a bold identity for the Venice Biennale, which draws on the migration journeys of UK’s diasporic communities.

What attracted Templo to the GF Smith project was the community spirit at the heart of the paper specialist’s work. This includes initiatives like the new GF Smith Charitable Trust, a charity that will support access to creative education and creativity-industry careers for the community in GF Smith’s local city of Hull, as well as across other areas in the UK. The Trust aims to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure that talent and potential are never limited by circumstance. Among other ways of raising money, the paper supplier will now dedicate 2% of all profits to the Trust. “Bringing our experience across human rights, climate change and education, we ensured the [new brand and Trust] were built from the foundations of authenticity, transparency and a genuine commitment to making a difference,” says Pali Palavathanan, co-founder and creative director of Templo.

Templo were set on really getting to the heart of the revered brand, uncovering it’s “gently radical spirit” and bringing that to the forefront of their overall visual feeling, says Anoushka Rodda, Templo’s fellow co-founder and managing director. The only way to truly achieve this was to speak to the people who make GF Smith the company it is today. By engaging and listening to both internal and external voices, Templo uncovered the values that make GF Smith what it is – “full of warmth, character and social conscience”, says Anoushka. Templo held conversations, audits, workshops and engagement sessions with as many people as possible within the business, but also, importantly, those outside too – the people who had a connection with the long-running paper specialists.

From these conversations, Templo devised three core building blocks that now make up the brands positioning: first, Why Paper?, which highlights how paper stands firm against the ephemeral nature of digital; second, Why GF Smith paper?, which emphasises how GF Smith’s expansive collection facilitates creativity in all forms; and third, Why GF Smith?, which celebrates the community that makes GF Smith what it is, and the importance of its Hull locale. Together, these create one encompassing phrase: ‘Feel good papers’.

One of the most exciting departures from the old identity is the new logo. Described as “omni-directional” the logo takes the GF Smith name, breaks it apart and morphs it into a smiling face – a conscious nod to the feel good brand positioning. “Transforming letterforms of the name into a human form creates a less formal and more approachable brand, reflecting the people and services which make up GF Smith,” says Pali. The clever design utilised by Templo allows the logo to be displayed in multiple orientations, ensuring that – even when static – it feels fresh and unexpected across the many touchpoints of the extensive identity. But it’s really brought to life with the addition of animation, a feature previously untapped in the GF Smith brand. The buoyant design bounces and slides into frame, giving the brand its personality; in some ways, it even doubles as a subtle mascot. Watch for long enough, and you might even get a cheeky wink.

The logo is complemented by a bespoke sans-serif typeface designed by Blaze Type, GF Smith Homie. Coming in a number of weights, the primary typeface swaps the previous pencil thin workmark for something a little chunkier, finished with slight curves and rounded edges, creating a friendly feel that doesn’t compromise on legibility. There’s also a brand new website, created in collaboration between Templo and Made by On, using animation to bring to life the texture and tactile nature of the paper on offer.

It feels hard to talk about GF Smith without colour being on the tip of your tongue – its GF Smith Colorplan range is one of the first stops for any analogue creative project looking to inject colour. And so, as you might expect, it plays a major role in the fresh look – but in a pretty unconventional way. Unlike traditional identities, which can revolve around a tight colour selection, Templo have utilised a whole wash of colours based on the GF Smith collection, used to create clashing yet tasteful combinations. Viewing the identity in all its many iterations is much like the experience of flicking through GF Smith’s swatches – as a viewer, you can’t help be drawn in by the array of hues and grains at your fingertips.

Nowhere is this dedication to colour demonstrated than in a brand film. A child is shown drawing in a sterile white room which slowly becomes covered in overlapping sheets of brightly coloured paper. Intersected with cut-away animations of colourful gradients, paper shaped gateways, and patterns in motion, the kaleidoscopic short highlights not only the expansive colour choices on offer at GF Smith, but the power colour has to brighten, enliven and inspire. The film also taps into another key facet of the redefined GF Smith – the idea that creativity and paper are a portal into a new future. “We have always viewed GF Smith’s role as helping people use paper as a pathway to bringing creative ideas and visions to life – a portal to new imaginative worlds,” says Ben. “This simple metaphor has become a powerful symbol, underpinning the identity and reminding people that every creative journey begins with paper.”

While lots might have changed, one thing is going nowhere – the well-known paper swatch book. It too has had an update, making it the perfect new centre piece for your meticulously designed shelves. To mimic the shape of the rounded logo, it comes in a semi-circle shape that, when opened, becomes a 3D globe. It will be coming at some point next year, so be sure to watch this space. However, to truly tap into the desires of creatives, there’s one addition to the swatch family that Templo and GF Smith couldn’t resist – the carabiner. Ready to be clipped to bags, desks or studio pin boards, the carabiner features ten new colours within the GF Smith Colorplan range, including two new recycled papers. Also on offer is apparel and reusable bottles made with Nalgene and Pangaia, with all merchandise profits donated to the GF Smith Charitable Trust.

Rehauling the entire visual feeling of GF Smith has been no mean feat, but it’s one that’s been exhilarating and worthwhile for all those involved. “The opportunity to peel back the layers of a revered brand and uncover the heart of GF Smith was an absolute joy,” says Anoushka. Anoushka describes the process as one of “true co-creation”, which has resulted in new positioning that doesn’t just speak to existing customers, or those who work for the company, but the people who have just picked up a new stack of paper, or are destined to use it in the near future.