Kids Industries Creates New Identity for Character.com

Kids Industries (KI) has completed a rebrand project with specialist clothing store, Character.com. The project’s culmination sees the business repositioning itself to promote self-expression and emotion, highlighting its range of character-based clothing and apparel with new assets. The rebrand coincides with the launch of its first store at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Bridgend, south Wales, which opened this week.

“With over 200+ characters to choose from – from Disney to ‘Bluey’ to Barbie – Character.com’s range of affordable clothing and apparel appeals to children of all ages and the kidults amongst us, too,” says Raj Pathmanathan, creative director, KI. “What all of these characters have in common is the ability to make their fans smile, and the same goes for the Character.com apparel that features them. It’s a simple but incredibly powerful message, and we built the new brand concept around it, bringing it up to date and in tune with children, families and fandom customer base.

“A smile forms the basis of the brand world, threading it throughout the assets and bringing it to life in the logo through the logotype. It has been carried through the mark also, and the brand mascot is aptly named Miles since he’s always full of smiles, conveying added emotion and uplifting expression through various poses. A smile, after all, is the purest form of expression we have. It has the power to make someone’s day better, whether it’s your own or someone else’s – a great fit for the brand wanting to tap into emotional purchasing.” 

“We’re on a mission to empower our customers to look and feel their best every day by selling happy clothes,” says Darren Morris, chief marketing officer, Character.com. “By featuring their favorite characters and brands, we’re putting smiles on faces, enabling them to express their passions and helping them take on the day with confidence and energy. After briefing the team at KI on our business and what we wanted to convey, we were delighted to see the insight-led smile concept brought front and center in our new brand identity.

“With a broad customer base, our messaging needs to adapt slightly depending on who we’re talking to. Whether it’s grandparents, godparents, aunties or uncles, our language needs to be kept simple and playful, and KI really got to grips with that. Their insight-led approach to understanding our audience was impressive, and we’re delighted with the outcome – which we’re rolling out across our estate – including our first-ever store, opening today.”