La Bella Strings

Logo | Branding | Web | Package Design

It isn’t always the easiest to take on the task of steering a company’s brand image, especially not when that brand has lasted over one hundred years and four generations. We have a long standing relationship with La Bella Strings and it seemed like perfect timing in 2019 to take on this very task. Our passion for not only music but this brand in particular runs deep. Killdisco was to dive head first into not only rebranding the company’s logo, but almost every single sku in their catalogue, merchandise, website, brand guidelines and more. A total facelift.

HISTORY OF BRAND

From Italy to New York

As early as the 17th century, the family roots that started E. & O. Mari (now La Bella) knew they were on to a good thing, supplying violin strings to Amati and Stradivari in Cremona, Italy. Realizing the potential for growth outside the coastal waters of Italy, two brothers, Emilio and Olinto Mari, set sail for America. Soon thereafter, the brothers established their first state-side string factory on 5th Avenue in New York City in 1914. Moving again to Queens during WWII, the family continued to prosper as the World’s best instrument string company.

Today, E. & O. Mari remains the oldest incorporated continuously family-owned & operated music string manufacturer in the world. It continues to be operated by the direct descendants of Olinto Mari.

PACKAGING

We were tasked with doing a full re-brand across hundreds of sku’s of packaging over the last 3 years. One thing that we took into consideration was how the consumer primarily purchases strings for their instrument. We found that the majority of string purchases happen in the musician’s local store and the placement of those strings are generally hanging behind the counter.

With this in mind, we wanted to take a bold approach to each category of string to be quickly recognizable from a minimum of six feet. The result was overwhelmingly positive as wholesale accounts went up by 30% upon the launch of the new catalog of packaging.

TRADE SHOWS

With the rebrand, we also oversaw the rebrand of the company’s tradeshow booth. From spatial design layouts to materials and execution, we made sure that the brand became a comfortable spot for vendors and musicians alike to hang in our new booth. We wanted to highlight the new packaging in a way that mimics a store display while keeping a warm studio environment. One thing we had to keep in mind was packability as well to ensure that all furniture, displays, and backdrops could be stored and shipped when needed. The result was undeniably successful.