A century-old brand, made new — without losing what made it iconic.

An icon that had outgrown its own identity.

La Bella had been making strings since before most guitar brands existed — strung on instruments played by Willie Nelson, James Jamerson, Tony Iommi, and generations of working musicians in between. But the identity carrying that legacy hadn’t changed since the 1990s, and it showed. The logo felt dated within the sea of competitors. Packaging varied from series to sets with no unified system. And the brand’s most valuable piece of equity — the “La Bella Girl,” a piece of illustration history created by legendary poster artist Gunther Keiser in the 1970s — was buried rather than celebrated.

A hundred-year-old brand doesn’t get to look like it. It has to earn a place next to the artists playing its strings today, while still carrying the weight of everyone who played them before.

A new mark, built for the next hundred years.

A complete overhaul — an all-new mark designed to feel current in a guitar shop or on a festival stage, without erasing a hundred years of history.

One voice, across everything.

A documented voice and full guidelines system built alongside the logo, so every touchpoint — packaging copy, social captions, artist announcements — sounds like the same company, no matter who’s writing it.

A packaging system as iconic as the strings inside it.

A complete packaging refresh across the catalog: RX Series Bass Strings, HRS guitar strings, and Folksinger guitar strings — the same line famously played by Willie Nelson — plus new acoustic packaging built around a refreshed version of the “La Bella Girl,” restoring Gunther Keiser’s original 1970s illustration to the center of the brand instead of the margins. Signature packaging for Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and Ian Martin Allison followed the same system, along with the majority of the string catalog released since.

Consistent imagery, wherever the brand shows up.

Ongoing photography and art direction to keep product, artist, and lifestyle imagery consistent with the new identity across every channel it appears on.

A voice built to compete with brands a fraction of its age.

A content and voice strategy for social, translating the new brand system into a channel where La Bella competes for attention against brands a fraction of its age.

A physical presence that holds its own on the show floor.

Physical brand presence at industry trade shows, translating the identity system into a space built to stop foot traffic and hold its own next to bigger-budget competitors.

Every partnership reinforcing the same brand.

Ongoing counsel on brand partnerships, ensuring every artist and collaborator association reinforces the same brand rather than diluting it.