Category
Brand Identity
Duration
March – August 2025
Back to portfolio
Acme
We transformed digital presence with a sleek, user-friendly website and cohesive branding
When Legacy Faced Irrelevance
Acme, a homeware brand with over 80 years of history, struggled to connect with younger audiences. Their identity, rooted in tradition, felt outdated, and their digital presence—a static website last updated in 2015—failed to reflect the brand’s craftsmanship.
Sales stagnated, and loyal customers aged alongside the brand. Acme needed a rebirth: a strategy to honor its legacy while embracing the irreverent, visual language of Gen Z. The challenge was delicate—preserve the soul of Acme while making it a cultural conversation starter.
Bridging Generations Through Design
We began by diving into Acme archives, uncovering decades-old sketches, glaze recipes, and handwritten notes from artisans. These artifacts became the foundation of a new narrative: “Flaws Make History.” Instead of polishing away imperfections, we celebrated them—cracks in ceramics, uneven brushstrokes—as symbols of human craftsmanship.
The rebrand fused vintage elegance with modern edge. We retained Acme original serif logotype but paired it with a bold, asymmetrical wordmark inspired by pottery shards. A hybrid color palette merged muted terracotta tones with neon accents, reflecting the clash of eras. For the website, we replaced rigid grids with organic, fluid layouts that mirrored the unpredictability of handmade ceramics. Scrolling animations mimicked the spinning motion of a potter’s wheel, while an AR tool let users “place” Acme tableware in their kitchens via their phone cameras.
Collaborations became key to storytelling. We partnered with underground ceramic artists and TikTok creators to reinterpret Acme classics, documenting the process in gritty, behind-the-scenes films. Limited-edition drops were announced through glitch-art visuals, blending analog textures with digital distortion. Even packaging was reimagined—each box included a QR code linking to the artisan who crafted the piece, turning unboxing into a journey.
From Relic to Relevance
Acme transformation sparked a cultural ripple effect. The brand, once associated with quiet tradition, became a symbol of “rebellious nostalgia.” Gen Z embraced the juxtaposition of vintage craftsmanship and digital experimentation, flooding social media with DIY videos of upcycling Acme older collections using AR filters.
Longtime customers, initially wary of the rebrand, reconnected with the brand through documentary-style features on Acme artisans. These stories humanized the craft, turning anonymous makers into beloved figures.
+42%
Traffic within 3 months
+60%
User engagement
Museums and design schools began featuring Acme campaigns in exhibits on “post-digital craftsmanship,” while collaborations with avant-garde chefs and digital artists blurred the lines between homeware and art.
The project’s most unexpected triumph was a grassroots movement: #AcmeTimeCapsule, where users buried Acme pieces in their gardens with letters to future generations. The brand, once fading into history, became a bridge between past and future.
