Behind the Scenes of a B2B Rebranding Project

There’s a moment in every rebrand when an organisation realises it’s not just refreshing how it looks, it’s redefining how it thinks. Franklin came to us at exactly that moment.

A global manufacturer in the aircraft seating industry, Franklin had long been trusted for engineering precision and craftsmanship. But their brand identity? It was still grounded, while the business itself was already flying. Their digital presence felt outdated, the logo was too intricate to scale, and the overall brand struggled to resonate with the European market they were targeting – one that values precision, clarity, and modern design.

Our task was simple in principle but significant in impact:
Elevate the brand. Modernise the identity. Clarify the offering. Build a brand ready to fly.

We began by digging into what Franklin truly sells. Not just seat components, but comfort, engineered through decades of refinement. This insight shaped the backbone of the entire brand.

To bring this narrative to life, we created a process-led storyline captured in a hero film that traces the journey of a component from 3D modelling, to layered construction, to hand-finished stitching. It reveals the unseen craft, the precision, and the dedication behind every product.

This led to a simple, powerful brand proposition:
For every class, delivered.

Because comfort shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for premium cabins, it should be engineered into every passenger experience.

Franklin’s previous identity was intricate and industrial a product of another era. Heavy lines, stripes, and dense forms made it unsuitable for digital environments and small-scale applications. It lacked the elegance and clarity needed for a global aviation audience.

The new symbol “the F-Wing” is a refined, aerodynamic mark. Soft, flowing geometry subtly echoes movement, lift, and the curvature of seating, while still hinting at an abstract “F.” It is iconic without being literal, simple without being generic.

To support the new identity, we introduced Aeonik, a contemporary sans serif with a distinctive engineered quality. Aeonik echoes the precision of aircraft schematics while maintaining the warmth needed for a comfort-led brand.

• Geometric clarity reflects engineering accuracy
• Soft curves connect to ergonomics and comfort
• Neutral tone aligns to a European design sensibility
• Strong legibility ensures consistency across digital and physical touchpoints

Aeonik became the typographic voice of a brand moving from American industrial aesthetics to a more refined, international visual language.

We developed a system of curved shapes inspired by aircraft contours. These visual elements bring consistency across presentations, digital assets, and collateral softening the identity while reinforcing movement and flow.

The previous palette was dominated by a muddy burgundy and muted blues, leaving the brand looking tired and dated. We elevated and refined the colours:

• A cleaner, brighter, more modern red
• A deeper, cooler, aviation-inspired blue
• Higher contrast and clarity across digital applications

This shift alone instantly modernised the brand’s presence.

Franklin’s product constraints no full seats, no full cabins, no identifiable aircraft forced us to think differently. Instead of showing the product, we chose to show the feeling of comfort.
We built an imagery system focused on:

• Macro photography capturing stitching, textures, and craftsmanship
• 3D exploded renders showing each product layer
• Cropped portraits capturing the emotion and ease of passenger comfort

This approach turned limitations into a distinctive visual language one that reinforces craftsmanship, detail, and care.

We also created Comfort in Any Language, a campaign expressing comfort through multi-language headlines and universal emotion. It allowed Franklin to speak directly to a global audience without relying on full product imagery.

Franklin’s previous website was hard to navigate, visually inconsistent, and didn’t clearly separate their product categories. The new website restructures everything around clarity.

We divided the offering into three simple streams. This enables procurement teams, engineers, and decision-makers to understand the range instantly.

The new site uses:

• Clean Swiss-style grids
• Generous spacing and modern layouts
• Restrained colour application
• Aeonik’s clarity
• Editorial typography and premium photography

The result is clean, confident, and unmistakably modern a digital experience that elevates Franklin’s position in the market and reflects the engineering excellence behind their products.

In the U.S., manufacturing brands often lean toward ruggedness, density, and industrial complexity. In Europe, however, audiences gravitate toward refinement, simplicity, and design-led communication.

The new Franklin brand embraces restraint, clarity, and precision — instantly placing them in the same visual category as leading European manufacturers, and in many cases, ahead of them.

To ensure seamless adoption across the organisation, we produced a full brand system from foundational identity rules to digital components and campaign templates.

These guidelines ensure Franklin can execute consistently across every touchpoint, globally.

Franklin now presents themselves as the company they’ve always been: modern, precise, confident, and globally competitive.
Where the old brand felt industrial and dated, the new brand feels refined, elevated, and ready for international growth. It aligns with their craft, meets the expectations of European buyers, and gives them the presence of a serious competitor in their category.

Franklin now has a brand that is truly ready to fly.

If you’re interested in what we do for our clients, visit here.