Finchtail

Agency: Believe in
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Finchtail
Location: UK

Finchtail is a new company focused on creating simple and useful products that are sustainably made. Their first product is an inexpensive cardboard tablet stand, and their new identity, packaging and launch materials have been developed by brand design studio Believe in®.

Initially Believe in® worked to define the brand strategy, based around the company’s desire to solve everyday problems with simple products that work well. The strapline (simple useful) things was adopted, along with a commitment to using fewer resources and better design.

With so much of the value in the design as opposed to the materials, it was important that the brand could support that value and tell the wider Finchtail story. Every aspect of the brand experience reflects and reinforces the strategy. Just like the products themselves, everything is simple, crafted and purposeful.

The identity combines a bespoke logotype with a playful marque inspired by the tablet stand, while also connecting to ideas of travel, adventure and sociable living. The language is helpful and informative, and never loses its sense of humanity. The aesthetic is deliberately utilitarian, but with elements used throughout that add a degree of personality and emotion.

The product and packaging are printed using only black and white inks, with a vivid orange stock used for the outer packaging. This plays beautifully with the neutrality of the kraft board, while creating a handy wallet for the stand to live in after purchase.

For retailers and bulk customers, a box of 12 stands doubles as a dispenser.

Beyond the brand and packaging, Believe in® also created a suite of launch materials, including a responsive website and printed literature. The company collaborated with London-based production company Thank You Mam to create a short stop-frame video that helps people to understand how the tablet can fit into their lives.

Martin talked about what Believe in® were like to work with:
“The work that Believe in® have created is incredible, and I really enjoyed the working relationship that we developed throughout the project. They listened intently to my ideas, and then took them far beyond anything I could have imagined.”

Believe in®’s Creative Director Blair Thomson said:
“When we first met Martin, there were three things that really appealed to us. First, the name Finchtail is great. Second, even at that early stage we could see how useful the product could be. Third was Martin himself. He had a great energy that seemed like he would be fun to work with, but he also had that tenacity that all good entrepreneurs possess.”

“Plenty of brands make grandiose claims to change the world, but much of it is just hubris. Finchtail never takes itself too seriously, and stays focused on making things that customers enjoy owning, using and sharing.”
Initial business wins for the product have been encouraging. The Design Museum trialled it in their shop and promptly sold out of the initial order within a few days. En Route, a global travel firm, recently featured Finchtail as one of its exciting new products at major travel trade exhibition in Hamburg.

The product is available to buy direct from the website — finchtail.com — as a single stand (£3), 6 stands (£16) or box of 12 stands (£30).