With an eye firmly on the future, BLUNT has launched its new look ‘brand world’ encompassing a new identity, positioning, packaging and website.

As the company prepares to expand into products beyond the umbrella, the new modern brand encompasses the past 20 years while setting the company up for future growth.

Led by founder Greig Brebner, the rebrand comes at a pivotal time, “after decades of reimagining the umbrella we are excited to embark on new and exciting developments, outside of the humble umbrella.”

The idea for BLUNT was born whilst navigating the streets of London over twenty years ago, seeing poorly made umbrellas break, dangerous tips protruding, blowing inside out and ending up in the landfill. There had to be a better way.

Twenty years on, BLUNT now has a team of humans around the globe growing the brand, sharing the joy that is a BLUNT umbrella and providing product service long after an umbrella is sold.

“As we reach this milestone, we feel it is time to take the BLUNT special sauce and venture into other product categories. Products that make sense for BLUNT, that are ripe for reinvention and that can be made better and engineered for joy,” says Brebner.

“To compliment this growth, we’ve spent the last 14 months doing a deep dive back into the why. Why we started, why we exist and what we are striving towards – our purpose. The process has helped us to unearth our vision, our mission, our values and our purpose, all truly authentic and ownable to BLUNT and will help set us up for the future.”

What this looks like shows up in the world as the new BLUNT wordmark and B icon. The curves of the B reflect the curves of the umbrella canopy which house the patented technology and is carried through to the development of a bespoke typeface.

BLUNT also engaged the skills of Kiwi branding agency, Milk to help bring this to life. Managing Director Ben Reid adds, “The sensorial experience that Greig talks about when describing the BLUNT umbrella, the sound of rain on the high-tensioned canopy, the feel of the umbrella popping open, the beauty and vibrancy of the artwork, coupled with the passion and dedication to solving vulnerable moments is something special.”

“Working with the team at BLUNT we have been able to fully immerse ourselves in understanding the brand and building the very special ‘Us story’, the brand story of Greig's journey.”

Once the story was defined, the brand purpose, vision and values quickly followed and the BLUNT world of beautifully designed, human-centred products was born.

“Our refreshed brand positioning is Engineering Joy,” says Fee Cortis, Head of Marketing at BLUNT. “This positioning beautifully bridges the engineering and patented innovation that has gone into the design of a BLUNT umbrella with the consumer experience, which is joyful.”

Traditionally umbrellas have been a source of frustration due to mass production, poor design, breakages and failures. A BLUNT umbrella removes all those failings so that all that is left is a product that will provide confidence, reliability and joy during life’s vulnerable moments.

Cortis also adds, “Engineering Joy is our barometer and our superpower and underpins everything we do as a team, a business and a brand – from customer service to collaborations, to packaging and instore furniture, right through to our new brand identity and brand campaigns.”

E-commerce is a vital part of the business and will be the first to launch with the new website live from today. The new look branding will be available in stores pre-Christmas, including all new point-of-sale displays and units at key retailers.

BLUNT umbrellas are available at Smith & Caughey's, Creative & Brave, Farmers, Father Rabbit, David Jones, Asuwere, Barkers and Rembrandt in Newmarket.