Following our initial research, a brand review highlighted that inconsistent marketing material and a lack of high quality brand guidelines had led to the club’s brand becoming diluted over time. The project then grew in scale and depth, starting with a rebranding exercise to create a strong, overarching brand and set of guidelines that would influence all of the club's visual output in the years to come.

The process we went through was all about engaging the club's fans and staff to get to the heart of Wolves and understand exactly what it means to be a fan. A series of interviews and focus groups with staff – from the tea lady to the Chairman – and supporters were carried out. These exercises were then followed by a series of social media activities using Facebook and Twitter to engage directly with thousands of fans . Asking questions such as “What does Wolves mean to your family?” got a huge response, which in turn had a real impact on the rebrand and stadium graphics.

The fans were clear and vocal that the iconic club crest should be treated as sacrosanct and remain untouched. Taking the lead from this feedback, we then used the geometric nature of the crest as the inspiration for the sub-brands and stadium signage. A strong core message was also created that encapsulated the Wolves mission, along with a new typeface and colour palette that reflect the club’s personality and give new marketing materials a consistent look and feel.

Creating a library of inspiring yet honest photography was another key part of the rebrand. Local photographers SM2 were commissioned to create a new bank of imagery that refleced the openness of the core message, moving away from the contrived, staged shots that had previously been used.