Fudge & Sons is one of the oldest independent bike retailers in the UK, established in 1927. ‘Fudges cycle store’, as it was previously named, had been relegated to cluttering its shelves in a bid to compete with big-box retailers. The brand had stored 94 years of history and heritage and was competing solely on price. Realising the need to reinvigorate the brand the hierarchy decided it was time for change.

Fudges was renamed Fudge & Sons in note of its provenance and their stocklist was audited and progressively reduced to satisfy a newly defined audience. A new proposition was adopted; they curated their brand partners becoming the hub of pioneering brands and the authority on quality product.

Our challenge was to raise the visual identity to the level of its newly defined offer and guiding the brand into the modern market. With a sense of history, for the future. A delicate exercise requiring us not only to connect past and present, but also engage an entirely new audience steering Fudge & Sons towards becoming a trusted and recognised name in the industry.

We created a visual language to convey excellence, a sense of familiarity and reliability. We formed a clean and timeless visual expression that elevated their new parameters. A lean colour palette with; a rich tarmac and a deep chalk enabling both a masculine/feminine base and an ownable fiery blood orange. Crafting a unique wordmark using a modern and progressive typeface with warming quirks, including a custom ampersand inspired by a bicycle silhouette. A monogram, a shorthand, to allow the brand to flex on digital platforms. We developed a stand-alone ‘&’ stamp. A symbol of endorsed quality, a device to marry Fudge & Sons with its chosen partner brands and a mark to build out narratives such as ‘for the casual cruiser & the avid hill climber & the trail blazer & the daily commuter.’ A stamp that endorses quality, trust, service, and community, symbolising the affirmation of F&S partner brands.