Let's talk about artwork

Christ Watches & Jewelry is the largest chain of jewelry stores in Switzerland. The 82 stores are wholly owned by Coop. The strategic orientation of all Coop companies is evaluated every five years and the companies' marketing communication is aligned accordingly. Christ's strategy was also analyzed by Professor Joachim Zentes at the Saarbrücken University Institute of Economics. The findings of the study "Sales Market Strategy Christ Watches & Jewelry 2015+" formed the basis for a new communication concept in October 2011. The Bern-based agency Komet then designed a new image for the jewelry specialist. Komet has been in charge of Christ's overall communications since 2010. Christ Watches & Jewelry is advertised with four catalogs each year. These are each printed in a print run of up to 2.8 million. In addition, there are promotions, regular advertisements, especially in the Coop press, various measures at the POS and in shop windows as well as flyers for mailings. Komet has now drawn up a new concept and corresponding guidelines for the creation of all these measures.

For the new communicative appearance, the existing logo was turned into a positive and placed on a white background. The central placement in the middle of the top edge of the image ensures maximum attention in the various advertising materials. "The brand is given more priority and stands out more directly," explains Managing Director Marcel Durst at Komet. "This type of logo positioning in the style of magazine covers is rarely seen in a competitive environment and therefore stands out visually," CD Thom Pfister is convinced.

The new central theme color is Warm Grey. The nuance is intended to be "emotionally inviting" and - unlike most shades of gray - conveys positive warmth instead of sophisticated, cool restraint. The color surface forms the framework for the image and product world and merges the two image areas. The special color tone is not yet familiar in the industry and offers an opportunity for unmistakable positioning.

As part of the visual appearance, an independent image world was also defined and prepared for the photographer. This enables "maximum differentiation from competitor presentations and stock material from image databases. " The shoots take place in the studio. Likeable and approachable models stand in close-up, are neither overstyled nor overly retouched, but always elegant, chic and aesthetic. They are easy-going, relaxed and show an attitude to life, emotions and spontaneity instead of remaining static in contrived poses.

The focus of the product integration is primarily on the presentation of jewelry. Watches take second place in the new appearance. Within the image world, the products worn by the models have a positive supporting effect on the atmosphere. However, they achieve their real impact through their separate depiction. As a separate element within the design, a lettering in the headline style "Let's talk about ..." takes up the various topics textually. Andreas Panzeri