Oakham Rugs

A family run business, Oakham Rugs is based in the heart of Oakham town – the county town of Rutland, known for its castle and markets. They supply a huge selection of rugs – both traditional and contemporary – Oriental, Afghan and Persian. Alongside Ziegler, Gabbeh and Aubusson tapestries.

Christian and Fiona, the owners, are experts in their field and passionate about their collection. They are more than happy to part with knowledge and tales from their Aladdin’s cave and are often faced with highly specific orders from their customers. The showroom is well known by Oakham’s affluent local residents who will return until each room is carpeted.

After 20 years of trading Christian and Fiona approached us in need of a rebrand. Showroom signage, hand written labels and a newly instated online presence (designed and built by their web developers) had developed into a disjointed brand and one that didn’t reflect their expertise or quality. It was also becoming increasingly important that customers from further afield recognised them as a high-end supplier. Oakham itself only offers a limited market and their online customers were increasing.

We took the opportunity to create a new identity that referenced the traditional heritage of rug-weaving with a modern twist. The team at a dozen eggs developed several long exotic landscapes in silhouette to illustrate the far-off shores from which the rugs originate. The silhouettes are flexible and can be cropped for tags or run along the bottom of stationery and adverts.

The primary logo itself is clean and simple. It works for a contemporary audience and avoids fuss or over-embellishment – a balanced contrast to many of the rugs. The well-spaced, sans-serif typeface sits above the est. date 1993 – something Oakham Rugs were keen to draw attention too. Finally, a rich, broad colour palette was introduced to be used in simple block colours – again remaining contemporary and interchangeable, depending on the application.