Columbia Tested Tough
As Gert Boyle, the 92-year-old Chairman of the Board at Columbia Sportswear, likes to say,
“It’s perfect. Now make it better.”
When asked to rebrand Columbia Sportswear to introduce it to a whole new generation of people looking to get outside, I took that quote as our brief. We told the story of Columbia’s gear and employees through the story of the “tested tough” culture Gert built within Columbia.
I was the Executive Creative Director and Art Director on all elements of this global rebrand, from television to in-store.
Outside Magazine Cover
It took a bit of convincing, but, for the first time ever, Outside Magazine turned their buyer’s-guide cover over to a brand. Since Gert has broken so many other rules in the industry, we thought it was only fitting to put her and her cat on the cover.
I photographed Gert Boyle and her cat on Mt. Hood.
Inside the magazine we created a short interview with Gert Boyle and a promise of Tested Tough.
Transit
I took inspiration from garment tags found on Columbia gear to transform transit ads from simple product shots to unique, fun brand moments. I designed a stamp that products only receive once Gert Boyle has deemed them "Tested Tough.”
Columbia typeface
We created a new typeface based on an ad from the Columbia design archives.
The font name? Well gerTT, of course.
The font name? Well gerTT, of course.
