Chamberlain Hardware. Vol 1 Professional Portfolio

Willa Cornelius
Aug 18, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Sep 14, 2024

Creative Lead

Over the past 11 years, I’ve been at the forefront of growing the Chamberlain Hardware family-owned brand, based in Gauteng, South Africa. The Chamberlain Hardware brand has been around since 1903, with its Company values aligning with their family values; Integrity, Hard Work and Progress With Caution. The company has endured over 120 years in the Hardware Retail space in Gauteng.

As I've proudly worked at Chamberlain for over a decade, I’ve fulfilled a few roles, starting as a Graphic Designer (2013), Senior Graphic Designer (2018), moving over to Brand and Media Coordinator (2019) and currently the Creative Lead (2022).

This portfolio encapsulates the evolution of the Chamberlain brand over the past 11 years, highlighting a diverse range of projects that reflect the brand’s development. It includes traditional and modern media campaigns, with recurring themes and seasonal promotions, such as in-store campaigns, monthly promotional flyers, calendars, billboards, mailers, radio ads, and social media initiatives. Each project represents a step forward in the brand’s ongoing journey.

Chamberlain Hardware - Design Portfolio of Willa Cornelius

What Projects to Expect in this Portfolio

House Brand - Product Design & Brand Consistency Oversight

In-store Signage - Customer Retail Experience Design

Monthly Promotional Campaigns - Layout & DTP Design

Fleet - Layout, Design & Consistency Oversight

Website - Layout & Design Oversight

As Creative Lead, I manage the overall tone, in-store visual presentation, online customer experience, customer online engagement, and any other aspect where the Chamberlain brand is present.

Working with the Chamberlain Hardware brand for so long has had its ups and downs; however, I’ve witnessed the spectacular growth that a company can achieve when young employees are given the chance to implement changes that improve working systems and increase brand exposure through online media channels, supported by adequate market research. It’s incredible to think that I’ve been part of a 450% growth in the Chamberlain marketing budget from 2013 to 2024.

Furthermore, the Chamberlain Marketing Department was officially established in 2006. Proudly joining the team in 2013, I’ve had the honour of contributing to approximately 61.11% of the department’s journey, playing a key role in the growth and expansion of the Chamberlain brand image. I’ve worked hard to shift customers’ perceptions, emphasizing the brand's family-owned values, friendly knowledgeable staff, and bringing a personal touch to every customer interacting with the brand.

Chamberlain Hardware Brand Overview

Building a public perception.

“ Setting a brand standard.”

Chamberlain has been in the hardware and retail industry for over 121 years. One of their values is "Progress With Caution." According to the CEO, this principle has sustained the company over the decades, as Chamberlain has no debt and buys everything in cash.

In-Store Signage

The design applied at this stage did not age well over the years. It gave the wrong impression of professionalism and, in my opinion, missed the Chamberlain target audience.

In 2022, as Creative Lead, I had the opportunity to help open a new Megastore in Kyalami. In this venture, I upgraded the entire look of the retail experience. The use of colour theory and message hierarchy significantly improved the overall shopping experience. We are now targeting the right audience beyond the typical trade customers Chamberlain previously focused on. DIY and home décor have finally made it to the forefront, and we started seeing a rapid increase in in-store traffic.

With the success of the Kyalami Megastore opening, Randburg was next in line for a revamp. This store, which opened in 1954, was originally seen as a trade depot. It previously held only a few product lines and had just one retail floor; the rest of the building was used for bulk stock. Now, after the revamp, it has r more than 15,000 product lines and features three floors of hardware, with the ground floor dedicated to DIY and home improvement.

Promotions

Promotions are a large component of Chamberlain’s sales strategy. It festers growth and new clients who get to experience the brand when visiting in-store or online. The main thing that sets Chamberlain apart from other Hardware retailers is its customer service. Anyone entering a Chamberlain feels welcome, regardless of their heritage, ethnicity or religion. Everyone is welcome, and we will assist you the best we can. This message is reflected in all types of media, radio etc but driven off the Promotional campaign theme.

Each campaign theme is well-strategised and aligned with the expected retail season.

Billboards

Billboards are part of the promotional strategy, although an older medium, they still play a significant role in the hardware retail market as the target audience moves around a lot, especially on the trade side.

Housebrand

Before 2017, I worked on various aspects of the brand, particularly promotional campaigns. In that year, the House Brand became part of my design portfolio. I spent a lot of time defining the target market before establishing a standard across the House Brand tier of the brand.

Fleet

A key component of the Chamberlain Fleet is that it acts as a moving billboard. There are over 130 vehicles, including trucks, delivery vans, trailers, and rep cars, that travel all over Gauteng, making them hard to miss. The use of colour is very tactical; the distinctive blue used resembles road signs, automatically drawing attention.

Website

I managed the website in 2017, and the layout worked well at that time, providing ample information about the brand without requiring much scrolling. I believe this element was lost when the site was rebranded a few years later by an external company. After that, the focus shifted to having products loaded by the Procurement department. This year (2024), I have been assigned to redesign the e-commerce website. I am very excited about this project, as I will be managing and leading the Vaimo external team through the design process and structural improvements.

I’ve built this particular work portfolio a few times over the years but was never satisfied with it because it did not fully capture the essence of the Chamberlain brand. Now, as the Creative Lead of the Chamberlain Hardware brand, it is a true honour to look back at the overall visual impact my design and creative guidance have made over the past 11 years. I’ve grown with the brand and had the opportunity to work across different mediums, implementing and maintaining a consistent brand standard. None of this would have been possible without my exceptional design team. Their dedication to upholding the brand standards and their hard work have greatly facilitated my role, making it wonderful to manage. They are truly outstanding designers.