Chamberlain Hardware. Vol 2 Professional Portfolio

Willa Cornelius
Sep 14, 2024
12 min read

Updated: Jan 19

2013 - Current

Throughout my decade-long journey with Chamberlain, I’ve taken on various roles that have allowed me to contribute significantly to the brand’s growth. Starting as a Graphic Designer (2013), I advanced to Senior Graphic Designer in 2018, then transitioned to Brand and Media Coordinator (2019), and currently serve as the Creative Lead, a position I’ve held since 2022.

Capturing the journey of the Chamberlain brand over the past 11 years, this portfolio showcases a wide range of projects that demonstrate the brand’s growth. It features both traditional and contemporary media campaigns, including recurring themes and seasonal promotions across in-store campaigns, monthly flyers, billboards and more. Each project marks a milestone in the brand’s continuous expansion, growth and success.

What Projects to Expect in this Portfolio

Monthly Promotional Campaigns - Layout & DTP Design

Yearly Customer Calendar - Corporate Gifts

Monthly Email Campaigns - Email Content Creation & Design

Ask Dawie Radio Segment - Campaign Design

Top 20 Radio Segment - Campaign Design

Social Media - Campaign & Content Design

In-store Posters - Poster & Campaign Design

In-store Signage - Customer Retail Experience Design

House Brand - Product Design

FH CHAMBERLAIN HARDWARE - 2013 - CURRENT

The following section covers a timeline of my time spent developing the brand.

“ Over 11 years with the Chamberlain brand - Design Timeline.”

Below is a timeline that showcases my work, collaborated projects and projects I’ve led and managed from start to end. I’ve also had the privilege to lead and mentor some outstanding Graphic Designers over the years, learning from leading my peers. This timeline concept, of course, is inspired by Chamberlain’s historical timeline which I make 9.09% off.

CHAPTER 1 2013

| Year highlights:

Graduated – BA in Graphic Design – DSSA (IIE) [Pretoria, ZA].
Appointed as Graphic Designer in the Chamberlain Marketing department (September 2013).

“ Call me N00b.”

When I started with Monthly Product Catalogues, the design process took over a month to complete. This process included product photography of new listings; which made up about 30% of the catalogue, making use of an Excel sheet and a Word Document, to cross reference stock codes with images, and then copy-pasting all information manually into In Design. In other words, Windows Explorer, Excel, and Word were used to manually populate products into In Design to make them consumable for the hardware retail audience. All and all it was a very lengthy process, where the teams worked late nights with a lot of changes and pricing updates to make, putting a lot of pressure on the Design and the Procurement departments.

This process was so time-consuming that it became my sole focus, as it was one of the most critical components of Chamberlain's overall sales strategy at that time.

In this period I also spent time perfecting a colour grid to help keep proper alignment throughout the pages, as consistency with products and information was of course very important to keep a good design standard. This is a simple system that assesses the standard use of the product and creates grid lines with colour blocks to aid alignment.

| Recruitment Concept

At Chamberlain, they believe that their success is largely attributed to the calibre of their employees. Their recruitment campaigns aim to showcase how prospective employees can be a part of the Chamberlain team and contribute to their growth. The company culture is built on support, recognition, and family values. As a family-owned business, they take pride in treating their staff as part of a larger family, where everyone is valued and supported. Chamberlain is committed to providing an inclusive, respectful, and engaging work environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to their shared success.

2014

In 2014, promotional flyers were split between two designers, which helped distribute the workload. It also allowed me to delve into other aspects of the brand, such as posters, adverts, in-store signage, internal marketing campaigns, billboards, etc.

Promotions are one of Chamberlain's most important sales strategies and one of the most challenging elements of promotions is the updating of multiple specs, images and pricing per product. Keep in mind that each promotion has between 300 and 600 product lines with multiple sizes and quantity specifications. In early 2014, I started experimenting with advanced data merge, which is a standard feature in InDesign, that uses XML data tags to populate the data into consistently styled product blocks.

This method did not increase the design time; however, it did improve the accuracy of data, as we did not have to manually edit data and specs in InDesign. It also helped with design consistency and alignment of products.

| Recycle Bin Design

Put your green foot forward. Chamberlain offers customers a solution to safely dispose of their light bulbs and batteries in an effort to help preserve the environment. This design uses the brand's primary and secondary colours, with an illustration of a battery charging a globe and a 'Think Green' logo behind the bulb in the form of a thought bubble, as if to say that the light bulb had an idea to 'Think Green'.

| Additional Artwork

| Branch Maps

In 2014, the use of GPS devices was less common than it is today. These A5 flyers were an easy solution for Chamberlain reps to hand them out on new sites they visit.

2015

In late 2015, we started implementing EasyCatalog, a very useful plugin that works with InDesign. To give a brief overview of how the plugin works: product styles are pre-created, saved, and then paginated as product blocks. These product blocks are then linked to data spreadsheets. This allows for the seamless integration of product information, ensuring accuracy and consistency across catalogues and promotions.

EasyCatalog streamlines the catalogue creation process, saving time and effort while maintaining brand standards. We made use of the colour grids I created in 2013 as the basis of each product style. Implementing EasyCatalog brought the design process down from three weeks to only one week of design. With this phenomenal production increase of 66.67%, the team was able to do so much more with only having to do a promotion design every 3 to 4 weeks.

2015, also marked a partnership between, Chamberlain and Jacaranda FM, sponsoring the Top 20 every Saturday and hosting a segment called "Ask Dawie." The segment and Top 20 sponsorship ran until 2018.

| Cutting Board and Apron Design

Chamberlain Hardware has introduced branded aprons and cutting boards that make perfect gifts for braai enthusiasts. These items are designed to serve as stock fillers for the hardware community, especially during the festive season. The high-quality aprons and cutting boards feature 'Made by Chamberlain Joinery' the Chamberlain logo and are made using durable materials, ensuring they can withstand frequent use. With these products, Chamberlain also gave out the Chamberlain Cutting boards as corporate gifts.

| Golf Days

| Additional Artwork

CHAPTER 2 2016

| Year highlights:

Compleated a Social Media – UCT [Pretoria, ZA] (Online Certificate).

“ Feet on the Floor.”

At this point, most design processes were streamlined. Using data merges and EasyCatalog, promotions, in-store price tickets, product booklets, product cards, etc., were designed and paginated effortlessly, saving significant design time.

Social media was something Chamberlain dabbled in a bit during the early 2010s, but it was never really used beyond posting a promotion here and there. There was no budget, no spending, and organic posts with no real motivation to engage with customers.

In 2016, Chamberlain partnered with the PHD agency to improve their social media presence. Facebook was the only social platform approved by the Directors. At this point, social media was still relatively new to them, and they wanted to see monthly stats before potentially opening other social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

With PHD's help, Chamberlain gradually improved its online presence to the point where the Directors became more comfortable opening up other channels like YouTube and Instagram. My role involved coordinating between PHD and the Marketing Manager. I also created the artwork for each social post, while PHD handled content writing and posting.

| Top 20 Capmpaign - Jacaranda FM

The Top 20, Powered by Chamberlain and Ask Dawie segments were featured every Saturday around 10 a.m. from 2015 to 2018 on Jacaranda FM, a local radio station in South Africa that covers the entire Gauteng area. These segments were pre-scripted from real questions received each month, with a group of four experts, including myself, other senior staff members, and the CEO. Brand colours—navy blue and cyan—were also used to keep the campaign consistent with the brand.

The logo that accompanied the campaign carried a complex concept yet featured a simplistic design. It incorporated hardware elements that portrayed everything you could expect when fixing your house.

Chamberlain also promoted the Ask Dawie segment on other platforms such as social media and in-store promotional flyers.

| Embroidery

Chamberlain spends a lot of time on one-on-one marketing. There are several customer trips each year, such as a walking trail in the Kruger National Park or past the Victoria Valls in Zimbabwe. Below are some of the logos that have been used on the jackets customers receive as a fun gift they can wear on their trips.

2017

| Year highlights:

Completed an Interior Design course with Get Smarter [Pretoria, ZA] (Online Certificate).
Enrolled in a part-time Graphic Design Honours degree at VEGA (Duration: 18 months).

This year started rocky with the lead designer resigning and a few months later, the Marketing Manager taking a sabbatical leave for 10 months.

Thanks to effective training from our manager, the department efficiently adapted to new temporary roles, ensuring the continuity of projects while consistently meeting print and project deadlines.

| Calendar

In 2017, Chamberlain opened its 8th store in Strubens Valley. Chamberlain likes showcasing its unique character and its first Megastore in Johannesburg. This calendar gets handed to lots of top and loyal customers.

| Ask Dawie and Top 20 Campaign - Jacaranda FM

Chamberlain continues its Ask Dawie and Top 20 Segment sponsorship. The sponsorships had lots of attraction which helped increase brand awareness and customer engagement even further during 2017.

| Promotional Flyers

Promotional leaflets, specials, and product information are some of the most effective marketing tools Chamberlain utilizes to attract new customers to the brand. When I joined the Chamberlain marketing team in 2013 as a Graphic Designer, I focused on the product layouts for campaign leaflets, as well as additional marketing elements such as billboards, website and print banners, teardrop flags, and social media campaign artwork.

From 2017 onward, I was responsible for designing most of the promotional covers and double-page spreads, which primarily featured in-store service advertisements.

| Embroidery

2018

| Year highlights:

Appointed as Senior Graphic Designer in the Chamberlain Marketing department (September 2018).
Obtained a BA Honours degree – VEGA (IIE) [Pretoria, ZA] Graduated cum laude & won the Academic Achievement Award.

During the Marketing Manager's absence, I managed multiple projects maintaining good standards and making print and project deadlines in a mannerly timeframe. It was an easy transition into Senior Graphic Designer, managing, leading, inspiring and mentoring junior designers, came naturally to me. I also took on leading the brand's design standard in-store and online.

| Newsletter Layout

The Chamberlain website allows customers to become part of an online newsletter that goes out every month, this newsletter consists of a variety of news topics, product releases, how-to videos and blog content to help customers buy the right thing they need for any task at hand. This newsletter is focused on both trade and DIY, it has a simplistic design to accommodate both target audiences.

| Promotional Flyers

CHAPTER 3 2019

| Year highlights:

Compleated a UX Design – UCT [Pretoria, ZA] (Online Certificate).
Appointed as Brand & Media Coordinator | Sr Graphic Designer (February 2019).

“ Lockdown.”

Throughout the year I managed a team of 3 designers, ensuring the application of innovative design principles to numerous projects across various platforms including social media, print media, online channels, and radio.

In the middle of 2019, the World started facing the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to companies being forced to close their doors. Chamberlain at this point also had to close their doors facing uncertainty for staff and the company itself.

| ChamberCentre - Silver Lakes

While working from home, during the first period of lockdown I spent time creating a website for one of our Centres, located in the East of Pretoria, Silver Lakes. The ChamberCentre is a lifestyle centre that hosts a variety of home improvement stores and a few necessity stores that potentially add value to the customer's shopping experience, with everything they need in one centre.

| ChamberCentre Website - Banners

| Promotional Flyers

2020

In 2020 the COVID pandemic was in full effect. However, Chamberlain, seen as an essential retail store, kept its doors open most of the time as per the South Africant government's COVID-19 guidelines. The branch support staff, which included the marketing department, worked from home, with companies intending to help flatten the curve.

It was a challenging year, but it still proved to be fruitful. I was able to manage my team very efficiently working from home. We had morning and weekly online video calls to keep engagement as normal as possible under the circumstances.

| COVID 19 Artwork

| Newsletter Layout

| Promotional Flyers

2021

South Africa, in 2021, still had lockdown levels in place throughout the year to aid in flattening the curve during large COVID-19 spike periods. Working from home remained in full effect, with a gradual return to the office.

Chamberlain, as a retail essential store during this period, performed exceptionally well as people spent more time at home and sales for home and DIY improvements reached an all-time high.

The company also partnered with Wet Paint, a media agency based in Santon, South Africa, to undertake their social media platforms as the platforms and the marketing department itself have seen phenomenal growth, to a point where the department needed to outsource some components, like writing social strategies, copywriting, posting and scheduling.

| Social Media Posts

| Newsletter Layout

| Promotional Flyers

CHAPTER 4 2022

| Year highlights:

Appointed as Creative Lead (April 2022).

“ Setting a 'NEW' brand standard.”

In 2022, Chamberlain opened a new Megastore in Kyalami. As Creative Lead, I had the opportunity to adjust the brand standard to fit the target audience and overall brand values.

Implementing simplicity with the brand colour, it was easy to keep to the corporate identity of the brand while improving the overall personality in the public eye.

| Kyalami Store

| In-store Timeline

Chamberlain Hardware has a rich history stretching all the way back to 1903, when the first trading store was opened in Riviera, Pretoria, South Africa. All Chamberlain stores have this design element visible in some way or another.

| Cornice Adhesive - House Brand

A hardware store typically stocks thousands of products that often serve similar purposes. The key is knowing which products to promote or replace when they’re not performing well. With the ChamberValue house brand, the design approach is kept simple, in line with the company's corporate identity, to help guide customers to the essential information they need to make quick purchasing decisions.

ChamberValue, Chamberlain's house brand, is highly recognised among customers, offering superb quality alternatives to major brands, at price points that fit a variety of budgets.

| Lacquer Thinners and Mineral Turpentine - House Brand

As a low-cost item, meaning it has a low profit margin and is frequently purchased by customers across both lower and higher income groups. It is branded accordingly, using bold colours associated with affordability and value, making it easy to spot on a shelf.

| Promotional Posters

Chamberlain Hardware has a network of brick-and-mortar stores across Gauteng. To showcase the retail store's range of in-store services, the company uses A0 posters strategically placed in high-visibility areas within the stores. These are some of the service posters I've designed for the new Kyalami store.

| Wine Label Design

This wine label was created in celebration of a Chamberlain Hardware Megastore that opened in Kyalami, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, in 2022. The label is made up of elements of the store floor plans, outlines, and architectural sketches of the actual building plans along with Chamberlain’s corporate identity elements such as; colour, fonts, design principles and practices. The design also features an abstract race track with the branches listed around the entire label in the order of the year each branch opened. This illustrates the growth the company experienced from 1903, their established year.

| Calendar Design - 2022

In 2022, the year-long theme was; Celebrating Chamberlain Garden Centres. 7 out of 9 stores had a garden centre at that point, and the brand wanted to remind their suppliers and customers of the high-quality service they offered in this area. I created a calendar that could hang in offices, featuring photos and store information, about the Chamberlain Gardening in-store centres. It was a great way to showcase the Chamberlain's brand's expertise in gardening and outdoor care.

2023

| Year highlights:

Compleated Digital Content & Copywriting – Red & Yellow (Online Certificate).

Completing a digital copywriting course in early 2023, I achieved an 80% pass rate. This course deepened my understanding of crafting persuasive, targeted messaging, and enhanced my ability to connect with diverse audiences.

With these new skills, I’ve refined my approach to combining copy and design, ensuring that the written content and visuals work seamlessly together. By integrating interesting narratives with strong visuals, I've been able to create more connected and impactful campaigns that resonate with the target audience while maintaining Chamberlain’s brand identity.

| How To Booklets

| Customer Invites

In Gauteng, Chamberlain is renowned not just for its hardware services but also for its highly anticipated customer parties. The party invitations are meticulously designed to be on-brand and serve the purpose of inviting clients to various exclusive events, such as all-inclusive product launches, site braais, and even golf days. These events provide a perfect opportunity for Chamberlain to connect with its customers on a more personal level and showcase its services and products.

| Wild Bird Seed Mix - Magazine Advert

2024

Several projects have already been completed this year. Chamberlain renovated one of its oldest stores, Randburg, which now boasts an impressive three floors of hardware. The Mega Montana store is also undergoing renovation and is expected to be completed by early 2025,

along the Waterkloof Glen store, also getting a lift.

| Calendar Artwork