Change Making

Jan Henderson

What’s in a name? Well quite a lot actually and these days much can be said about a company by its brand that should encapsulate style, depth and intention of a business. For James Richardson Furniture established in Melbourne in 1956 change has been in the air with the arrival of Georgia Danos who joined as creative and brand director and just happens to be the granddaughter of the founder, David Mandie AM OBE. Danos’ pedigree is of course impeccable however she is also a very savvy business woman in her own right and perhaps, most importantly, she has an enduring passion for design having studied architecture at university. Through her vision, Danos is propelling James Richardson Furniture into the new decade with record speed and the future looks very bright indeed.

The seeds to change were sewn through a chance meeting with Australian product designer par excellence Ross Didier. Consequently Didier was invited to design a range of furniture for the company and with the RD Collection on the floor Danos saw the opportunity to make more far reaching changes within the business.

The first step was collaboration with Ronnen Goren, co-founder and director of renowned branding agency Studio Ongarato to help re-position and re-brand the company. Ever present throughout the design process was an understanding of the proud history of James Richardson Furniture and the importance of such traits as honour, integrity and trust. After all founder David Mandie began a business relationship with Ton in the Czech Republic that boasts the oldest Michael Thonet factory in the world, with just a handshake.

Goren commented on the approach to the rebrand, “Taking on a company with pedigree and history we could have easily said ‘let’s just wipe the slate clean’ but there is way too much imbedded in this company, the brand and the business and the importance of relationship. Ton’s relationship with the business is so far reaching; the idea of a handshake and that close proximity and a trusted partner.”

courtesy of Studio Ongarato

The re-branding process began with a detailed investigation of James Richardson Furniture to understand the DNA of the company, the people, the clients and the products. Goren developed a brand structure with three concepts that included, strategy, deeper communication and brand amplification and identity.

Next was the logo and name. This new logo was required to incorporate heritage, establishment and craftsmanship but to also present a fresh style for a new future, and so JR1956F was born. By incorporating an old font that had been re-cut to suit for letters, a modern font for numbers and the whole embossed and bevilled to give texture and tactility the new logo says it all. As for the name, well James Richardson Furniture has now become JRF and as they say the rest is history….

Danos commented, “We came up with this notion of dynamic heritage that I really loved with that sense of history and foundation which is what is so critical to me from the past and it was just bringing this new brand into a dynamic new light.”

With the advent of 2020, a new year and decade, JRF is building on stable foundations and creating a place for itself within the architecture and design community.

There are plans afoot for more design collaborations and relationships, a further curation of products and myriad unique events that together create a singular vision for success and ensure JRF’s place within the community.

Danos described the process of the re-brand, “It’s a shift from being a sales and product business to a solutions provider. A much more relationship focused business, a much more design-orientated business….. This was all about a change for the long haul. I was all about finding something that could take us into the next chapter that had longevity and was classic and beautiful…and we have definitely achieved that.”

Yes JRF you certainly have!