Rethinking Socks
Looking to renew and refresh their purpose, Thorlo partnered with creative studio High Tide for a rebrand designed to change how people think about their socks. Founded in 1980, Thorlo (previously Thorlos) was the first to innovate, manufacture and patent, activity-specific socks. High Tide recognized this legacy and set its sights on reinvigorating the brand to cement its place as an icon today and for generations to come. This began with the wordmark; High Tide returned to an earlier iteration of the brand’s name — from Thorlos to Thorlo — dropping the ‘s’ in a nod to its original 80s roots. They then redesigned it to feel monumental and proud in order to sit comfortably and deservedly among the biggest names in sports and activewear. As the most immediate moment of impact, the wordmark had to be strong, bold and uniquely ownable to Thorlo.
The brand’s messaging was repositioned to stress innovation, performance and movement — each playing a part in building the voice and underscoring the idea that socks really do matter. Taglines like “Moving you since 1980” and “A decade of engineering for a lifetime of wear” balances Thorlo’s engineering prowess while celebrating, owning and inspiring movement of all kinds.
Photography was also key to the rebrand as a way to reinforce their history and an opportunity for users to see themselves in the brand. Photos of people engaging in various sports activities have a sense of dynamic motion and archival imagery gives credence to the company’s record of performance.
Also crucial to refreshing the brand was a restructuring of the Thorlo categorization system. This is supported by a new system with colors signifying Thorlo activities (tennis, running, etc.) acting as a functional navigation tool, that alongside the brand’s primary hero blue, clarifies a crowded shelf.
High Tide is known for their work with Warby Parker, KITH, Symbol, Airsign and many others.
