Christopher Ward Wins Renowned D&AD Wood Pencil for New Logo

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Premium British watch brand Christopher Ward’s new logo has been recognised with one of the advertising and design industry’s most prestigious awards – the D&AD Wood Pencil.

Since 1962 the D&AD Pencil has represented the benchmark of advertising and design excellence, with the Wood Pencil specifically celebrating the best in advertising and design achievements. Christopher Ward and design agency Hello, was commended for its new logo, bought into effect in 2016, to reflect the company’s real, no-nonsense and straight-forward business model and approach.

Christopher Ward’s New Logo

The logo, which formed part of Christopher Ward’s wider 2016 rebrand, sought to create a more contemporary, dynamic look and feel that better reflected Christopher Ward’s ambition, place in the market and continuing success, as well as its merger with atelier Synergies Horlogères SA.

At its launch, the logo was very well received by Christopher Ward’s customers, watch enthusiasts and the wider industry, despite the new incarnation departing considerably from its established predecessor.

The logo-focussed rebrand included:

  • The new logo graphic (which has won the Wood Pencil award) across the business, reflecting a stylized representation of the English and Swiss flags.
  • The text logo changing from ‘Chr.Ward’ to the simple and contemporary, ‘Christopher Ward’ in sans-serif font.
  • A new positioning for the text logo displayed on all new watches in the ‘quarter to’ position, instead of the industry-wide ’12 o’clock’ position.

Since the rebrand, the company has continued to go from strength to strength, with post-rebrand total company performance up 39.5% and record financial performances in each month between October 2016 and January 2017.

About Christopher Ward
Christopher Ward specialises in mechanical and quartz watches, with its pieces designed in the UK and manufactured in Biel, Switzerland, the home of fine timepieces. After leaving successful retail careers, the company’s three founders came up with the idea for a watch brand while sitting on Chris Ward’s boat on the River Thames. The aim was simple: to put premium watches within the reach of everyone. In 2014 Christopher Ward announced its own in-house movement, Calibre SH21, deemed the “most important development for a British watch brand for 50 years”. No other British watch company produces its own commercially viable movement. The brand has gone from strength to strength over the past 11 years, including being the only British watch company to feature in the Sunday Times BT Business SME Export Track 100.