Building Brand Consistency in a Complex, Multi-Brand Automotive Ecosystem
A few years ago, I accepted a role with a global distributor of transmission and driveline parts that had recently expanded into a full-service parts provider for auto repair shops. At the time, I didn’t know much about the company or the automotive industry—but I needed work and was ready to take on the challenge. My knowledge of cars was limited to basic maintenance, like gas and oil changes, so I went in with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
The company itself was complex. They owned multiple brands and were constantly acquiring new ones, which created a fast-moving and often confusing environment. I learned that the core of their business was transmission parts, including their own branded rebuild kits—which were assembled from supplier-sourced components and repackaged under their name.
When I joined, there were nearly a dozen sub-brands being developed, all falling under the main corporate umbrella. One of my first assignments was to figure out how to visually unify these brands—each needed to look distinct, yet still feel connected to the parent company. With little industry experience, I dove into research, studying the competitive landscape and learning everything I could about transmission parts and branding within the aftermarket automotive space.
As project demands increased, I had to make quick and strategic decisions. I started by building foundational branding documents for each of the brands I was responsible for—basic but essential guides that established core elements like color, typography, and tone. These gave me a visual framework I could rely on as I moved forward with packaging, collateral, and digital materials.
Delivering Scalable Print Design Solutions in a Fast-Paced Creative Environment
From my first day on the job, I was responsible for designing ads for industry trade publications—a primary advertising channel for the company. The creative team was lean: I handled all design work, supported by a newly hired marketing director who also acted as a copywriter, a video content creator, and the VP of Sales and Marketing. It was a small team relative to the volume and scope of work.
One of my first creative objectives, reinforced through early conversations with stakeholders—especially the VP of Sales and Marketing—was to give the company a much-needed visual refresh. The goal was to move the brand aesthetic out of the 1970s and into a more modern, dynamic space.
With limited usable assets and an outdated content library, I began from scratch. I conducted extensive research, explored visual trends, and experimented with abstract, futuristic imagery that could be easily adapted to fit each sub-brand using color and layout. This direction was well received by the team.
For typography, I selected Lato as the primary font across all brands due to its versatility, clean aesthetic, and strong readability. To visually unify the growing family of sub-brands, I created a lockup system that paired the core company logo with the sub-brand name beneath it. While the company logo itself was outdated, it remained unchanged per the CEO’s direction—valued for its long-standing recognition within the industry.
The ads I produced marked a dramatic improvement over the legacy materials. The refreshed design approach brought cohesion, clarity, and a contemporary look to the company’s trade presence. It also laid the groundwork for trust across departments, freeing me up to shift my focus to a major packaging project that followed soon after.
Clarifying a Technical Sub-Brand Through Targeted Design and Messaging
One of the first sub-brands I worked on was the company's Driveline program. It focuses on parts that repair or upgrade the rear-end of vehicles—offering a wide range of components like differential kits, axles, driveshafts, yokes, seals, bearings, and fluids. These parts are designed to make complex driveline repairs easier, with support tools like same-day delivery and a differential lookup system to help mechanics quickly find what they need.
The company had a large sales force and an overwhelming amount of materials—sales sheets, videos, internal content—all in need of organization and clarity. I was tasked with developing a focused product sheet that would make sense to both technicians and the sales team. It included clear part listings, vehicle compatibility, and visuals that simplified the technical nature of the products.
This project stood out because it supported parts for massive off-road and recreational vehicles—some truly over-the-top builds—which made the research and design process especially enjoyable. It was also a strong exercise in defining a sub-brand from scratch, using limited content while still creating something informative, accessible, and visually aligned with the larger brand system.
Packaging
One of the company’s most essential and long-standing products was its transmission rebuild kit—a bundled set of components designed to simplify complex repairs. Originally developed by the company’s founder as a college project, the kit had become a primary revenue driver. While functional, the packaging hadn’t changed in years. It resembled a pizza box—cost-efficient and compact, but visually outdated and disconnected from the modern brand direction.
I was tasked with rethinking the packaging while navigating strict budget constraints. The new boxes would be standard cardboard instead of white, which meant color usage had to be limited to one ink and carefully considered. I began by researching industry trends and examining how other companies were modernizing their packaging. From there, I started designing in black and white, using texture and layout to build visual interest without relying on full-color printing.
To build authentic design elements, I unpacked a transmission kit in the warehouse and scanned the individual components—gaskets, seals, and gears. These mechanical shapes became the foundation for a visual system that used geometric, technical patterns to reflect the intricacy of the product inside. I paired these patterns with clean typography and minimal color accents to keep things functional and visually cohesive across the brand.
The project required navigating a wide range of internal feedback—some preferred bold changes, others wanted to maintain the legacy look. I aimed for a balanced approach that felt modern yet familiar. After several revisions and close collaboration with the print vendor, the final design was approved. It became my first packaging project to go into full production—and remains in use today.
Shop Posters
The company also produced a wide range of branded merchandise for both internal use and external distribution. Promotional products were a key part of their presence at trade shows, industry events, and in day-to-day sales interactions. Sales reps frequently requested new items they could hand out to customers or order online for delivery—often the usual low-cost promotional swag.
As part of this effort, I was asked to design a poster specifically for transmission shops—something sales and marketing teams could use as a value-add or leave-behind. These are two examples I created that I was especially proud of, both in concept and execution. They were designed to feel more purposeful and elevated than typical giveaway items, helping reinforce brand presence in a more lasting way.
Although my time with the company was relatively short, it was packed with meaningful creative challenges. I had the opportunity to modernize legacy materials, define sub-brand identities, and lead my first full-scale packaging project from concept to production. The experience strengthened my ability to work within tight constraints while balancing stakeholder feedback, and it gave me a deeper understanding of how design supports both sales and brand growth in a technical industry.