GF Smith’s new smile and Gmund marriage

Paper specialist’s rebrand marks 140th anniversary amid charitable trust launch

 

It’s all smiles at GF Smith as the paper specialist celebrates its 140th anniversary with a rebrand designed to connect with a new creative generation and support access to creative education, plus a tie-up with Bavarian paper company Gmund, becoming its exclusive UK distributor.

The partnership with Gmund was premiered yesterday, 28 January, at a packed-out event at the Protein Studios in London’s Shoreditch, with another taking place in Manchester today and Glasgow tomorrow, where the GF Smith team and their German counterparts are showing off the mill’s paper collections, and igniting the love affair with paper which has resulted in the marriage.

Above: Gmund’s Florian Kohler on stage yesterday in London, surrounded by balls of commodity paper that he asked the audience to throw at him, while appreciating the more superior one made by his firm
Above: Gmund’s Florian Kohler on stage yesterday in London, surrounded by balls of commodity paper that he asked the audience to throw at him, while appreciating the more superior one made by his firm

“This is a really big day in GF Smith’s 140-year history,” summed up Ben Watkinson, GF Smith’s global brand director, teasing the reveal of the new branding and introducing the effervescent Florian Kohler, CEO of Gmund.

In a peppy presentation powered by a passion for paper, knowledge of human nature and fresh wisdom of how to engage with an audience of creatives, Florian kicked off asking everyone to delete all their emails or WhatApps, scrunch up commodity paper and throw it at him, hold hands and look into the eyes of the person sitting next to them.

Demonstrating that, while digital tools are part of everyone’s lives such as the Apple computer he called as “the world’s best imitating machine”, Florian said that amid the “thousands of things” people have in their lives, the thing everyone is aiming for is “the one thing… love”.

Linking this with Gmund, he introduced “the paper love machine”, the company’s book of paper swatches, tasking the audience to produce wonderful products using the papers that people will love.

Continuing the love analogy, GF Smith’s sales and business director Margaret Sweeney joined Florian on stage to mark the start of the “marriage” between the two companies.

Above: GF Smith’s Maggie Sweeney and Gmund’s Florian Kohler at the wedding of the two companies
Above: GF Smith’s Maggie Sweeney and Gmund’s Florian Kohler at the wedding of the two companies

Margaret added: “For GF Smith this is not just a privilege, but we see it as our duty to bring this kaleidoscope of colour and textures to creatives. Thank you for trusting us with your brand – let this magical journey begin.”

Now the sole UK distributor for Gmund, the collaboration brings together two respected brands celebrated for their dedication to quality, innovation and the art of paper-making, and access to the entire collection from the business dating back to 1829 allows GF Smith to offer the widest selection of coloured paper to UK creatives.

And GF Smith’s MD Gareth Sheekey said: “We are thrilled to partner exclusively with Gmund and bring their outstanding papers to the UK market in full. This collaboration perfectly aligns with our mission to champion creativity in the world of design and print. Together, we will provide unparalleled choice and inspiration for our customers.”

Above: Yesterday’s Gmund launch was packed with creatives
Above: Yesterday’s Gmund launch was packed with creatives

The event came on the day GF Smith launched its rebrand which was revealed last night, with the logo dreamed up by cause-led branding agency Templo having a distinct smile beaming out in the bespoke sans-serif typeface – GF Smith Homie by Blaze Type – from the bright and bold backgrounds.

Representing the first major branding project for the company since 2014, it wanted to cut through the noise and connect with its creative-sector audiences while supporting its growing worldwide reach and ambitions and embodying the character, community, colour and creativity at the company’s core, which can be seen in the reel below.

“We felt that our visual identity, though much loved inside and outside the company and right for GF Smith at the time, no longer reflected who we were as an organisation or as people, and that it was the right time to change, to create a new energy for the brand and, above all else, to look forward to the future,” explained Ben.

Above: Ben Watkinson (centre) with Templo’s Anoushka Rodda and Pali Palavathanan
Above: Ben Watkinson (centre) with Templo’s Anoushka Rodda and Pali Palavathanan

The new branding also encompasses the new GF Smith Charitable Trust, which has been set up with 2% of the company’s annual profits being donated to support access to creative education and creative-industry careers, providing grants, tools, materials, and training in both the company’s home postcode of HU2 in the city of Hull, and across the UK.

The branding is to be introduced in a range of merchandise and apparel including partnerships with sustainable brands Nalgene and Pangaia, and profits from sales will go directly to the trust pot.

Above & top: The smile logo is even on the new packaging
Above & top: The smile logo is even on the new packaging

Gareth said: “As GF Smith continues to lead the UK’s premium paper market and grow internationally, this new identity will play an essential role in extending our global reach and sharing our love for paper with new creative audiences around the world.”

Templo founders Anoushka Rodda and Pali Palavathanan were inspired by the humanity and warmth of GF Smith, its “gently radical” spirit, and the company’s commitment to environmental and social causes.

Anoushka said: “By strategically engaging and listening to both internal and external voices, we uncovered the core values of humanity, optimism, creativity, and community that define the GF Smith brand, as well as the gently radical spirit that animates it.

Above: The new branding is being used throughout the factory
Above: The new branding is being used throughout the factory

“The result is a vibrant brand positioning and architecture, and a new visual identity rooted in these principles, which invite audiences to discover the warmth, character, and social conscience that has always been at the heart of GF Smith.”

The introduction of the new branding coincides with the launch of the company’s new website at www.gfsmith.com which went live at 9pm yesterday and brings Templo’s vision to full immersive life for GF Smith’s global community of creatives and clients, while giving the brand a platform for sharing creative content, material insight, industry reflections and visions for the future of both GF Smith and the wider sector.

Developed by Made By On, the revamped site has unexpected animations, expressive typography and immersive textures aimed at bringing the physical qualities of paper to life on screen, while maintaining optimal performance and usability.

Above: The Hull factory with the new branding
Above: The Hull factory with the new branding
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