The Frosio Next case study

A historical player in the Italian hydropower engineering scene, Studio Frosio was founded in 1980 by Mr Giancarlo Frosio, engineer, as the crowning achievement of his brilliant career as an executive, first at Società Elettrica Bresciana and later at Enel.

Over the years, the company structure was consolidated by planting solid roots and enriching the workforce with the contribution of new members, employees and collaborators, reaching 17 members.

In 2021, a corporate reorganisation process began with the acquisition of the branch of the company Waterways S.r.l. dedicated to the design of civil works and dams.

We untied one knot at a time, applying our I.A.R. method. (Ideas, Actions, Results) to the principles of Brand Design.

The first phase included holding interviews to get to know the team and so delve into all aspects of the company, identifying the stakeholders and getting an idea of the Buyer Personas.

This allowed us to reconstruct the company values, which we then translated into five keywords: super-specialisation, responsibility, strategic approach, independence and internationalisation.

Applying the archetypal branding technique, we then reconstructed the traits of the Brand Character, recognising it in the figure of the Sage as conceived by the Jungian theory.

The next step in our de-construction process involved the naming analysis of the competitors identified as relevant players within the market.

Once this first phase was completed, the study of the naming and payoff began with the aim of rendering all the assimilated concepts into a name that embodied them with accuracy.

To do so, we renewed the brand name from Studio Frosio, with references to a strongly Italian and artisanal way of understanding engineering consultancy, to Frosio Next, a name synonymous with the future, innovation and ‘next steps’.

This was followed by the payoff study phase: Strategies for water.

The word ‘strategies’ refers to the military sector and presupposes an affirmative, decisive, strategist’s approach.

This implied a new way of understanding the engineer, as a strategic consultant who, after an in-depth study of the specific case, is able to combine tools and methods as weapons in pursuit of the customer’s objective.

We established a few fixed points, which guided us towards the solution:

• forma biological, natural, curved form. In contrapposizione con la comunicazione standard del settore con linee nette, spigolose, maschili, e in continuità con l’elemento naturale manipolato: l’acqua;
• a modern font, conveying the concept of innovation;
• logotype and pictogram are independent, they communicate even when used individually;
• a colour palette that suggests reliability, profound knowledge but also assumption of responsibility;
• continuity with the previous logo, so as not to lose the historical background that led Studio Frosio to become Frosio Next.

The creative inspiration behind the company renaming as Next also led to the creative concept of the new logo: a simple yet powerful metaphor, that of the book.

The new chapter in the company’s history was written simply by turning the page, without erasing what had been written before, but by building on it.

The results were measured in terms of impact on the company.

A new awareness on the part of the team who, having clarity on their values, mission and corporate identity, were able to find a common identity, and pursue this with enthusiasm and renewed motivation.
The goal was achieved with a secure entry into international markets by Frosio Next, with a more solid brand equity, ready to be communicated.