Bash
Bash is the online platform revolutionizing retail in South Africa. Founded in 2021 as a digital lab within The Foschini Group (TFG), Bash aims to connect people through innovative technological solutions. With a diverse offering that includes fashion, technology, food, furniture, and more, Bash quickly established itself as one of the leading players in South Africa’s e-commerce sector, competing with global giants such as Amazon and Shein.
New brand or leverage an existing one?
In 2021, TFG (The Foschini Group) faced the challenge of launching a new online marketplace that would not only showcase its fashion brands but also include other categories such as food, furniture, technology, jewelry, and pharmaceuticals. The key question was whether any of the brands in its portfolio had the potential to become the flagship of this new platform or if a new brand needed to be created with the appropriate values for this purpose. Furthermore, if opting for a new brand, how should it be designed and what name would best represent it?
What we did
- Consumer Insights
- Brand Equity Measurement
- New Brand Concept test
Industry
- Retail
Building a digital pure player: Bash.com
Solution
In collaboration with the leading branding agency Mucho, we developed an innovative methodology called Ideal Brand DNA to ensure strategic branding decisions with minimal risk. This structured approach consisted of three steps:
1. Defining essential values: We identified the values that an online marketplace brand must possess. The analysis revealed that these values were different from those of fashion retail brands, which ruled out existing options in TFG’s portfolio. The conclusion was clear: create a new brand from scratch.
2. Prototyping potential brands: Five prototypes were designed that incorporated the previously defined ideal DNA.
3. Validating options: The prototypes underwent rigorous testing to determine which one was closest to the ideal brand concept.
Results
The result of this strategic process was the creation of Bash.com, a brand that not only leads the online landscape in South Africa but has also become one of the most valuable brands in the country. Today, Bash competes on the same level as global giants like Amazon and Shein, consolidating its position as South Africa’s leading fashion and lifestyle online platform.
New brand identity by Mucho
The Logotype
The logotype is 100% typographic to highlight the value of radical simplicity. Focusing on the name. Four letters with a lot of power.
Bash, as an omni-channel platform, is designed to be ever expansive. Its logotype equally expands beyond its frame to enhance its visual impact.
The Bash brand is immense. To keep simplicity throughout, all of its sub-brands are constructed typographically from the minimum number of elements.
Brand color & typography
Outside the app and website the brand needs more visibility to be recognisable. The Delivery area of the brand has to be competitive to stand out.
That’s why MUCHO created a custom colour, the “Bash violet”.
The typeface MUCHO chose is Neue Haas Grotesk, a pioneer of radical simplicity in design, a precursor to Helvetica. This font is clean, sharp, charming, and makes a perfect match with the soul of Bash.
