Apollo Valves | Conbraco

The Challenge

Conbraco had multiple businesses and product lines operating under one umbrella, but the brand and marketing materials did not feel connected. More than 20 catalogs had accumulated over time, sales materials were difficult to navigate, and different parts of the organization were presenting themselves in different ways.

The opportunity was bigger than updating the look. We needed to understand how the business worked, how the sales team sold, and how customers moved through a large and technical product portfolio.

Understanding the Business

I started by talking directly with leadership, sales, product, engineering, web, and production. I wanted to understand what was working, what was not, and what people actually needed from the creative team.

Those conversations changed the direction of the work. Instead of asking sales to adapt to a new collection of creative materials, we built the materials around the sales process.

Rebuilding the Sales Tools

We developed a three-stage approach. The first stage gave sales a lightweight introduction for cold calls and initial conversations. The second provided industry-specific information based on the customer’s needs. The third offered a comprehensive catalog for customers who needed the full product offering.

That structure helped us consolidate more than 20 catalogs into approximately six industry-focused catalogs. It simplified production, reduced print complexity, and made the information easier for sales and customers to use.

Building the Brand System

The work developed into a company-wide system connecting Apollo Valves and its related businesses across identity, color, stationery, catalogs, sales materials, packaging, advertising, photography, video, digital, trade shows, events, and product launches.

I helped develop a 20 to 30 page brand guide that established how the system should work across those applications. The goal was to provide enough direction to create consistency without making the system difficult for teams to use.

Directing Across Disciplines

Our internal capabilities included graphic design, 3D visualization, video, social, and events. I gave specialists room to use their strengths while keeping the work connected to the larger brand direction.

3D visualization helped us create product imagery that would have been difficult or impossible to photograph. Video expanded into plant stories, instructional content, and product communication. Trade-show work included booth concepts, layouts, graphics, physical piping displays, and hands-on installation.

The Impact

The transformation gave a large and complex manufacturing organization a clearer and more consistent way to present its brands, products, and capabilities.

We consolidated more than 20 catalogs into approximately six industry-focused catalogs, simplifying print production and making the information easier for sales and customers to use. The broader system connected identity, sales materials, digital, packaging, video, trade shows, and product marketing.

The brand framework remained in use for roughly five years, until the parent organization introduced a new corporate rebrand.

What I Took From It

A brand system does not succeed because it looks consistent in a presentation. It succeeds when the people responsible for selling, producing, and extending the brand can actually use it.

This project reinforced the importance of understanding all the pieces and parts before deciding what the creative solution should be.