BLD

bLD is a private label trade brand developed for Total Tools & Hardware Group, created to sit within the Mitre 10 ecosystem as a dependable, no-nonsense solution for professional trades. Positioned between entry-level value and premium specialist brands, bLD was designed to meet the everyday demands of builders, contractors, and serious DIYers who prioritise reliability, availability, and performance over unnecessary embellishment. The challenge was twofold: to establish a distinct, ownable brand that could scale across a broad range of trade categories, while ensuring it felt credible, robust, and immediately recognisable on shelf in a highly competitive hardware environment. bLD needed to work hard visually, communicate clarity at speed, and feel at home alongside both national brands and Mitre 10’s existing private label portfolio. Foundry partnered with Total Tools & Hardware Group to define the strategic foundations of the bLD brand, including its role within the broader brand architecture, target audience, and price–quality positioning. From there, we developed a bold, functional visual identity built specifically for trade retail - one that prioritises legibility, consistency, and shelf impact, without sacrificing authority or longevity. The identity system was designed to be highly flexible and scalable, allowing bLD to extend seamlessly across multiple product categories, materials, and packaging formats. Clear typographic hierarchy, disciplined colour usage, and a strong, stripped-back aesthetic ensure the brand communicates confidence and competence, whether viewed in-store, online, or in use on site. bLD represents a considered approach to private label branding: one that understands the realities of trade customers, the pressures of retail environments, and the importance of trust built through repetition and clarity. The result is a brand that feels purposeful, dependable, and built to last - much like the products it represents.