In a remarkable branding and digital success, Glasgow-based creative agency Shine has not only profoundly enhanced the digital profile of its client Buchan Guns, but it has also won a top design award for the work delivered.

This important brand repositioning was for the Highlands-based luxury shotgun and rifle maker which operates in global markets with a brief to revamp its brand and website to reflect the exceptional level of quality, detail and craftsmanship that can be found in the bespoke pieces that it makes by hand.

The result of the creation of the traditional, high-end brand design with its serif type and dark wood tones has been a 20% increase in traffic for the bespoke gunmaker, and a significant increase in North American hits, with exceptional interest from Canada, as well as from Germany, Italy, France and China.

The project has won The Shine Agency, Gold in the 2023 Scottish Design Awards, in which it competed with more than 120 companies and organisations, all of which submitted class-leading work.

Craig Mackie, who established eight employee Shine in 1999, said: “This is a great success for Shine and for Buchan, and working with a client of such a prestigious nature a real pleasure to get to work with it to elevate its presence.

We once again made every effort to get under the skin of the business and understand its vision, and then align our brand work to that. At the same time, we were inspired by Scotland and Britain’s best gun-making tradition which led us down the crafted route of this crest illustration.”

He added: “The fact that the brand and website has attracted so much new interest from such a wide range of potential customers is what we aim for, and to have the work recognised with this award is a real career highlight.”

Shine’s Head of Design, Kieran Reilly, who created the brand, said: “From our early interviews with MD, Grant Buchan it was clear that the rebrand would play a key role in positioning Buchan Guns alongside legendary Scottish gun makers such as John Dickson & Sons and David McKay Brown.

Everything from how we speak about the guns, to the typography, colour palette and paper stocks used, directly represents the exceptional level of quality, detail and craftsmanship that can be found in one of its bespoke pieces.”

He added: “The Buchan Guns team is formed of some of the most respected and skilled craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to the fine art of gun making so there is immense feelings of pride for our work to be awarded gold in the Design Craft category. The project really came round full circle.”

Grant Buchan, managing director of Buchan Guns, said: “We are not surprised that Shine has won this Gold design award. Working with the Shine team has been a joy and they have gone a great job of immersing themselves in our craft and in our industry.

“They have gone to great lengths to understand the finer details of how we work and clearly that has been instrumental in them producing our beautiful brand and website.”

Shine specialises in the hospitality sector and has clients across the UK. It offers branding and graphic design, website design and development, social media management and digital marketing as well as video and animation work.