The Rumbl: Creating a knockout brand identity

The Rumbl is the brainchild of Andrew van de Beek, accountant and founder of Illumin8. It’s a series of exclusive mini-retreats where accountants can connect with and learn from their peers – all in an awesome setting with great food, drinks and activities.

Andrew thinks industry conferences and expos just don’t cut it when it comes to providing accountants with real value.

“I would go to conferences and find that they would have specific agendas, or be light on quality content,” he explains. “They don’t hit the mark because they have to be generic and cater to the 3,000-plus people attending.”

Instead of the tired old format, Andrew wanted his peers to have access to a real community where they could trade knowledge and be challenged to think differently.

“I realised that where I learn and grow most is in a peer-to-peer environment,” he says. “So I thought, ‘What would it look like if we created an environment where people with similar values and experience can gather together?’”

That sparked the idea for The Rumbl.

“The concept was ‘Let’s take a dozen people somewhere incredibly beautiful where they can connect with nature, sprinkle in a bit of yoga, meditation, good food and drinks, and let’s bring in quality speakers’,” Andrew says.

“And by quality speakers, I don’t mean someone who has a piece of software they want to sell – I mean someone who’s had an inspiring life experience they can share. And then allow people to find their way over a weekend, with a little bit of guidance.”

Turning an idea into an identity

With a bold idea in tow, Andrew connected with Little Village Creative to solidify a name that embodied his vision, as well as create a distinctive brand identity that encapsulated the connection to nature, mateship and sharing knowledge.

“All I knew is I wanted to do this retreat thing,” Andrew says. “I had no idea what to call it or what it would look like. But I knew Carolyn and the LVC team had the right perspective and professionalism to honestly give me recommendations rather than just trying to make me feel good.”

In an initial workshop session with Andrew, we brainstormed how we’d describe The Rumbl if they were a person, and started fleshing out the concept and potential names.

“We spent a few hours together initially and figured out the name and got the creative juices flowing, and Carolyn and the team took it from there,” Andrew explains.

We also presented a series of visual territories (mood boards) and logo options, and together decided on the final concept.

“We went through a couple of phases of creative concepts and the second phase really hit the nail on the head,” says Andrew. 

“Working with LVC is a completely immersive, involved experience and you really feel like you’re a part of it. They took control but I still felt like what I said mattered. But at the same time, they didn’t just let me dictate everything because that would have been a very bad idea!”

As for the result? Andrew says his vision has been captured in a unique and differentiated brand identity.

“Very early on, Carolyn and the team had the pulse of what I was trying to achieve,” he explains. “They helped to bring out the identity of the project itself, rather than my identity within the project. They did a really good job of reflecting the values I wanted the brand to have.”

What’s next for The Rumbl?

After a few hiccups due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Andrew says he’s excited to host more retreats for accountants later this year, and potentially even branch out to other industries.

“What’s next for us is continuing to show our industry that they are more than capable,” he says. “That’s a core part of The Rumbl. We want to tell accountants and other business owners, ‘Hey, you can do this – you just need to believe in yourself, be in the right mindset and be surrounded by the right people.’”

Got an awesome idea but not sure where to go with it? Let’s chat: get in touch or drop us a line on 1300 528 680!