Taking Northline Audio from zero to 40 retail partners
Northline Audio had a great pair of headphones and nothing else: no name, no look and no way to sell. We named the brand, designed its identity and packaging, and launched an online store with a portal for retail partners.
The challenge
The headphone market is crowded with big names and bigger ad budgets. Northline needed to look established from day one and give retailers a reason to take a chance on a new brand.
- No name, identity or packaging
- Competing against brands with huge ad spend
- Retail buyers wary of unknown electronics
Our approach
We ran naming workshops with the founders and tested a shortlist with real buyers. Northline won because it suggested direction and calm. The identity uses a single thin line that runs through the logo, the packaging and the website. We designed the box to open like a book, with the story of the sound on the inside cover, and built a Webflow store with a simple partner area for wholesale orders.
Buyers asked how long we had been around. We had launched that month.
The results
Within a year Northline was stocked by 40 independent retailers, and the online store covered its build cost in the first ten weeks.
- 40 retail partners in year one
- 10 weeks to pay back the store build
- 4.8/5 average unboxing review score
