Zales, a legacy mall brand, faced a major brand relevance gap with Gen Z. While the brand enjoyed name recognition, it was seldom the first pick for ring shoppers under the age of 30. Jewelry was still largely viewed through the lens of traditional milestones—engagements, anniversaries, holidays, while Gen Z was seeking more everyday, expressive ways to define themselves.
Enter “Own It”—a declaration of unapologetic style and self-celebration. In order to win over Gen Z, we realized Zales had to change its mindset—moving from transactional and occasion-driven sales to everyday wear, personalization, and emotional resonance. Over the last two years, we’ve worked to transform its image from a stodgy mall retailer into a brand that speaks to the values, style, and habits of the next generation.
Leveraging their primary colors with the addition of brighter, bolder secondary shades, we’ve kept the brand’s DNA while adding some extra flare. We’ve centered the color story around Zales’ iconic purple, which appears across every touchpoint of the brand. The typographic system features a new serif, IvyPresto. Where their previous serif lacked character, IvyPresto’s swooping contours and hairlines bring personality without sacrificing precision. This is balanced by body copy set in a confident sans serif, Acumin.
Taking cues from lifestyle and luxury fashion, we introduced a photographic language that demands attention. Models don’t shy away from the camera, and the jewels are always front and center, unapologetically on display.
