Thorneburg Hosiery Mills | TH Mills

TH Mills was founded by the Thorneburg family in 1953 in Statesville, North Carolina, and began as a contract manufacturer making socks for the US Military and private label brands such as Izod, FootJoy and Justin Boot. The company owns the Thorlos and Experia brands, and has received numerous awards and patents over the years. In 2015, Thorlos inventor Jim Thorneburg was inducted into the National Sporting Goods Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sporting goods industry.

Recently, TH Mills has shifted its focus in the direction of serving private-label needs as a manufacturer for other brand names, while still owning and manufacturing Thorlos and Experia products. They wanted to update the company’s logo to focus more in the direction of a manufacturing, factory, or textile mill feel, as opposed to looking like a footwear or athletic socks company.

The rebranding process took several different initial directions, and was a fun process of exploration.

Stiched Label Version
This idea seemed to be very strong; It has the obvious nod to textile manufacturing with the stitching effect, and the typography has an artisan/craftsman aura about it.

Modern Version 1
This has a feel that lands somewhere between manufacturing and modern apparel. Red and blue with a stars option give a wink to American manufacturing. Strong, clean typography give it the technical and mechanical feel that alludes to factory/manufacturer.

Modern Version 2
Similar to the previous modern version, employing strong, clean typography.

Vintage Version
We wanted to investigate a playful approach. This jolly old chap gives a vintage look to a fun-centered approach.

Star and Stripes Version
An option playing up the American-made concept.

Heavybilt Version
This one is definitely strong and mechanical, evoking the feel of a heavy duty, factory-made product.

Classic Signage Version
A simple and classic perspective.

Final Version
The final logo ended up being a combination of a few different ideas with input from several key stakeholders, which influenced color, typography, and the overall look and feel.