75 Years of Logistics — Celebrated on a Cooler

KingCave Team
2026-02-10T08:00:00+10:00

K.T. Preston celebrated 75 years on Australian roads with a heritage-branded cooler featuring hand-lettered signwriting and vintage truck illustrations.
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K.T. Preston Pty Ltd has been running trucks on Australian roads since 1950. When the family hit 75 years in cartage, they didn't want a plaque. They wanted something that would be at the next barbecue, the next depot event, the next family Christmas — something the grandkids would fight over.

The Brief

A heritage-branded cooler that told the story of the company. Not a corporate timeline. Not a logo on a product. An object that connected three generations of Prestons to the trucks they'd driven and the business they'd built. Something with enough character to sit in a home, not just a depot break room.

The Design

A YF-NL42 wheeled cooler — 42 litres, handle and wheels for portability, tough enough for construction sites and family camping trips. Teal and white matte wrap with vintage truck illustrations running around the full body. The illustrations are drawn from actual KTP fleet vehicles — Bedfords, Internationals, and modern Kenworths — representing different eras of the company. The hand-lettered KTP logo matches the original signwriting style from the 1950s fleet livery.

Matte finish, not gloss. The matte evokes mid-century transport signage — the painted metal panels that trucking companies used before vinyl wraps existed. It makes the cooler feel like a heritage object rather than a promotional product. The colour palette deliberately avoids modern branding trends. This is meant to look like it could have existed in any decade of the company's history.

What Happened at the Celebration

At the 75th anniversary event, the cooler connected three generations of the Preston family. The older Prestons recognised the Bedford and International truck illustrations from the vehicles they'd driven in the 1960s and 70s. The current generation saw their Kenworths. The kids just wanted to open it and get a drink — which is exactly how a cooler should work.

The cooler now rotates between depot events and family gatherings. It's become the default drinks cooler for Preston family barbecues. Every time someone asks about it, the family tells the 75-year story. That's brand storytelling that no ad campaign can replicate, because it's genuine — the family is proud of the object, not just the brand on it.

The older Prestons recognised the Bedford and International trucks from vehicles they'd driven in the 1960s. The current generation saw their Kenworths. The kids just wanted to open it and get a drink.

Milestone Branding Done Right

Most anniversary celebrations produce a photo on LinkedIn and a trophy in the boardroom. Neither generates ongoing emotional value. A heritage-branded product — something functional, something that lives in the real world — creates a touchpoint that reconnects people with the story every time they use it. For family businesses, trade businesses, and long-running companies, that connection is worth more than any corporate video.

View the K.T. Preston project · Explore custom branding