Zen Gents | Design, Strategy, Creative

Zen Gents | Branding

Design

Strategy

Creative

DELIVERABLES | Brand Strategy, Brand Positioning, Brand Identity Design, Branding Guidelines, Art Direction, Web Design, Copywriting, Product Packaging Print Design

BRANDING BREAKDOWN | Whiteboard Session

The Synopsis

The one that got away. A health and wellness conglomerate with a CBD manufacturing arm hired our agency to develop a brand identity for their new business endeavor marketing their CBD products to young men.

I took over the project when our chief creative officer happened to resign midway through the project.

Strapped to a tiny budget and navigating the internal turmoil, I executed a hybrid identity buildout based on the bones of the original pitches.

Yes, it was as miserable as it sounds.

What I did right

Made lemonade, baby.

I am still extremely proud of all 3 of the original concepts I pulled together, which were pitched to the client before we lost our creative project lead and I took over.

After inheriting a half-baked brand mark from the outgoing creative lead, and a nightmarish Frankenstein of a brand identity, I was still able to design and develop a Shopify website that tied it all together with clever copywriting.

What I did wrong

Our classic mistake was allowing the client to attempt to pick and choose individual elements from the 3 distinct brand identities I developed.

Being fairly new at the agency, I wasn’t nearly as assertive as I should have been, despite having the skill set needed to navigate the situation.

And frankly, before any of that happened, I should have communicated much more clearly with the sales team about product offerings, specific language, industry best practices, budgetary restrictions, and scope.

All of this might have been avoided!