Leading a Rebrand and How Brightwild Was Born
In June of 2022, we made the decision to embark on the rebranding of One of One; a move born out of the desire to better communicate who we are as a company and to adequately set us up for our growth plans. We knew we needed to partner with an agency that would help guide and direct the creative vision while ensuring our voice, values and care for culture were adequately communicated.
Matchstic caught my eye seven years ago as a junior brand strategist working at a small agency in Florida. Since then, I have been a fan of their work. It’s innovative and thoughtful – not rigid to one style of design. Upon agreeing to work together, we were immediately impressed by their team's lack of ego and their willingness to poke and pry until they got the answers and insights they needed.
Their brand-strategy team spent several days with us in Key West, immersing themselves in our team and culture to better understand who we were. They asked intentional questions and thought holistically about our company, not just in what we were able to produce. This process was fundamental in the creation of our new identity.
I’m often asked what makes a rebrand successful – how do you wrangle all of the differing opinions in the room? How do you make sure there is alignment across the company and in your feedback to the design team? The answer is not simple – it is challenging, but these things are true everytime.
1. Align to strategy
Strategy is the root of good design. Strategy keeps design and creative work from becoming subjective. When strategy has been agreed on, successful rounds of creative work can happen – even with multiple voices in the room. It’s important not only for the process of creating a brand, but maintaining one. Our strategy deck has become our brand team’s bible — it is the answer for how and why we execute creative across all of Brightwild’s many layers.
2. Keep your circle of people small
While strategy aligns people to a common goal, there is still such thing as too many people. I have always operated under the one hand rule when it comes to brand identity work: You get to fill up one hand of people [that's 5 for anyone struggling] and make them a part of the day to day decision making. *I also like the fact that 5 is an odd number – it comes in handy when you need a tie breaking vote.
3. Stay away from strictly viewing work through your personal preference lens
This is easily the hardest part of the process. Your personal preference is not [always] in line with the strategy for the brand you are working on. Branding is communication, not an art gallery. While you do get the ability to select favorite concepts, typography and color options, they are built to align with the strategy first, not what you “like.”
Brightwild is not just a brand but a magnifying glass inside our four walls that showcases what is truly excellent to us.
It invokes an emotional feeling, reminding us to get lost in the real world and connect with people more deeply. It provokes a feeling of joy and wanderlust. Brightwild is not an escape from reality, but a closer connection to it, representing who we are at our core.
As we move forward with our new identity, I am excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Brightwild is a brand that will continue to push boundaries, challenge the status quo and disrupt the hospitality industry. We are contributors, and we are proud to showcase our authenticity, autonomy and agency to the world.
Leading a Rebrand and How Brightwild Was Born
In June of 2022, we made the decision to embark on the rebranding of One of One; a move born out of the desire to better communicate who we are as a company and to adequately set us up for our growth plans. We knew we needed to partner with an agency that would help guide and direct the creative vision while ensuring our voice, values and care for culture were adequately communicated.
Matchstic caught my eye seven years ago as a junior brand strategist working at a small agency in Florida. Since then, I have been a fan of their work. It’s innovative and thoughtful – not rigid to one style of design. Upon agreeing to work together, we were immediately impressed by their team's lack of ego and their willingness to poke and pry until they got the answers and insights they needed.
Their brand-strategy team spent several days with us in Key West, immersing themselves in our team and culture to better understand who we were. They asked intentional questions and thought holistically about our company, not just in what we were able to produce. This process was fundamental in the creation of our new identity.
I’m often asked what makes a rebrand successful – how do you wrangle all of the differing opinions in the room? How do you make sure there is alignment across the company and in your feedback to the design team? The answer is not simple – it is challenging, but these things are true everytime.
1. Align to strategy
Strategy is the root of good design. Strategy keeps design and creative work from becoming subjective. When strategy has been agreed on, successful rounds of creative work can happen – even with multiple voices in the room. It’s important not only for the process of creating a brand, but maintaining one. Our strategy deck has become our brand team’s bible — it is the answer for how and why we execute creative across all of Brightwild’s many layers.
2. Keep your circle of people small
While strategy aligns people to a common goal, there is still such thing as too many people. I have always operated under the one hand rule when it comes to brand identity work: You get to fill up one hand of people [that's 5 for anyone struggling] and make them a part of the day to day decision making. *I also like the fact that 5 is an odd number – it comes in handy when you need a tie breaking vote.
3. Stay away from strictly viewing work through your personal preference lens
This is easily the hardest part of the process. Your personal preference is not [always] in line with the strategy for the brand you are working on. Branding is communication, not an art gallery. While you do get the ability to select favorite concepts, typography and color options, they are built to align with the strategy first, not what you “like.”
Brightwild is not just a brand but a magnifying glass inside our four walls that showcases what is truly excellent to us.
It invokes an emotional feeling, reminding us to get lost in the real world and connect with people more deeply. It provokes a feeling of joy and wanderlust. Brightwild is not an escape from reality, but a closer connection to it, representing who we are at our core.
As we move forward with our new identity, I am excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Brightwild is a brand that will continue to push boundaries, challenge the status quo and disrupt the hospitality industry. We are contributors, and we are proud to showcase our authenticity, autonomy and agency to the world.
In June of 2022, we made the decision to embark on the rebranding of One of One; a move born out of the desire to better communicate who we are as a company and to adequately set us up for our growth plans. We knew we needed to partner with an agency that would help guide and direct the creative vision while ensuring our voice, values and care for culture were adequately communicated.
Matchstic caught my eye seven years ago as a junior brand strategist working at a small agency in Florida. Since then, I have been a fan of their work. It’s innovative and thoughtful – not rigid to one style of design. Upon agreeing to work together, we were immediately impressed by their team's lack of ego and their willingness to poke and pry until they got the answers and insights they needed.
Their brand-strategy team spent several days with us in Key West, immersing themselves in our team and culture to better understand who we were. They asked intentional questions and thought holistically about our company, not just in what we were able to produce. This process was fundamental in the creation of our new identity.
I’m often asked what makes a rebrand successful – how do you wrangle all of the differing opinions in the room? How do you make sure there is alignment across the company and in your feedback to the design team? The answer is not simple – it is challenging, but these things are true everytime.
1. Align to strategy
Strategy is the root of good design. Strategy keeps design and creative work from becoming subjective. When strategy has been agreed on, successful rounds of creative work can happen – even with multiple voices in the room. It’s important not only for the process of creating a brand, but maintaining one. Our strategy deck has become our brand team’s bible — it is the answer for how and why we execute creative across all of Brightwild’s many layers.
2. Keep your circle of people small
While strategy aligns people to a common goal, there is still such thing as too many people. I have always operated under the one hand rule when it comes to brand identity work: You get to fill up one hand of people [that's 5 for anyone struggling] and make them a part of the day to day decision making. *I also like the fact that 5 is an odd number – it comes in handy when you need a tie breaking vote.
3. Stay away from strictly viewing work through your personal preference lens
This is easily the hardest part of the process. Your personal preference is not [always] in line with the strategy for the brand you are working on. Branding is communication, not an art gallery. While you do get the ability to select favorite concepts, typography and color options, they are built to align with the strategy first, not what you “like.”
Brightwild is not just a brand but a magnifying glass inside our four walls that showcases what is truly excellent to us.
It invokes an emotional feeling, reminding us to get lost in the real world and connect with people more deeply. It provokes a feeling of joy and wanderlust. Brightwild is not an escape from reality, but a closer connection to it, representing who we are at our core.
As we move forward with our new identity, I am excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Brightwild is a brand that will continue to push boundaries, challenge the status quo and disrupt the hospitality industry. We are contributors, and we are proud to showcase our authenticity, autonomy and agency to the world.
Leading a Rebrand and How Brightwild Was Born
In June of 2022, we made the decision to embark on the rebranding of One of One; a move born out of the desire to better communicate who we are as a company and to adequately set us up for our growth plans. We knew we needed to partner with an agency that would help guide and direct the creative vision while ensuring our voice, values and care for culture were adequately communicated.
Matchstic caught my eye seven years ago as a junior brand strategist working at a small agency in Florida. Since then, I have been a fan of their work. It’s innovative and thoughtful – not rigid to one style of design. Upon agreeing to work together, we were immediately impressed by their team's lack of ego and their willingness to poke and pry until they got the answers and insights they needed.
Their brand-strategy team spent several days with us in Key West, immersing themselves in our team and culture to better understand who we were. They asked intentional questions and thought holistically about our company, not just in what we were able to produce. This process was fundamental in the creation of our new identity.
I’m often asked what makes a rebrand successful – how do you wrangle all of the differing opinions in the room? How do you make sure there is alignment across the company and in your feedback to the design team? The answer is not simple – it is challenging, but these things are true everytime.
1. Align to strategy
Strategy is the root of good design. Strategy keeps design and creative work from becoming subjective. When strategy has been agreed on, successful rounds of creative work can happen – even with multiple voices in the room. It’s important not only for the process of creating a brand, but maintaining one. Our strategy deck has become our brand team’s bible — it is the answer for how and why we execute creative across all of Brightwild’s many layers.
2. Keep your circle of people small
While strategy aligns people to a common goal, there is still such thing as too many people. I have always operated under the one hand rule when it comes to brand identity work: You get to fill up one hand of people [that's 5 for anyone struggling] and make them a part of the day to day decision making. *I also like the fact that 5 is an odd number – it comes in handy when you need a tie breaking vote.
3. Stay away from strictly viewing work through your personal preference lens
This is easily the hardest part of the process. Your personal preference is not [always] in line with the strategy for the brand you are working on. Branding is communication, not an art gallery. While you do get the ability to select favorite concepts, typography and color options, they are built to align with the strategy first, not what you “like.”
Brightwild is not just a brand but a magnifying glass inside our four walls that showcases what is truly excellent to us.
It invokes an emotional feeling, reminding us to get lost in the real world and connect with people more deeply. It provokes a feeling of joy and wanderlust. Brightwild is not an escape from reality, but a closer connection to it, representing who we are at our core.
As we move forward with our new identity, I am excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Brightwild is a brand that will continue to push boundaries, challenge the status quo and disrupt the hospitality industry. We are contributors, and we are proud to showcase our authenticity, autonomy and agency to the world.
