We designed a modern, unique, and sophisticated new visual brand identity for FUTURE LYNN, a Bay Area start-up with a keen eye for international fashion.
“GWM provided my startup with a fresh, modern brand approach that perfectly matched my aesthetic vision for the company. I was not only pleased with the creative output, but also impressed with their responsiveness to any change, big or small, that was required. Getting a new business off the ground can be daunting, because there are simply so many critical investments needed up front and immediately. I’m happy to say that working with GWM has been the easiest and best decision since I launched, and I’m grateful to have them as a collaborator and partner as the business continues to grow.”
– Kathy Yang, Founder, FUTURE LYNN
Objective
Details: Branding & Identity, Print Design, Strategy, UX/UI Design, Website Design
Website: www.futurelynn.com
Northern California’s Kathy Yang launched FUTURE LYNN in 2018, driven by her own desire to find unique, modern clothing that would easily be worn in both work and life settings. While her focus has been to help women navigate an increasingly cluttered fashion marketplace, she hasn’t spent as much time establishing a true brand identity. She approached us with an eye towards the future and a desire to create a logo and brand that reflected the fashions she procures.
Stage 1: Discovery
From the onset, Kathy wanted a “design partner” that could not only understand her goals for FUTURE LYNN and execute, but would offer advice, strategy, and help her decide how best to position herself and her company. Since this is ideally how we prefer our relationships with our clients, it was a very satisfying pairing! We jumped right into Discovery by asking numerous questions to get a sense of her mission, target audience, future business goals, competitors, and how she felt about other aspirational existing brands. From her responses, and our continued dialogue, we were able to develop a solution that met all of her business goals and reflected the brand’s unique personality and mission.
Stage 2: Empower
While the fashion world is notorious for simple, no-frills logos and identities, there is the challenge of not appearing too generic. FUTURE LYNN had to be simple, elevated…but also memorable. And although we wanted to keep FUTURE LYNN’s logo only in type, we felt it needed something unique to give it an edge–a subtle, but purposeful visual hook. After a number of different logo sketches playing purely with the typography, we began to think about what we could “take away” rather than add or refine. We began to chop at the type, removing slanted pieces until we created a logo that could read as FUTURE LYNN but offered surprise, mystery, and dare we say a futuristic feel? It fit right in with the brand’s limited availability, exclusive sales chain, and fashion personality.
Stage 3 – Engage
With the mark established, we sought to extend it across a myriad of digital and print materials. From postcards, business cards, and hang tags, to digital email templates and social media imagery, we leveraged the slants of the logo and minimal grey palette to bring consistency to FUTURE LYNN’s brand. The identity proved to be versatile for other unique pieces like greeting cards and ads, where we could leverage some of her DIY fashion show photography and bring a human side to the brand.
Our relationship with Kathy and FUTURE LYNN continues to this day, as we work with her to push the brand into the future into other realms like fashion and career consulting.
