CLIENT: YOGANDA
Practicing Peace in the Pearl: A Fresh Take on a Yoga Brand in Kampala
THE CHALLENGE:
Launch and grow a yoga brand that introduces more people to the experience of yoga and the benefits of adopting it as a lifestyle.
THE OUTCOME:
A holistic branding experience, from an identity system to digital marketing campaigns, and future space and experience plans that represent the founder’s vision
Angela Inglish Gill is vinyasa yoga instructor based in Kampala, Uganda, (Known as The Pearl of Africa). Her passion for Yoga began with her mom introducing her to it as a young adult. We met Angela through her husband Phil, whom we had collaborated with on numerous projects. We immediately loved her calm and laid back vibe and her excitement to create a brand that connected her consumers through the shared values of; mindfulness, movement, awareness and connecting with oneself on a deeper level.
Her vision was to share the practice of Yoga, and the values that come with that, with more people, teaching them to find peace, health and mindfulness in the busyness of life.
Angela envisioned a brand that was earthy, calm, mindful, grounded and welcoming; that would promote a holistically healthy mindset and experience for her clients both on and off the mat.
She set out to expand her presence as a yoga instructor by offering more classes in both a shared studio in downtown Kampala, and classes in her home studio, as well as building a new website, social media presence and email campaign. The new expression of her brand would help connect to her consumers in a meaningful way.
Angela partnered with Big Little Fish to create a consistent and cohesive brand identity along with the supportive design and marketing assets she would need to build her brand presence on and off-line. We wanted to invite curiosity about yoga and make Angela’s knowledge and service offering more accessible to her consumers.
Together with Angela, we set out to bring Yoganda to life through identity, web, marketing design and experience design. We began by seeking out inspiration to guide our direction and future designs. We were inspired by the culture of slowing down, mindfulness and connection in yoga practice and the role nature plays in creating a sense of peace and calm. These observations inspired us to integrate thoughtful illustrations of plant life and inspired our color palette. We played with the flowing shapes and poses, creating fun and vibrant illustrations that personified a feminine figure; free, liberated and comfortable in her own skin. Angela’s own love for plants and eye for design was a rich source of direction and inspiration.
Angela’s vision was to eventually set up her own studio in downtown Kampala, where she would grow her team and offer more diversity in the classes. Together we imagined a space with large floor to ceiling windows, lots of natural light, beautiful plants and large vibrant wall murals. We envisioned details such as packaging design from recycled materials that blended well with our overall earthy and natural look and feel.
The brand comes to life in an array of warm and earthy pastel colors, vibrant flowing illustrations contrasting with clean symmetrical shapes and a modern typography pairing and logo.
We balanced Angela’s real life business needs with thoughtful implementation of the branding. To remain consistent with her values we explored strategies to build meaningful ‘quiet’ marketing with her growing client base which better fit her personality and goals. We also expanded on opportunities to gently roll out of her new branding and marketing campaign. Her new website, customized email templates and campaigns along with beautiful print marketing materials were a great place to start.