The Premise
Bad Moods had a great reputation in their industry and have produced some stunning short films, but when it came to promoting themselves they had a holding page, a Vimeo account and not much else. They needed a new, much more mature and flexible brand. Not to mention a website that said a lot more than "Watch this space".
Ben and Fleur had a good idea of what they did - and did not - want but it would be my job to take the stubs of those ideas and run with them, turning out a world-class brand treatment as I went. Very well known brands would be looking at this site; household names that couldn't be given the option to go elsewhere.
Keeping management of the site in-house at Wolfgang was very important, and so every part of the site should be customisable and easy to update. The ability to update the site to suit any pitch or tender Wolfgang might be involved in - and quickly roll back if needs be - would be key.
The Solution
The first step was to pin down the branding and find the voice of the project. Badmoods' voice had been edgy and stark, to reflect the previous aesthetic, but Wolfgang needed a voice of maturity and experience. Confidence, above all, was key.
While the name was Wolfgang, Ben and I spoke early on about proscriptive branding and he agreed there should be neither wolf nor music anywhere in the brand treatment. The W element became the focus.
Clean edges and geometric influences are the main players in the branding, but it is designed to be simple in nature, and the main brand mark will sit as happily over video intros as it does on business cards and letterheads.
The main imagery for the site acts as its own moodboard. Lots of misty trees, mountains and twilight/sunsets. And lightning and lava!
Beyond this, the use of simple, clean type (Montserrat and Hind) for supporting elements allows the brand to be clear and concise, yet recognisanle when used alongside much busier elements in their clients' brand films.
For the website, we went with CraftCMS for content management as it allowed me to structure the site exactly as required, with no compromise or workarounds (I'm looking at you, WordPress), and meant that Ben and Fleur would have the freedom to update all content on the site themselves.
It's also incredibly secure. Again, unlike WordPress.
Why me?
Ben approached me initially after finding me via Google. I get a lot of my work through referrals by happy clients so it's always nice to know I'm visible amongst all the other designers out there.
He was impressed with my previous project examples and was confident that I could deliver exactly what he was after for Wolfgang.
As I'm sure you'll agree, I really did deliver.
