“With the help of Lana, Studio K created a new branch of the business allowing us to serve clients much earlier in the design process.”
BRAND: STUDIO K CREATIVE
The challenge: At only 5 years old, Studio K Creative built a household name for itself in the restaurant design scene due to power-house principal and founder, Karen Herold. The rapid growth revealed areas of opportunity to define the brand from an internal perspective, ensuring a consistent language inside and out, which positioned it as a strong partner to developers and operators with in the hospitality industry.
CREDITS:
My role: Design Strategy and Marketing Lead // Created at: in-house team, Studio K Creative // Founder and Principal Designer: Karen Herold // Senior Interior Designer: Carey Elder // Visual Designer: Effy Xinyan Liu // Photography: John Stoffer
DESIGN METHODS
Brand innovation workshop with management team, in order to define what drives the vision, internal decisions, client interactions and the visual application of the brand.
Deep audit of existing materials, to inform the elements making up the brand architecture.
Interviews with employees, to gather a deep understanding of pain points and emotions of the people behind the brand.
Prototyping and testing of new methods in the concept phase, to compliment intuition with an evidence based approach that weaves brand strategy into design decisions.
KEY DELIVERABLES
Brand architecture book to act as the benchmark for internal and external communication methods.
Marketing systems blueprint outlining how to formalize marketing as a newly running function of the company.
Design strategy blueprint outlining a revamped conceptual phase that includes tailored research methods within the interior design process.
Social media strategy plan including an editorial calendar, feed photography art direction, copywriting guidelines and partnership affiliations.
THE OUTCOME
The marketing team grew from one to five people. A new branch of the company focusing on design strategy with tailored research methods was born. Studio K also gained 2000 followers on Instagram and new business in previously untapped hospitality markets was secured through 2022.
WHAT I LEARNED
Transparency between all sectors of the business is the linking component to foster genuine growth and empower employees of all levels to speak up.