Shape

Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Video, Summary, Credits

In 2018, there were nearly 20,000 new fitness centers in China. The annual revenue of a single center reached 4.3 million RMB. The fitness industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the past two years in China, and it is driving the development of peripheral products and services. Shape, a representative of the new fitness brands, adopted a new business model based on group classes, pay-per-class, and shop operations. The brand integrates social platforms and tools, making fitness a new aspect of urban social interaction.

Due to the lack of a plan for a visual system, we had to address this in the initial stage of brand creation. Application and usage of visual brand elements online and offline were confusing. Neither customers nor users  fully understanding depictions of the logo and branding. Establishing a visual system that could be sensibly and conveniently managed for online and offline usage was an urgent problem for the brand. More importantly, we had to  embrace a younger demographic and consumer groups that value visual attractiveness. We had to increase awareness and  recognition of  the brand through visuals, and resolve the challenge of making the brand a new social name for urban youth.

Inspired by the brand vision of bringing different individuals together, each line in the logo represents consumers of different ages, personalities, gender and backgrounds, meeting and colliding in shapes. The image contains a character “with (与)”, which also implies that the brand’s genes include  social, connection and interaction. The brand vision system extends and is informed by the logo shape, evoking elements of lightening, and representing a changeable and unified visual image. [We] also developed the unique mascot IP image for the brand, inspired by  lightening, making the brand IP become the user’s sports partner through the extension of movement and expression.

The brand image, combined with the newly designed spaces and the mascot, has been widely praised by Shape employees, users and coaches. Through the establishment of the visual system, we helped the brand increase user awareness and facilitate operation and management of the brand. With the creation of the mascot, we also helped establish a more humanized brand, relevant to users, that encourages community engagement. Most importantly, the brand is now grounded with a marketplace position for the fitness trend with this strategic update.