A brand is not a logo; it is a story…
Our previous branding and identity were created well before Naya’s current direction was defined. Although our previous identity was well received, we felt that it was the right moment to evolve. Before we get into describing the new identity, we wanted to cover the intricacies of the rebranding process. Finding the right collaborators to support this undertaking and managing the development was no small task — and for an early-stage company, an evolution of this scale can command some serious resources. As both entrepreneurs and designers ourselves, we learnt a few insights through this process that we wanted to share.
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or a company” — Marty Neumeirer
“Brand” is difficult to scope. Placing a tangible dollar value on a logo, slogan, font choice, or color can seem like a hard thing to do. With this knowledge, our approach was to break down the scope into stages (research, sketching, illustrations, production assets) and pieces (logo, website, brochures, slogans, colors, fonts, mock-ups, etc.). We asked for hourly budgets and estimates for how long each task would take. It is not unreasonable for a designer to spend 100 hours or more on a full branding package; however, miscommunication has muddied this fact. The process is rife with misunderstandings, as clients ask “Why does a logo cost so much?” and designers wonder “Why doesn’t the client understand how long this actually takes?” Having well-organized steps and timelines for each stage will support this process.
Having well laid out steps and timelines for each stage will support this process.
Save room for the unexpected and feel free to experiment. You should know your key values, have references for brands you like, and communicate your own timelines. You should never try to do these exercises on a tight timeline; ensure you give yourself several months, as the creative process takes time. You also want to save time for feedback from your team, advisors, partners, and — of course — customers! Try to run collaboration sessions with the designer and various stakeholders to ideate and accept critiques throughout the process. Don’t be afraid to pull out the red pen or stickies and make notes on the design concepts yourself. Remember: you know your customer better than anyone and have a design intuition of your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment — push the boundaries of what you may be comfortable with, especially during the initial stages.
Remember: you know your customer better than anyone and have a design intuition of your own.
Find the right people to complete your team. There is definitely an element of luck involved in finding your dream team, but it primarily comes down to the effort you put into finding them. During our own branding experience, we probably connected with 15 or so companies and individuals. Marketing firms are known to charge exorbitant prices, as they need to include their overhead; meanwhile, independent college students might charge next to nothing. Depending on the stage of your business, you likely fit somewhere within this spectrum. We would encourage you to chat with both sides and a few groups in the middle to find the best fit. Ask for portfolios and conduct several meetings to really get to know someone, how they think, and whether you can collaborate together. Asking for an opinion on a current design asset is a great way to successfully find your team.
Ask for portfolios and conduct several meetings to really get to know someone, how they think, and whether you can collaborate together.
To bring a new identity to life, we worked closely with furniture and graphic designer Ajay Shah from ASDS Mumbai, as well as Mia Zaidan, former architect at Jean Nouvel, designer at the Harvard Innovation Lab, and Sosolimited.
Our vision for our identity was centered around making Naya a timeless brand that goes beyond furniture, focusing more on the creative journey than on the product itself. The brand’s visuals should evoke the idea of making something your own.
The Naya visual identity reflects a visual flair, confidence, clarity and vocational expertise.
Our new logo, created by Ajay, does exactly this and playfully integrates the idea of personalization. Ajay says:
“The symbol is a visual representation of a proprietary process Naya follows towards translating an idea from concept to realization. The adaptive ’N’ is derived from an understanding of the stages of realization. The final symbol is the culmination of the process to a product like a signature of approval or better still a mark of a well deserved engagement output. The signature is not restrained or crammed but has an expression of an unknowing confidence that comes from a creative person. The symbol silently communicates the lightness of the process, the ease and the joy of creation.”
To further the connection between creative expression and Naya, Ajay chose the “Rand” font type for the wordmark and website.
“It is a tribute to Paul Rand — a visionary graphic designer — which finely balances a creative expression with a strict adherence to projecting a professional seriousness. The wordmark counterbalances the symbol and emphasis that Naya is an organization that will not sway with fashion, trends and creative idiosyncrasies in its values towards it’s objective of providing a service of democratizing creative endeavours.”
When it came to colors, we approached this as an opportunity to convey the pillars of diversity and newness that contribute to Naya’s foundation. Naya sees itself as a brand that is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting to the world while creating agency for a diverse set of people. The colors presented in the branding will represent its current identity: an identity that is open to the forces of change.
Naya sees itself as a brand that is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting that creates agency for a diverse set of people.
Our new website is designed to showcase this new identity. Mia, along with Rebecca Oesterling and our development team, brought this to life.
One of the biggest changes you will notice is how the onboarding flow has been incorporated into our homepage. Mia’s bold decision to make this change was to reduce the friction of submitting an idea and getting started — a critical problem that we had found based on user feedback. People were often nervous about clicking on the “Get Started” button, irrespective of how simple the onboarding process was. Now, we have seen a 20% increase in user-submitted ideas through our homepage!
Mia also managed to balance the fine line between being a design & fabrication studio and technology platform. She says:
Naya’s identity is somewhere between a design company, and a tech startup. When designing the website, we wanted to reflect that hybrid identity by integrating technology aesthetics and interactions with a design sensitivity. We introduced a playful element to the landing page to engage our users and have them interact in a fun and light way!”
Discovering our new identity has been an exciting and enlightening journey. In the end, we had an incredible team of 10 people working hard and collaborating to bring this amazing vision and experience to life. If you need intros to Mia or Ajay, please reach out. Remember to stay bold and experimental. We hope you enjoy our new experience!
