RAY & CO.
BRAND EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Creative Direction
Tom Shi
Brand Design
Pei Shi Hu • Jia Wen Liang
Interior Design
Yong En Wu • Min Dong Zeng Zhen Yu Yao • Wei Tian Xie
Project Management
Qun Jing Liu
OVERVIEW
Ray & Co. is a trading company that imports high-quality European school supplies for students. At the fast-growing stage of Ray & Co., it needs an in-depth visual expression of the brand belief, a cohesive experience throughout, to establish a more sustainable relationship with its customers.
My Role: Design Lead • Research and Strategy • Art Direction • Visual Identity
BRAND
EXPERIENCE PLAN
We recommend Ray & Co. re-position to not merely a trading company but a curator who collects the best brand and school products from the world.
We renovated the overall brand experience, by
• sorting out the brand vision, refining the core value of the brand,
• establishing a new brand identity and visual system to differentiate the brand from their competitors,
• carrying the brand visual cohesively on different applications,
• creating a loyalty program plan to form a relationship with customers.
BRAND POSITIONING
VISUAL
IDENTITY
DESIGN
APPLICATIONS
CUSTOMER
ENGAGEMENT
RESEARCH
The purpose of this research was to better define the target audience and find out the pros and cons of the current brand image. The finding and understanding became the foundation for the branding of Ray & Co.
UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE
Ray & Co. offers high quality imported school products that are designed to care for physical growth and help students learn good habits. However, these products are marked at a higher price point in relation to their alternatives. Middle-class families with higher disposable income, who care about education and health are their target audience. A majority of their products are for primary school students. They play the role of users. However, the actual purchasers are usually the parents or grandparents, considering the price of these products. They have different needs:
Student
interesting, fun, shareable
Parent
safe, educational, high-quality
BRAND AUDIT
During the brand visuals audit, we found that instead of building their own identity and brand presence that they would like to become, Ray & Co. had built their old brand visuals according to a mixture of the brands they carry. Ray & Co. did not have established design elements that could clearly demonstrate the brand. They needed a unique charm to break away from the old brand image to reach their target audience.
BRAND IDENTITY
The findings led us to see that Ray & Co is in need of a new brand image. The brand identity, which was derived from the brand essence and core values, became the foundation of the brand image and design principles.
BRAND VISION
Ray & Co. want all children to grow up to be individuals who are curious, finds pleasure in learning, and enjoy exploring the world.
BRAND MISSION
To help children enjoy growing up through
curating great products and services that:
care for their health
help them to learn
inspire them to create and
encourage them to explore
CORE VALUES
educational
fun
creative
healthy
growing
safe
BRAND IMAGE
RAY & CO ACADEMY
ORGANIZED
VIBRANT
SCALABLE
SIMPLE
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
BRAND VISUAL CONCEPT
Learning to read and write is an important process for children to start getting to know the world. The brand visual is derived from the process of calligraphy and practice sheet.
BRAND LOGO
BRAND LOGO
ONE COLOR
BRAND COLORS
In traditional color theory, red, yellow and blue are the original primary colors. They are pure yet can be mixed to create any other colors. They resonate with the design principles: simple and vibrant.
GRAPHIC ELEMENTS
CUSTOM FONT
To enhance the fun yet organized feeling of the brand, the custom font is created for headline and title level usage.
TYPOGRAPHY
APPLICATIONS
Applying the new brand visual language into various touchpoints cohesively is the key to communicate a consistent brand experience.
APPLYING TO THE SPACE
By translating the visual language to space applications, Ray & Co. communicates a consistent brand experience to their customers.
CUSTOMER
ENGAGEMENT
We derived the Ray & Co. Academy concept from the brand core believes. Parents in China focus on learning but also want their children to explore the world as well. Helping children learn in a fun and enjoyable place safely is what ties the brand and the consumer together.
RAY & CO. ACADEMY
LOYALTY PROGRAM
We constructed the loyalty program as a growing-up and learning journey for the children to gain rewards. All the products Ray & Co. curates have their own distinct quality, such as fostering creativity, helping children to get organized, encouraging outdoor activities and keeping them safe. The courses of Ray & Co. Academy also focuses on the similar qualities their products serve.
VIP KIT
The VIP kit includes a Ray & Co. passport for the children to join and participate in the program, and a VIP card for the parent to earn and use the reward points towards purchases and signing up for events.
PASSPORT
The Ray & Co. passport is one of the loyalty program materials that belong to the children. It serves as a record of their learning journey. Each color indicates a different stage: Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior.
AWARDS CERTIFICATE
Awards certificates from Ray & Co. not only recognize the children's achievements, but also the parents' for their time and energy they spend on their children.
