Salon Adagio Branding

CHALLENGE

I was entrusted with helping a Minneapolis based salon and spa navigate the process or a renaming and rebranding effort. Having been in business for over 30 years, a loyal client following had been built. The challenge was to create a visual identity that would help bring the brand into the 21st century in order to attract a new market while resonating with the existing client base that had come to know and love the old brand.

It was also very important to help the staff understand that brand encompasses far more than just the visual representation of a business. The manner in which employees conduct themselves is a significant part of how a brand will be perceived.

PROCESS

Before any design work began on the logo, I sat down with the owner to put together an inspiration board and mission statement. This was shared with the staff and was to serve as a compass for employees on how they should be representing the brand.

I asked the client a series of questions and developed a creative brief to be used throughout the design process. After researching competitors, I found that a large majority of thier logos were round. I decided a circular logo would not be considered. We needed to go in a different direction to create a completely unique identity. At this point, I began sketching, developing several concepts.

SOLUTION

Adagio, from the Italian, 'ad agio' meaning 'at ease' is frequently used to describe a piece of music that is played or performed slowly and gracefully. For the brand, this translated into the idea of slowing down and taking time for yourself and finding balance in your life. With this idea in mind, I developed the tagline, Where Harmony Begins. This would serve as a great jumping off point for the final visual identity.

The owner had expressed an interest in somehow incorporating music into the identity. The final solution for the logomark began with an Eighth Note which was modified to mimic the curve of a lock of hair. This symbol was then merged with the letter A.