ART DIRECTION / MZPA
For: MZPA
Year: 2018-2019
Company: Bogdanova Bureau
REQUEST
The young company contacted us when they had reached some results and felt they needed further development. MZPA brand already had several products in their collection. Although the belongings of those products to one collection was not obvious. There was a lack of a united recognizable style and visual language to show their products. Once we were co-organizing the Ukrainian project at Paris Design Week where MZPA participated. So we had some understanding what their brand identity was and what vector of their further development we could offer.
FIRST STEP
In the beginning, we had to get to the essence to deeply embrace all strengths and ambitions of the team. There are always particular people behind a brand and it is important to understand their personalities and desires. Only then you can suggest the right strategy, which fits this particular brand.
We were looking for the right brand identity and emotions. The very first conception we offered was based on simplicity, domesticity and connection with nature. However, as we got to learn MZPA more we found out their values are a little bit different. It is more about the new corporate culture. When the border between office and home blurs and emotional comfort becomes crucial. Thus we verbalized a slogan – "Take care of your people, and then they’ll take care of your business."
COOPERATION
To start shaping recognizable brand identity we launched a new collection. Together we picked objects by Ukrainian designers, defined the color palette and a range of materials for it, and created a mood board. Due to it all elements go well with each other and produce an integrated impression.
On the stage of launching this collection, we helped the company to establish relations with the best Ukrainian designers. Professionals who hold Red Dot Design Awards and work with big international manufactures are not always open to cooperation with young and not so famous brands. Our business connections came in useful in this case.
We also assisted everywhere our experience and expertise were needed. Beside the design-strategy, we helped to find manufacturers, worked on mistakes and collected customer’s feedback.
When the collection was partially ready, we arranged and stylized several photoshoots. We did a photoshoot of objects for a catalogue. We created some exclusive stage-properties for an artistic photoshoot – painted some backgrounds and glued some essential elements with veneer. We also shot mood boards.
EXHEBITION
The crucial point in our cooperation with MZPA was their participation in Maison&Objet Paris. It was a kind of push to make a catalogue done and prepare the scenography to present the brand. It is a good point to have such deadlines that set the working rhythm.
The space on a booth was shared between five participants from Ukraine. It was important for us to place there MZPA composition and remain noticeable among other colleagues.
We found a redhead model who became the face of the collection in the catalogue and other graphic arts production.
The result was a successful presentation of the brand at the fair.
RESULT
Today MZPA has a recognizable brand identity and its products go well with each other. You can easily combine them in one interior although they had been created by different designers.
The collection we worked on consists of a desk, an armchair, a barstool, a folding-screen, lamps and a storage system. Some of them are available for order and a few are only being launched now. We helped the company to understand itself and define the direction for further development.
FEEDBACK
– The company invited an art director to find its own style and a niche in which we would like to develop and be valuable. From the very beginning, we decided to step on the path of a product design. We needed an art director to structure our practice and figure out where to move.
It is important for a company to have both a business part and a creative part. It is not enough to create beautiful things, you would have to present them on the market and sell them professionally. It works vice versa too. Only by combining business approach and creative vision you can reach a powerful result. We managed to embrace those dimensions and cooperate effectively.
Halyna Proskurina, ex COO MZPA brand
