VN Originals
Brand Strategy and Visual Identity Design
Overview
This project was a partnership with Amy Nunweiler, an emerging Vancouver fashion designer. As her brand strategist and designer, I was tasked with uncovering brand values and creating a visual identity to inform future assets, leading up to her runway show at Vancouver Fashion Week.
My Role: Brand Strategist, Visual Designer, Graphic Designer
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Squarespace
Timeline: 4 months
Project Scope
Challenge
Starting with a blank canvas, my first independent brand project required building a comprehensive luxury fashion identity across branding, web, social media, and print — developing a sophisticated yet intimate visual system to establish credibility before Vancouver Fashion Week.
Outcome
The project focused on building an elevated brand system that would serve immediate Fashion Week needs while establishing a foundation for future growth. Through strategic design decisions, the brand must deliver cohesive elements across all touchpoints, effectively communicating quality and sustainability.
Process
Brand Strategy Development
Uncovering Brand Values
Through several in-depth conversations with Amy, I worked to understand the core of her work as a fashion designer and how she wanted to translate her values into a brand.
Key Findings Included:
- A focus on quality and sustainability
- Use of natural and repurposed materials
- Creation of high-end, long-lasting pieces meant to be cherished
Visual Identity
Core Influences
Amy sent me her inspiration images, from which I curated and grouped them into similar themes. These groups will set a guideline for an authentic and cohesive brand voice.
Typography
The typography pairs IvyPresto Heading, an elegant serif with vintage sophistication, with Attribute Mono, a clean monospace font that brings modern minimalism.
This intentional contrast between old and new echoes Amy's design philosophy of reimagining vintage materials into contemporary pieces.
Colour Palette
Drawing from the mood board, I crafted a refined color palette: a comforting cream reminiscent of aged paper acts as our foundation, complemented by bold graphite tones for depth. Bright white adds modern contrast, while forest and medium green bring natural sophistication to complete the scheme.
Brand Asset Creation
Logo Redesign
I revamped the VN logo to make it look more elegant and luxurious, at the designer’s request. “VN” is a take on the designer’s initials, while keeping some distance between the brand and the designer. The A from Amy’s first name is flipped into a V, but the strikethrough brings back some of the A’s identity.
Business Cards
Amy’s cards bring personality, care, and attention to a notoriously common object.
Key Details:
- Flipped first letters of first and last name for visual interest, and as a callback to the brand logo
- Informative paragraph with bolded key details for quick scanning
- QR code for easy website access
- Printed on 300GSM watercolor paper for luxurious, yet, raw feeling
Additionally, I instructed Amy to sew over the strikethrough with thread, leaving excess tails on either end to give a handmade, novel, and intentional touch.
Website
I created Amy’s website to help establish a greater online presence and build credibility for her brand. The website is built in Squarespace, so that Amy can easily make edits and changes as necessary. This platform also easily allows for the expansion of an e-commerce page in the future.
Runway Invitations
I developed a series of invitations to be sent and seen on Instagram: a story, a post, and a personal invite. The center image is a close up image of the fabric from a feature look from the show. I chose dark brand colours to evoke a sense of luxury and emphasize the exclusivity of this evening event.
I incorporated handwritten elements to the design to show a sense of warmth and authenticity. These personal touches aim to balance the formality of the event with an inviting, artisanal charm.
Outcome and Future Plans
Future Endeavours
This project laid the foundation for the VN brand, creating a cohesive visual identity and key assets for Amy Nunweiler's debut at Vancouver Fashion Week.
This project is on pause for the time being, however, we do have future plans to finalize and release an experimental zine, rework the website to introduce an online storefront, and to design beautiful packaging.
Reflections
This project showcased my holistic design approach, from understanding the designer's vision to creating cohesive brand experiences across all touchpoints. While I successfully delivered the visual identity and translated it across print, digital, and physical spaces,
Looking back, I would have liked to gather more user feedback to validate the emotional impact and effectiveness of the brand elements. The additional insights would be able to inform future brand ideation.
