Visual Strategy

& Brand Concepts

December 13, 2023
 Our Process

Phase 1: Brand Strategy

Phase 2: Visual Strategy & Brand Concepts

Phase 3: Brand Development

Phase 4: Brand Refinement

Phase 5: Brand Guidelines

 Project Timeline
● Week 1 (11/13 - 11/22) - Phase 1: Brand Strategy - 3 strategy sessions with brand sprint team
● Thanksgiving Week
● Week 2 (11/27 - 12/1) - Brand strategy development
● Week 3 (12/4 - 12/8) - Deliver brand strategy & gather feedback: 12/5
○ Brand strategy refinements made and document delivered: 12/8
● Week 4 (12/11-12/15) - Phase 2: Visual Strategy & Brand Concepts
○ Meeting to deliver visual strategy & brand concepts & get feedback: 12/13
● Christmas/New Years/Valeria OOO (12/18-1/5)
● Week 5 (1/8 - 1/12) Phase 3: Visual adjustments
○ Meeting to present visual strategy refinements: 1/12 -
● Week 6 (1/15 - 1/19) Phase 4: Brand Development
○ Meeting to deliver brand platforms & get feedback: 1/19 (??)
● Week 7 (1/22 - 1/26) - Phase 5: Brand Guidelines
○ Meeting to present brand guidelines: 1/26 (??)
● Final Brand Book delivery
What you’ll see today
● A recap of our Brand Strategy
● A brief competitive analysis
● Mood boards based on each of the personality traits using a collection of
found images to create an inspiration for the visual direction of your brand.
● Two different concepts that can tell your brand’s story in a variety of ways.
● A first pass at brand elements including logo, color and type. Once a direction is chosen, each of
these elements will go through extensive refinement.
● Test applications to bring the brand’s look and feel to life.
Brand Pyramid
EMOTIONAL TERRITORY

Targets: Belonging

● Cat people
PROMISE

● Brands wanting to
connect with cat people: Welcome home

Insight: PROPOSITION

Cat people are cat people. Everything cats for people who
And ironically, cat people know that cats are everything.
often feel like underdogs in
our culture. There’s a certain PERSONALITY

pride in that. We know we’re

Hospitable | Trustworthy | Curator | Cool Confidence
a bit different, and we own it.
But everyone needs to feel a
sense of belonging. A place
VALUE PROPS
where that difference is not
just understood, but
Exclusively inclusive | Breadth / depth | Respectful | Unafraid/bold | Stay curious
welcomed.
Personality

Hospitable Trustworthy Curator Cool Confidence

Approachable Expert Discerning Humble swagger/flex
Caring Distinguished Community-oriented Sly (twinkle in eye)
Warm Respectful Helpful guide Can back it up
Gracious Direct Service-oriented Experienced

Visual Considerations

- Represent the feeling of “welcome home”

- Needs to show inclusivity of all cat people
- Should communicate the comprehensiveness of Cats.com (breadth/depth) that
no other brand can claim
- Needs to demonstrate the brand personality in action
- Should create distinctiveness for the brand
- Should indicate that cats.com is moving beyond educational/informational
content to embrace the full cat experience
Things to consider

● How the images feel as a whole.

● We’re exploring different color palettes, this exercise is about color usage
(For example one bold color vs multiple colors).
● We are considering typography and font styles.
● We don’t own any of the photography shown here, so think about the general
feeling versus specific details.
Competitive landscape
Top pet media brands
Competitive landscape: Pet media brands

The Spruce Pets Daily Paws The Dodo

Competitive landscape
Top cat media brands
Competitive landscape: Cat media brands

Catster Love Meow ICanHasCheezburger

Competitive landscape
Top cat CPG brands
Competitive landscape: Top cat CPG brands

Fancy Feast Hill’s Royal Canin Meow Mix

Competitive landscape
Top pet retailers brands
Competitive landscape: Top pet retail brands

Petco Chewy PetSmart

Key takeaways
Key takeaways

● In the brands analyzed, most color schemes are white and combined with
a central color of the brand (generally blue or red).
● Pet Media brands have more developed brand identities, with
well-defined styles in the use of graphics, colors, illustrations and style.
● Cat brands don't really have many unifying themes which also reinforces
the idea that cat info online is dispersed and there's no home.
● The style of the photographs used by these brands varies between stock
and amateur photographs, the retail and food brands use their own
photography while the Pet Media and Cat Media brands do not.
Our visual strategy
Trustworthy
Expert
Distinguished
Respectful
Direct
 Cool Confidence
Humble swagger/flex
Sly (twinkle in eye)
Can back it up
Experienced

replace with
photo
 Hospitable
Approachable
Caring
Warm
Gracious
 Curator
Discerning
Community-oriented
Helpful guide
Service-oriented
Summary
Hospitable Trustworthy

Curator Cool confidence

Brand concepts
How to evaluate

Keep the direction concept top of mind; focus on the big ideas instead of
the details of execution.

● How does the tone feel? Tone is a combination of different elements

including logo, color, typography, photography style, and messaging that
creates an overall feeling for the brand.
● Color is easy to change. It’s most important to establish an approach. For
example, do you prefer multiple colors or one?
● Keep in mind that we do not own photography, and in some cases,
illustrations yet. At this stage, we need to focus on deciding if the style
feels right.
● We’re with you to help make decisions or answer questions you may
have!
Direction 1
Generate a subtle Build from a serif Use a color combination
reference to cats, typography to convey a that refers to
intervening in serious, respectful professionalism, security,
typographic message that’s and trustworthiness but
construction. simultaneously with a touch of warmth
accessible and modern. to generate contrast.
Joining the C with the A Serif typography conveys respect
can generate a solid and knowledge, but some
reference to a cat customizations make it more
modern and approachable.

This dot in an orange color

can be a reference to the
holding brand.
BLUE ORANGE BROWN GREEN YELLOW
Professionalism, security Playfulness, vitality and Comfort, security and a Growth, fertility, health, Happiness, positivity and
and formality. friendliness. down to earth nature. generosity and a optimism.
Mature and trustworthy. It is invigorating and evokes connection to nature.
energy.
Direction 2
 Generate a subtle Build from a sans serif Use a color combination
reference to cats, by typography, to convey that refers to warmth,
using an element from clean, minimal, friendly, harmony, compassion,
the cat universe, like a and modern. and wisdom. But also,
yarn ball. diversity and inclusion.
The letter T is slightly tilt to
provide dynamism, in a kind
of interaction between the
word cats and the ball.

The dot is represented with a yarn

ball as a graphic element typical of
the cats universe that provides
warmth and playfulness.
PURPLE YELLOW ORANGE GREEN LIGHT BLUE
Warmth, emotions, Happiness, positivity and Playfulness, vitality and Growth, fertility, health, Tranquility, trust and
compassion, and wisdom. optimism. friendliness. generosity and a openness.
It is invigorating and evokes connection to nature.
energy.
Summary
Direction 1 Direction 2
 Next Steps

Phase 1: Brand Strategy

Phase 2: Visual Strategy & Brand Concepts

Phase 3: Brand Development

● Christmas/New Years/Valeria OOO (12/18-1/5)
● Week 5 (1/8 - 1/12) Phase 3: Visual adjustments
○ Meeting to present visual strategy refinements: 1/12

Phase 4: Brand Refinement

Phase 5: Brand Guidelines

Thank you!