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Service: Brand Video

THE NAUTILUS

OUR WORK

THE NAUTILUS

How we Branded ‘Freedom’

Last Updated
September 13, 2022
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What is freedom? Is it something you can buy, or brand?

These questions and more arose when we began our branding journey with The Nautilus, a new Maldivian project aimed at ultra-high net worth individuals. Looking to create a stand-out brand for their intimate, untouched island in Baa Atoll, The Nautilus needed an identity that truly offered something of elusive and undisputed value to people who ‘have it all’.

QUO was tasked with not only creating a brand strategy and culture for The Nautilus, but also a distinctive visual identity, a brand voice, all kinds of collateral, a website, and a brand video shot on The Nautilus’ idyllic Maldivian island.

But first we had to ask: what is the most precious commodity of all?

the nautilus book

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Website Development
Promotional Design
Brand Video

BRAND CULTURE

Liberating Indulgence

The answer? Time.

Time is the one thing money can’t buy. But on a private island in the Maldives, why address time at all? This was central to the brand positioning created by QUO, as we completely stripped the concept of time away from The Nautilus experience to create an immensely private resort where a whimsically bohemian attitude allows guests to do what they want, when they want. The Nautilus emerged as a sophisticated refuge affording guests the freedom to enjoy life’s elusive elemental pleasures, namely the ability to simply be.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Breathing Life into an Empty Shell

The Nautilus, having come to QUO with a name in place, needed a visual identity that flew in the face of expectation. While the resort hardware itself would have echoes of a nautilus shape, the designers and strategists at QUO didn’t think it would position the brand correctly to utilise the shell shape overtly through its corporate identity.

Instead, we crafted a logo that would breathe bohemian sophistication into The Nautilus and its collateral, one that would resonate with both its luxurious side and its more free-wheeling spirit of liberation.

TONE OF VOICE

A Modern Bohemian

The voice created for The Nautilus does not shy away from its poetic side. Unafraid to ponder aloud, it sets a philosophical mood with provocative questions peppered throughout the prose. It also ‘paints with words’ to create a sense of intrigue and invite readers into a world without inhibitions—a world of their own making.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

What is Your Greatest Freedom?

Before The Nautilus opened, QUO crafted a microsite using a different approach to recreating the guest journey with visuals that reflected The Nautilus’ bohemian-but-sophisticated essence. All of QUO’s departments were involved in the creation of the initial site map, integration strategy, design, content and digital direction to create a fully immersive user experience. Based on the key experiences offered by the resort, its whimsical tone laid the groundwork for the full The Nautilus website, which was released after the resort’s opening.

VISIT WEBSITE

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

No Ordinary Brochure

The Nautilus was never going to have a normal hotel brochure. The 32-page book was Chinese-bound, providing more flexibility with printing, and allowing us to add a twine binding around the outside of the cover, in keeping with the bohemian style of the visual identity.

BRAND VIDEO

A Place Beyond Time

Finally, to fully capture The Nautilus guest experience, the QUO video team went on-site to film a brand video. Outlining the resort’s aim of letting guests escape the bounds of time, we sourced models and travelled with them to the resort to craft a two-minute story about the resort’s offerings amidst the stunning scenery of the Maldives.

THE NAUTILUS MALDIVES – A PLACE BEYOND TIME

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Zeni

OUR WORK

Zeni

Hybridised space for a summer holiday experience

Last Updated
October 29, 2021
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Since its founding in 2014, My Property Host (MPH) has built a prominent position in the UK’s hospitality sector, offering end-to-end solutions for short-term rentals.

In 2020 MPH soft-launched ‘Relax’, a new accommodation solution that utilizes vacant student accommodation during the July to September summer holiday period. Following initial success and the prospect of a boom in domestic travel for the 2021 summer season (due to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions), MPH decided it was time to re-launch the brand with a stronger concept and identity.

QUO worked with MPH to identify the strategic opportunity defining a brand that stands for a fun, engaging summer experience. Zeni was born.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Website Development
Video Production

BRAND CULTURE

Capturing the Summer Spirit

As a seasonal brand, Zeni’s positioning and identity needed to be closely associated with the joys of summer.

QUO’s strategy team developed a unique concept of a fun summer-only brand, tapping into the emotions of the holiday period and what it means. Underpinned by the values of the conscious traveller, Zeni promises to welcome guests to its vibrant community with open arms, with a focus on nurturing meaningful human interactions.

BRAND NAMING 

Named for ‘Zeus Xenios’

MPH brought their concept to QUO as a yet-to-be-named Brand X. QUO’s content team undertook several rounds of naming, exploring words and concepts related to travel, hospitality traditions and summer vibes. Everything from Chaucer’s tales to Bedouin welcoming rituals were on the table.

The name Zeni draws inspiration from the Greek god of hospitality Zeus Xenios—as he’s called in some stories—invoking his role as a protector of travellers. It was once believed that Zeus sometimes masqueraded as an out-of-town traveller, so welcoming road-weary strangers into your house was tantamount to welcoming Zeus, himself.

Zeni is a shortened, sounds-like tribute to that welcoming spirit.

VISUAL IDENTITY 

Picture Summer. Unlocked.

Our creative team developed a logo that connects strongly to the meaning behind ‘Zeni’ and represents opening doors to a new community through the use of the letter ‘i’, which is stylised to resemble a keyhole. A pastel colour palette invokes a sense of springtime turning into summer.

The result: a cheerful, accessible logo that conjures summer vibes, unlocked potential and a perpetual sense of welcome and togetherness.

TONE OF VOICE 

“Book a Room While It’s Hot. Literally.”

With its cultural foundation in place, and a name to boot, it was time for Zeni to find its voice. The content team developed that reflects a summertime attitude with positive vibes and a pinch of humour. It adapts to each location where Zeni operates with a touch of local vernacular.

Punchy, upbeat and fun-loving. It’s the Zeni way.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Digitising Summer Vibes

Once the brand’s distinctive visual identity and tone of voice were clearly defined, it was time to build the Zeni website. This one-stop digital portal introduces the brand to consumers and presents MPH’s room inventory on a freshly branded platform. Users can explore the cities where Zeni operates, view room availability and complete their booking through the site.

Visit the Zeni website here.

QUO’s creative team produced a range of applications for Zeni. These were tailored to the client’s specific marketing plan and included social media templates, PowerPoint templates, an investor presentation, branded facemasks, key cards and stationery.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Unlock the Summer

In line with the concept developed, QUO also created a social media video—featuring fast cuts and energetic music—to engage Zeni’s target audience in on-brand, summertime activities.

ZENI video

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INK HOTELS

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INK HOTELS

TAPPING INTO THE SOULS OF VIBRANT CITIES

Last Updated
July 22, 2021
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When Singapore-based hospitality player Next Story Group approached us in 2019 to create a bold new brand for the Gen Z traveller, we knew this would be more than just a hotel…

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Brand Video

BRAND CULTURE

Putting it in Ink

Ink is all about vibrant, playful and comfortable places to make your own and hang out with locals and travellers alike. It is designed to host, connect and inspire a new wave of curious, plugged-in explorers seeking more transformative and creative experiences. Environmentally and socially conscious, Ink delivers genuine value, while guests can expect excellent quality when it comes to the things that really matter.

VISUAL IDENTITY

New Name, Fresh Look

When Next Story Group originally brought the brand to QUO, it was known as ‘Linq’, but they wanted to explore other names with the hopes of finding something that better captured the brand’s distinct and colourful DNA. Naming strategy followed and ‘Ink’ emerged, paving the way for a refreshing logo, photography guidelines and colour palette. The resulting visual identity is free-spirited, creative and more than a little quirky—surprising viewers with unexpected imagery and ultimately priming them to connect, laugh and colour outside the lines.
TONE OF VOICE

Sounds like Fun, Must Be Ink

Ink is also all about inspiring prose. Our content team created a tone of voice and a thorough style guide that conveys the brand’s sense of laidback fun and social energy, positioning it as an inclusive community space that is open to both travellers and members of the local neighbourhood. A new type of hotel for a new generation of curious souls, we wanted to push the boundaries of what a hotel tone of voice can and should sound like.
BRAND VIDEO

Gen Z Are Online Natives

To appeal to an audience that grew up online, we knew that Ink’s website needed to take it to the next level. Balancing an explosion of on-brand words, images and colours with deep functionality, their intensive website covers everything from the brand and property basics to booking and local-approved neighbourhood guides. The first Ink property was launched in December 2019 in the heart of Melbourne’s hip waterfront hub, while a second property is due to open in Singapore this year.

Ink Hotel Melbourne Southbank Video

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JAZ IN THE CITY

OUR WORK

JAZ IN THE CITY

Creating a Hip Urban Hotel Brand

Last Updated
September 19, 2019
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Jaz in the City is one of our most vibrant brands, and one that has stayed true to its original vision through every touchpoint as it has grown from the original hotel in Amsterdam with new properties across Europe and beyond.

It all started when parent group Deutsche Hospitality (then Steigenberger Hotel Group) approached us back in 2014 to create a distinctive, experience-led brand that would help them expand the existing Jaz portfolio (already established as a luxury resort brand in Egypt) into Europe in a way that made sense.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Video
Promotional Design
Tone of Voice
Visual Identity

BRAND STRATEGY

Getting into the Groove

After lots of collaboration with Deutsche Hospitality, QUO’s strategy team came up with the “In tune, but offbeat” Jaz in the City, an experiential brand that promised to sync global travellers with the rhythm of the locale. Borrowing heavily from jazz culture – because you should never look a gift horse in the mouth! – the resultant brand celebrates art and music, and uses improvisation to stay fresh and ‘tuned in’.

VISUAL IDENTITY

A Universal Beat

Jaz already had a name and a logo, which was pure letterform with Arabian-style serifs. We took it and modernised it by separating its cursive letters to improve legibility and accessibility. For the colour, black was out – only royal purple would do, to give Jaz a luxurious feel.

‘In the City’ was used as a descriptor, to differentiate properties from their Egyptian cousins. The logo works both without the descriptor and with the property location, as pictured. A secondary colour of orange – or oranje, if you prefer – was used to reflect Jaz Amsterdam’s Dutch pride.

TONE OF VOICE

Night at the Improv

How would you expect Jaz to speak? A jazzy tone suited the brand perfectly, but to keep it rooted in the now, its wordplay, rhythm and rhyme was injected with a cheeky sass – the confidence of a truly in-the-know local. To provide a sense of place, and to be truly improvisational, the voice incorporates local slang and sayings.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

Keepin’ it Cool

There was no place for tired old stationery and boring ‘do not disturb’ signs at Jaz. Amenities invite guests to “Make your Jaz hands sparkle” (soap) and “Clean up your act” (shower gel). All around the hotel, the brand voice works together with the rich royal purple for a brand experience that hits every note. Even in longer form, Jaz copy’s got that swing.

VIDEO

Lights, Camera, Jaz!

The brand video for Jaz posed a problem we often have: what do you feature in a video if there’s no product? The answer is either stock footage or animation, so we went with the former to convey Jaz’s dedication to the locale. Using footage of Amsterdam cut together with ‘improv’ takes and a jazzy saxophone-led soundtrack, the result is fun, quirky and a little offbeat, with text on screen to help pull all the traits together.

See the brand in action by checking out Jaz on the web here.

JAZ IN THE CITY VIDEO

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ILO

OUR WORK

ILO

Evolution and Equality

Last Updated
October 9, 2019
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The International Labour Organization (ILO) and QUO have worked closely together to bring many important topics to the attention of governments, employer and employee organizations, and civil society and non-governmental organizations. This includes early work on ILO projects in Cambodia, visual identity and video work the Asian Decent Work Decade, and, more recently, the ILO exhibition for the Asia Regional meeting.

Automation in ASEAN

In 2016, QUO worked with ILO on a series of reports seeking to answer the question: Will machines cause mass unemployment in ASEAN? This series, collectively entitled ASEAN in Transformation, incorporated findings from 6,800+ surveys, 330+ interviews, 13 company site visits and six expert consultations to identify which ASEAN occupations and sectors are at the highest and lowest risks of automation, and to address the challenges and opportunities facing five prominent sectors.

Helping to coordinate the project’s rigour and breadth, QUO took on design and editorial responsibilities to establish a unique visual identity and to clearly communicate a sense of urgency to non-specialised readers. In addition to the full report, QUO developed a series of relevant infographics and a high-impact presentation for use in workshops, symposiums and conferences.

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Women in Management

Evidence shows that gender diversity at decision-making levels of business improves organizational performance and increases profitability. Yet as the level of management increases, the share of women’s employment decreases. Why is it that women are not reaching top-level positions despite their proven ability and effectiveness?

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Fragile Zones and the Private Sector

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SOUTHERN LAOS

OUR WORK

SOUTHERN LAOS

Branding an Enchanting Destination

Last Updated
September 19, 2019
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With a wealth of natural, cultural and historical attractions, Southern Laos is an ideal destination for tourists searching for an enchanting getaway. But until very recently Southern Laos was relatively undiscovered, often overshadowed by neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, and other regional attractions.

Looking to bring this magical destination to the wider world, Swisscontact, an independent foundation for international development cooperation, brought together a coalition of public, private and civil society in 2015 to help create income and job opportunities for the local population through a more competitive tourism sector.

As part of this effort, QUO was appointed to create a fresh destination brand that would reflect the region’s diversity and the life-changing new experiences to be found there.

SERVICES

Brand Strategy
Visual Identity
Promotional Collateral
Tone of Voice
Website Development
Video

BRAND STRATEGY

A Multi-agency Partnership

The project was kicked off by a two-day branding workshop in Pakse with key stakeholders from the region including tour operators, travel agents, hotel owners and local government authorities.

Drawing on valuable local insights and additional research, our brand strategy team began to form a compelling brand culture around the region’s intrinsic diversity, serenity, distinct charm and ‘Sabai Sabai’ (relaxed) approach to life. Following a tour of Southern Laos’ most inspirational and iconic sites the team returned to Bangkok to develop the brand essence that would define the destination – ‘Charming by Nature’.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Bringing the Essence to Life

QUO’s creative team drew inspiration from Southern Laos’ expressive personalities, proud traditions and stunning geography to translate the brand essence – which was also adopted as the Southern Laos tagline – into a logo evoking the Lao alphabet’s circular forms with the image of a fisherman in a long-tail boat as well as a compelling visual identity. Clear instruction on how to bring the new identity to life were outlined for the client in detailed visual identity and photography guidelines.

PROMOTIONAL COLLATERAL

‘Beyond the Ordinary’

To help promote the destination and the new brand, a special Southern Laos destination guide was produced with an introduction to the region, a detailed location guide, and tips and tricks to help travellers to get the most from their experience. The guide, entitled ‘Beyond the Ordinary’, brought the brand’s new visual identity to life, working seamlessly with beautiful imagery from the region’s most iconic attractions.

TONE OF VOICE

‘The Local Expert’

With the visual identity in place, it fell to QUO’s content team to develop a tone of voice that would define how Southern Laos communicates with the world. It developed the voice of a ‘local expert’ who knows the region forwards and backwards and speaks in a direct, confident and knowledgeable manner.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Connecting Southern Laos with the World

As the project began to take shape, it fell to QUO’s digital team to build an interactive, informative website that would do justice to this magical destination.  Taking advantage of the stunning beauty of Southern Laos, we opted for a design that focused heavily on large, high-definition images. The site also includes full destination and culture guides, a trip planner, news updates and more.

You can check the website out for yourself right here.

VIDEO

Capturing the Spirit of the Region

The Southern Laos brand was further amplified by an engaging promotional video produced to help potential visitors explore the attractions on offer in the region. The Southern Laos video is an embodiment of the spirit of the region, showing beautiful scenery, the generosity of the local people, and a place ideal for slowing down, living in the moment and enjoying life.

It showcases the jewels of Southern Laos, such as the exotic Four Thousand Islands on the Mekong River, the stunning waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau, Vat Phou Temple, the shadow puppet theatre and the warm smiles of the locals.

SOUTHERN LAOS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

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