Service: Tone of Voice

Honing a Legend

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BAROS

Honing a Legend

Last Updated
September 8, 2022

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Baros Maldives is an undisputed legend. This luxurious island resort has been a beacon of Maldivian hospitality for more than four decades. After starting out as a dive resort, today Baros represents the standard for luxury in the Maldives. How do you improve upon a brand with that kind of pedigree?

That was our challenge.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Website Development

BRAND CULTURE

Reimagining Baros

Forty years ago, when many were saying the Maldives could never succeed as a major tourism destination, Baros had already opened its doors. When the archipelago was still communicating with the outside world via Morse Code, Baros was wowing the Maldives’ earliest guests with warm hospitality and a vibrant house reef.

In 2017, Baros entrusted QUO with the task of encapsulating this rich heritage and unrivalled reputation in a new brand identity that also reflected its progressive spirit.

QUO worked closely with Baros to help refine its forward-thinking vision in a way that stayed true to its past. While the resort didn’t need a radical change in culture, there was a need, after more than 40 years, to ensure Baros didn’t become stale or content to rest on its laurels.

The result is an evolution of the brand that seamlessly blends its position as one of the Maldives’ original and best resorts with an enterprising, ever-evolving spirit.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Letting Natural Beauty Shine Through

How do you create a visual identity for a place so stunning it defies description? For our design department, the answer was to give Baros’ beautiful natural scenery and cosy interior decor plenty of room to breathe. Earthy greens and subtle browns communicate the hues of Baros’ natural palette, giving the brand a sophisticated, down-to-earth feel, while gold foil adds a glint of luxury and makes the logo ‘pop’ on print applications.

For the new logo, the ‘B’ mark features wave or shell patterns to reflect the resort’s island identity. The gold foil used for the mark reflects Baros’ lasting legacy as a ‘statesman’ of Maldivian hospitality, and of course, communicate luxury status. The rich green shade reflects the property’s towering palm canopy—a rare attribute in the Maldives, where many islands still have younger, less-developed gardens.

A resort that has been around for decades has a lot of well-established collateral, so naturally part of the Baros rebrand involved redesigning day-to-day operational items. A factsheet, brochure and spa menu were first to be produced with the new visual identity and brand voice. Items to follow included everything from name cards to flip-flops.

TONE OF VOICE

Giving Baros a Voice

To reflect Baros’ rich heritage and inherent warmth, QUO’s content department sought to develop a brand voice that was engaging in a classic way. The goal was to create a voice that would reinforce Baros’ status as a Maldivian legend, while conveying the island’s beauty in a traditional-yet-modern way.

The new brand voice recreates the magic of the Baros experience by appealing to the senses with imagery-rich prose that creates naturally spellbinding scenes. Elegant but warm and welcoming, this voice works seamlessly with the brand’s visual elements.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Bringing Baros to the World

As one of the world’s leading luxury resorts, Baros didn’t ‘need’ an urgent website update to generate bookings—but to stay relevant in a market where competitors have sleek, modern sites, Baros had to make the change.

QUO’s digital team combined stunning imagery with a user-friendly interface, including high-res images, interactive galleries, crucial resort information and a floating booking button.

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Arbour Hotel & Residence

An Inviting Urban Sanctuary in Pattaya City

Last Updated
August 5, 2022

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Atmind Group, a local Thai hotel management company, conceived Arbour Hotel & Residence as a prototype for its transition into the upper-midscale and upscale market. In parallel with its marketing efforts during the soft opening phase in 2021, QUO was appointed to create a distinct positioning and concept for this new property.

Located at the edge of Pattaya City, Arbour Hotel & Residence is among the tallest buildings in this vibrant coastal destination, offering spectacular views from its contemporary rooms and suites—all fully equipped with luxury amenities and long-stay residential facilities.

SERVICES

Brand Positioning & Concept
Tone of Voice
Key Messaging
Visual Identity
Social Media Templates
CID Guidelines
Landing Page

BRAND POSITIONING & CONCEPT

Crafting a Concept for Arbour

Leveraging its distinctive assets and creative personality, QUO crafted a compelling concept that resonates across the city and sets it apart from competing offerings. To achieve this, we first needed to create a shift in perception from classic and global hospitality to focus on a more authentically local experience with a distinctive character and offering.

By leveraging its passion for creative food and drink, its sleek biophilic design and its commitment to the local community, Arbour launched as a welcoming retreat where comfort and creativity come to play.

VISUAL IDENTITY & CID GUIDELINES

Nature Reimagined

Arbour’s visual identity is a tribute to the multi-faceted nature of our surrounding environment—of the diversity of colours, forms and functions that each awaken a unique emotion in those who experience them.

It captures the mesmerising sight of petals in bloom, rippling water and cooling breezes and brings this to life through the use of a cool-tone colour palette. A curated selection of blues, greys and greens represents nature’s intrinsically calming and refreshing effect, ultimately conjuring a feeling of being in harmony with the natural world.

In addition to the graphic elements, our creative team crafted a sleek and modern social media template to consolidate and strengthen Arbour’s online presence.

TONE OF VOICE

A Natural Voice

After visiting the property in Pattaya and being charmed by the concept and attention to detail, the editorial team was inspired by the biophilic aspects of the design and used greenery, lushness and nature as anchors and inspiration when crafting the tone of voice.

The result is a voice that is natural and grounded—one that engages and invites readers in with a relaxed and sociable way of communicating.

LANDING PAGE DESIGN

All Roads Lead to Arbour

As part of the online marketing campaign, our digital team developed a landing page as an additional component to help draw traffic to both the F&B outlets and booking hotel stays.

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TH@51

OUR WORK

TH@51

An Immersive Dining Concept for an Iconic Taj Hotel in London

Last Updated
July 14, 2022

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Working with IHCL, QUO was tasked with developing a restaurant playbook for a new F&B concept at St James’s Court—a Taj hotel in London. The name of the restaurant, TH@51, is a consolidation of the existing Treehouse restaurant in Taj Dubai and the current London address.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Promotional Design

BRAND CULTURE

TH@51: A New Gem by St James’s

Echoing the city’s vibrant and dynamic dining scene, we imagined TH@51 as an all-day brasserie where food lovers embark on sensorial culinary journeys in stylishly comfortable surroundings. These elements are at the core of the restaurant’s food and beverage philosophy, from global flavours with a touch of showmanship and respect for seasonality and locality to meals made for sharing.

Aiming to resonate with a community of diners with a well-travelled palate, the restaurant needed to tap into the ideas, stories and origins behind the dishes served. TH@51’s concept, ‘A World Of Flavours’, was thus brought to life through engaging and immersive experiences—signature storytelling menus, trolley series and artful tableware—to excite the senses.

INTERIOR DESIGN BRIEF

Poetry Grows in Our Courtyard

TH@51 caters to the needs of discerning foodies and socialisers by serving inventive dishes in a casual yet sophisticated setting. Inspired by the courtyard and garden at this charming Taj property, we created ‘Urban Botanica’, a design concept that complements the hotel’s Victorian charm and architecture.

LOGO & VISUAL IDENTITY DESIGN

🎵 Are you going to TH@51? Tarragon, Magnolia and Thyme

Defining the visual elements of TH@51, our design team created a logo and a brand identity manual with specifications to ensure consistency across applications. In addition, we designed a series of graphic elements to be used as a primary background for both print and digital applications.

In keeping with the concepts of ‘A World of Flavours’ and ‘Urban Botanica’, the key visuals comprise drawings of floral and fruit plants that tell the stories of the ingredients, with patterns including ones of a Tarragon sprig, Magnolia flower, Thyme sprig, Mint sprig and a Lemon branch.

TONE OF VOICE

All the World’s a Plate

TH@51’s curiosity and casual sophistication are expressed through voice traits that are at once knowledgeable and playful, infusing a touch of effortless improvisation into its storytelling.

The resulting TH@51 voice is artful with a personable manner, conveying confidence and curiosity. It strikes an informative, entertaining tone delivered with a relaxed, playful wink.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

TH@51: An Illustrious Flair

Last but not least is adding the final flourish to the experience. On top of creating the brand culture and TH@51’s visual identity, QUO also designed the restaurant’s marketing collateral—coaster and menu design, cocktail illustrations and more—to fully bring the brand to life.

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NIU&NAU

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NIU&NAU

Sculpting a New Kind of Salon Concept

Last Updated
July 12, 2022

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We’re no strangers to transformation. Upgraded identities, snappy new names and all the frills that go with—at QUO, we’ve helped some of hospitality’s biggest names hone their look. So when serial collaborators Taj Hotels dreamed of a modern salon concept to go with their luxury properties, they came to QUO.

BRAND CULTURE

The Salon, Reimagined

To bring niu&nau to life, QUO’s strategy team dug deep for insights into the salon industry, within India and globally. Their research yielded some interesting insights, namely that India’s beauty industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, Indian men aged 25–45 spend more on grooming products than females the same age group, and this spending is expected to grow at a significantly faster pace than female spending.

With this in mind, a unisex offering was developed under the umbrella concept of a ‘salon reimagined’. A complete range of services for men as well as women sets this new brand apart, as many regular salons view men’s services as an afterthought. Taking it a step further, niu&nau’s fresh salon experience came to life in partnership with Truefitt & Hill, a name synonymous with luxury grooming products for men.

From here the ‘salon reimagined’ concept flourished—this salon isn’t simply somewhere to get a haircut or a makeover, it’s a salon with a distinctive social element. Through signature events, programmes and workshops, it attracts a clientele that wants something more from its salon experience—a place to meet and mingle, to see and be seen, and to always, always look fabulous!

VISUAL IDENTITY

niu&nau: A New Look, Now

A sharp new look was a must to make this health and beauty hangout stand out from the crowd. niu&nau is not your average salon, and QUO rose to the task of crafting a polished visual identity to convey this in an eye-catching way.

As niu&nau is a casual and relaxed place, our design team customised a logo using a curved letterform combined with a lower-case treatment to make the logo approachable and friendly. The tails of each letter create a sense of continuity and harmony which speaks to niu&nau’s sense of community. As this logo uses the one-line approach, a darker colour is used to highlight ‘niu’ and ‘nau’, while a lighter colour is used to differentiate between the two words.

TONE OF VOICE

Now We’re Talking

Razor sharp wit? Of course. Copy that’s a cut above? You bet. The niu&nau tone of voice is light and young-at-heart. Speaking niu&nau evokes visions of a casual conversation with an old pal. An energising chat full of expression and creativity—filled with that feeling of ‘yeah, we get each other’.

When crafting niu&nau’s voice, we also threw in some head-turning writing techniques that ought to clash but somehow don’t—thought-provoking prose, goofy puns and a direct, honest way of speaking.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

niu&nau: Stylish Extras

No look is complete without the right accessories. QUO developed a full suite of applications and collateral for the new brand—a full advertising campaign for a glittering launch, salon menus, an EDM template, stylish uniforms and lots of other head-turning stuff. Check them out below.

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LA FESTA

OUR WORK

LA FESTA

Crafting a Tale of Curious Wonders

Last Updated
July 12, 2022

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When QUO received the opportunity to create a new brand that would become part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, our team embarked on a journey to bring La Festa Phu Quoc to life.

Building from the foundation, here’s how we crafted the brand essence, naming strategy, brand and visual identity that form the experience at this novel property.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Promotional Design

BRAND CULTURE

La Festa: A Tale of an Artist

Since its conception in 2018, Sun Hospitality Group (SHG) has been at the forefront of luxury in Vietnam’s dynamic hospitality landscape. In 2023 the group will open a new resort under Curio Collection by Hilton—the brand’s inaugural property in Vietnam. The 197-key resort is set in a vibrant coastal destination, Sun Premier Village Primavera, featuring distinctive Mediterranean-inspired architecture and an array of restaurants, bars and iconic landmarks.

Working closely with our clients, the QUO strategy team led a workshop to determine La Festa’s brand culture and essence. The process began with a story genesis—a fictional tale that will serve as a foundation for the brand concept and the hotel’s naming.

For La Festa, the journey started with the tale of an artist from Phu Quoc whose vocation takes him on a seafaring adventure, and ultimately into the arms of love. After returning home with his partner, the two create a whimsical place of hospitality inspired by their travels. Our strategy and editorial teams built on this narrative, and La Festa was born.

BRAND NAMING

Bringing the World to Phu Quoc

Drawing from the property’s Mediterranean-inspired design, QUO explored names that suggest a sense of la dolce vita. The result is a lively name reminiscent of festivities and celebrations with loved ones by the Amalfi coast—La Festa. La Festa literally means ‘holiday’ or ‘festival’ in Italian. It is memorable and easy-to-pronounce word that encapsulates the simple pleasures of Phu Quoc. The name evokes a sense of vibrancy, as well as wondrous joy and celebration of love and kinship experienced by the fictive couple. Not to mention, ‘La’ also adds a distinct Italian flair to the name.

LOGO DESIGN

Celebrating Love and Kinship

QUO’s creative team then stepped in to design and develop the logo by drawing inspiration from the stacked buildings that have become the epitome of Amalfi Coast ingenuity. The final logo reflects this architectural distinction and adds a subtle layer of meaning through the connected letters ‘a‘ and ‘t‘—symbolising bonds of friendship and celebrating love among people and cultures. For the logo and brand colour, turquoise blue takes centre stage as a shade that awakens emotions associated with joy and festivity.

TONE OF VOICE

A Cinematic Dream

“Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.” – Picasso

La Festa’s tone of voice captures the intensity and romance of the couple falling in love with one another and the Mediterranean world. Creating this sentiment in Phu Quoc, QUO created a tone of voice based on the core concept of ‘Imagine the Wonder’.

The voice traits we designed are ‘festive, familiar and cinematic’ to capture the experience of a distant adventure that touches their hearts—now brought home so guests can experience them in the same way. It does not attempt to recreate or replicate, nor does it pretend to be what it is not. Thus, it is a cinematic dream of the Mediterranean informed by memory and retold through this festive sharing of the imagination.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

Bringing Phu Quoc to the World

In addition to conceptualising the brand culture and establishing La Festa’s visual identity, QUO also created marketing collateral and other resources for La Festa. These include designs for the hotel’s PowerPoint presentations, stationery, brand brochure, factsheet and more.

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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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WINK

OUR WORK

WINK

Pioneering hybrid space in South East Asia

Last Updated
September 19, 2019

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The creation of the Wink Hotels brand presented a new set of challenges for QUO. When we were approached by Vanguard Hospitality and Indochina Capital in 2016, we were not simply asked to develop a dynamic new Vietnamese hotel brand, we were also tasked with building real brand recognition across Vietnam long before the first Wink Hotel opened its doors.

Here’s how we tackled one of our most exciting and rewarding projects to date.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Promotional Design
Website Development
Online Marketing

BRAND CULTURE

A New Concept for a New Vietnam

We started this branding journey as we always do—by building a culture and essence that defines the spirit of the brand. Our strategy team worked closely with our clients to decide where this new brand—which didn’t even have a name yet—should fit within the Vietnamese hospitality space.

We travelled to Vietnam to lead an intensive two-day workshop to unearth the answer. By the end the direction was clear. The new hotel brand would focus on the needs of a dynamic new generation of travellers while remaining underpinned by traditional Vietnamese values. From this, the brand’s ‘Indochine 2.0’ cultural essence was born.

Indochine 2.0 is inspired by the tenacity of the Indochine mentality, finding harmony between modernity, innovation, efficiency and the city vibe, ensuring guests leave with a vivid impression of the destination and the brand.

To help bring the brand to life, QUO’s strategy team developed a suite of touchpoints and experiences attuned to the needs of Indochine 2.0 travellers by tapping into contemporary desires and expectations. Inspired by traditional Indochine shophouses, our strategists imagined a hotel where work, life and relaxation could blend seamlessly together in one vibrant whole. This work-life dynamic was to be expressed with exciting features and touchpoints in Wink’s hotels, including multifunctional, multifaceted open-plan lobbies that offer entertainment, food and drink; a library and retail space; flexible minimalist-style guestrooms; intuitive in-room technology; well-equipped co-working spaces; and more.

BRAND NAMING

A Name for an In-the-know Brand

A vibrant new brand needed an energetic, playful name that would connect with the Vietnamese millennial mindset. An English name was preferred, but it had to be easily understood by a Vietnamese audience, easy to pronounce and carry a strong meaning that connected to the brand culture.

In the end, the name ‘Wink’ was chosen from a strong shortlist. It was preferred for its approachable, playful meaning, and its ability to communicate an ‘in-the-know’ brand that aligned perfectly with the guest experience and Wink’s place at the centre of Vietnam’s vibrant urban communities.

LOGO DESIGN

Easy on the Eye

Once the ‘Wink’ name was in place, it was time to bring it to life with a logo that reflected the youthful spirit of the brand. In the end, a simple, modern sans serif font was chosen, with the second part of the ‘W’ contracted to give the subtle impression of a wink. This treatment added a playful dimension to a simple yet sophisticated logo that reflected the contemporary aesthetics of Indochina.

TONE OF VOICE

Sleek, Chic and Fun

The Wink tone of voice is built around a ‘chic and cheerful’ voice concept that embodies Indochine 2.0 and reflects the region’s infectious optimism and bold style, peppering its speech with upbeat exclamations while maintaining a cool, clued-in tone. It seamlessly alternates between sleek prose and cheerful expressions. It plays with punctuation—using ‘;’ to represent a wink—onomatopoeia and phrasing, creating a unique and engaging tone while remaining easy to understand.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

A Nod to the Future

Even though Wink had yet to open its first hotel, it needed plenty of marketing collateral and other resources that would help it grow its presence ahead of launch. QUO developed visually compelling materials such as a brand brochure, factsheet, PowerPoint presentation, stationery and more. We also designed a full suite of operational collateral, ready to be rolled out on the opening of the brand’s first property.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Indochine for the Digital Age

The absence of a physical property didn’t mean it was too early to establish Wink’s digital presence. Not by a long shot. QUO immediately designed and developed a sleek holding website that combined the newly developed visuals and tone to create a compelling online representation of this vibrant new brand.

You can see it for yourself right here.

See Indochina with fresh eyes. Well ahead of Wink’s launch date, QUO designed a holding site that communicates the Indochina 2.0 philosophy with on-brand visuals, a chic and cheerful tone of voice and parallax scrolling effects.

ONLINE MARKETING

Connecting with Indochine 2.0

Not quite ready to rest on its laurels, Wink wanted to start building the brand’s online influence from the get-go. With QUO’s help, Wink began engaging with the Indochine 2.0 generation in new and innovative ways. Together, we set out to demonstrate that you can amass a social media following before you’ve even finished building your first hotel. This was not going to be your typical hotel Facebook page. Instead, we planned to turn Wink into an online persona and trendsetter.

QUO developed a social media strategy and a platform-spanning content plan to help Wink spread its message. The brand speaks to its target audience through Facebook and Instagram posts about music, art, fashion, style, trends and a little light-hearted philosophy. These also direct readers to the Wink emag, home to longer-form blog posts covering everything from hangover remedies to upcoming art exhibitions.

From fashion to food, QUO has helped Wink create and curate a dynamic social media presence. The brand is already emerging as a go-to source for what’s hot in Vietnam—all experienced through the lens of Indochine 2.0. As that presence grew, Wink prepared to deepen its relationship with its target audience even further.

In a calculated multi-level strategy, QUO helped Wink arrange a photography competition. We reached out to Wink’s followers, asking what Indochine 2.0 means to them. The caveat: the answer had to be presented in photographic form along with the hashtag #winkphotocomp2018.

The competition brought fresh eyes to Wink’s social media platforms, and it also gifted the brand with an archive of stunning photos that communicate the Indochine 2.0 aesthetic.

In the end, a young freelance photographer named Hồ Nguyễn took first prize. Her work was exhibited alongside several runners-up at Through the Eyes of Wink, an exhibition hosted at Toong co-working space in Saigon.

Wink Hotels Brand Video

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INK HOTELS

OUR WORK

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

MORE CASE STUDIES

HOSPITALITY

How we Branded 'Freedom'

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Brand Video . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

Honing a Legend

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Logo and Brand Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

An Inviting Urban Sanctuary in Pattaya City

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity

HOSPITALITY

Taking Hospitality Investment By Leaps and Bounds

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Logo and Brand Identity . Visual Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY