So Alegria
Branding an emotional journey
So Alegria means ‘mere joy’. Rarely have we worked on a brand that has a more harmonious and warm sensitivity to it. Rarely, also, do we get to work with such interesting ingredients: spiritual growth, a Meso-American color palette, a poetic narrative, and psychedelic graphics. A designer’s dream. But also a serious business that required serious branding.
Surpassing the usual style standard of commercial businesses in spirituality, the branding had to actually be careful not to exaggerate its influence any further. The goal was to successfully launch, and to attract a curious audience all the way to the jungle of Cost Rica. By truly capturing the unique feeling of spiritual growth, we were able to convey So Alegria’s value without having to oversell it.
The value we added
The strategy — Part of the design brief was tailoring the brand’s proposition for a Western audience, while remaining in touch with the traditional ways and culture. The way we navigated this challenging objective was by shifting the focus away from traditional techniques, customs, and culture towards the emotional essence that defines any spiritual journey. This is the universally relatable part that resonates with Westerners as well.
The design — How to visualize emotions that are stacked in layers became a core design objective. Taking inspirations from Rothko’s immersive paintings, we settled on an esthetic that feels personal but remains abstract and anonymous. The colors are made vibrant, to easily associate with a meso-American origin. And the illustration and animation are composed by either a downward – grounding – axis, or a forward – travelling – axis.
With pure joy
Working with Studio Kartel was, in one word, fantastic. The final result is not only beautifully designed, but also perfectly aligned with who we are and what we want to communicate.
- Christian Lehota
- Owner of So Alegria
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