Apella Capital is a boutique financial advisory firm serving the mass affluent market. I was asked to revisit and strengthen the branding. Starting with the photography and armed with the tag line “Live Your Future,” I positioned an orange-stroked square element over each hero image as a way to represent a “window to the future,” and then treated the image colorization so that the focus area framed within the orange window is colorful and bright, much like the future of a client who invests with Apella Capital. I also chose aspirational images within the target demographic to further reinforce the “Live Your Future” messaging. The remaining components to the brand and treatments, such as the hierarchy, colors and shapes were further explored and refreshed. Shown below are Apella’s website, a sample print advertisement, a direct mail sample and a powerpoint template.
Brand Identity
Apella’s previous imagery was black & white. The thought process was for the images to look different. However, they came across as dull and depressing. I worked on concepts that combined black and white images of people with color, and began to work in the Apella orange frame. The idea behind the finished image treatment was that everything inside the orange Window of the Future was colorful and bright, much like the future of the people who invested with Apella Capital, and everything outside the window was grey, symbolizing uncertainty.
Website Development
The website served as an online brochure and was the primary extension of the brand. We rethought about everything when building the site, from the structure, navigation and visual design.
Brand Awareness Advertising
The primary goal of this print ad was to make prospective clients aware of Apella Capital's existence in their local area.
Postcard
The brand's overarching voice and tone is aspirational and sets the stage for prospective clients to feel confident about their future. This postcard is an extension of that message, and I've used color, imagery and design to reinforce the bright path that prospects can expect from their retirement when they become an Apella Client.
Presentation Template
I developed Apella's presentation as a blank canvas for a wide range of topcis while incoporating the brand's color palette and minimalist feel.
