In June 2021 I came to the South Island for the very first time and fell head over heels in love with it. I was on contract in Queenstown with a client and by chance had lots of free time. Having always loved driving and exploring, I drove for hours .. up to Glenorchy and Paradise, to Clyde and Tarras, Wanaka, Lake Hawea and the small lakeside village of Johns Creek.
I returned to Otago in August to explore Central Otago and the white sandy beaches and coastline of East Otago. And it felt like I’d ‘come home’. I returned in March 2022 for one more visit and some months later an amazing opportunity evolved and I returned to settle out at Lake Hawea.
Even today, 3 years later, and now based in Dunedin, the remote and raw landscapes, the big sky night-scapes and the lovely genuine South Island folk continue to capture my heart. Working part time has given me the opportunity to develop a passion project, building a small number of digital assets for businesses across the region each year.
I have a creative eye for soft digital design where more is less. Let’s chat to see if we are a good fit and if so, let’s develop your digital assets to attract customers who align with your story and what you do.
A few words on ‘brand’.
a brand is not a logo
a brand is not a slogan
a brand is not a colour
nor a font or even a feel
A brand intentionally and quietly builds desire and loyalty and a partnership mentality. Your customers are vested in your success so share what you stand for (take and own a clear point of view) and don’t try to please everyone. SO, Share your story, how you got to be where you are today and your purpose, the why you do what you do, and why the fuck it matters to you.
Think Nike .. an absolute legend of a brand .. who originally made shoes. Shoes.
Sports shoes.
An utterly niche product.
But they knocked it out of the park by sharing their story (how 2 guys, a coach and a runner were hell-bent on developing out of this world (at the time) performance footwear).
They were and remain explicit in their purpose (‘we exist to inspire every body to move’, and they share that purpose across all of their communications. ‘Just do it’ .. begs to champion every body as we move. To run around the block or through a marathon, to skip to a beat, or hike a mountain, lift some weight, dance or walk 500 miles (and 500 more).
They then go onto provide multiple avenues to action by developing movement products, movement stores and community run clubs .. that collectively ‘inspire every body to move’.
By absolute design, they sold you your own ‘movement’ success story. And in the mix made movement apparel (Nike shoes and apparel) not only an every day staple but a global community and social status symbol .. simply genius.
Natalie Willis