this is one time the watsons went to the barre and came out better for it. yes, it was a cool day at school when we were named agency of record for this amazing brand that celebrated bad-ass women — long before it was a thing.
when a luxury fitness brand needed a re-do, the watsons went to the barre.
the watsons were asked to rebrand physique 57, a boutique barre-based fitness company, with studios in new york city, the hamptons, beverly hills, bangkok, and dubai. their best-in-class instructors teach a unique blend of barre-based exercises with intervals of cardio, strength training, stretching and recovery. while the service offering was being widely - and enthusiastically embraced - the brand look and voice needed to better reflect its strengths.
we began with a full re-design, complete with a brand identity toolkit. for the logo, we updated the fonts and color palette to a more modern look. while we maintained the blue logo font, we softened it to make it more upscale, while changing the existing black to grey to meet the same objective.
we also introduced a modern san serif front — sweet sans — and juxtaposed it with a serif — didot — to give it the logo a more ‘of-the-moment' editorial feel.
fitness meets fashion in a beautiful brand campaign.
the watsons then developed an integrated ad campaign that showcased the fierceness that embodied the instructors — and clients — of this unique urban brand.
partnering with photographer, ty mecham, we shot portraits of physique 57’s long-term, passionate (a.k.a. ‘addicted’) clients, among them, fashion designer norma kamali. to show the full spectrum of the brand experience, we partnered with photographer leslie barbaro and shot classes in action.
the new look was clean, elegant and urban, bringing in the energy and attitude of the city itself. with a voice as empowering as the brand experience, we created an aspirational, representation of the powerful women at the helm — and heart — of physique 57
upping the ante - downtown.
when the watsons were later asked to promote physique 57’s new studio in new york’s financial district (fidi), we created a next generation refresh that put a spotlight on the brand’s greatest differentiator: its extraordinary instructors, while bringing the brand’s mantra into the studio — on its walls — and on its merchandise.
we partnered with photographer, josé marquez, directing two shoots. the first, a highly-stylized, fashion-inspired approach, showing how these women live the brand’s promise on every level. the second which featured the instructors at work, was shot reportage style, in the visually stunning baryshnikov arts center. the campaign consisted of print, out of home, digital, social, internal signage and a new web site.