physique 57
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 contemporary look. and while we maintained the blue logo font, we softened it to make it more upscale, changing the existing black to grey to meet the same objective. to give the logo a more ‘of-the-moment’ editorial feel, we introduced a modern san serif front, sweet sans, and juxtaposed it with a serif called didot.
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, reflecting 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 brand physique 57’s new studio in new york’s financial district (fidi), we took the opportunity to create a next-generation campaign refresh that put a spotlight on the brand’s greatest differentiator, its extraordinary instructors, while bringing physique 57’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, revealed 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.
