How can we position a new media platform to combat the prevalence of biased media to better inform the Finnish general public to make their own choices on current cultural topics?
Biased media reporting has become an increasingly visible issue. Angles and information are driven by the alliances of the media companies, putting not only the consumers of media at a deficit but also the journalists. As a new venture, Tasavalta was keen to establish a solid foundational brand that would be not only visually strong within the media landscape, but also have a strong driving mission directed at arming the everyday reader with all unbiased information to allow them to make their own informed decisions.
Collaboratively Defining Core Values
We worked directly with the stakeholders behind the vision of Tasavalta to help bring a unified clarity to their brand values. Through workshops we aligned the teams on the brand thinking and, in-turn, facilitated a more informed discussion around how to build the visual brand, and how it comes to life in digital platforms.
Tapping in to Finnish Culture
Tasavalta means republic — where representative participation is paramount to the governing process. A confluence of minds and an intersection of ideals. Tasavalta’s visual identity celebrates the center of this exchange — with one arm embracing history, and the other arm pointing towards the future.
Building the Visual Language
An organization that portrays direct and to-the-point information needed a brand language that would make a strong statement, while still being approachable and relatable to the targeted audience. A strong san serif font formed a backbone for typography where it could be bold and distinct, but at the same time familiar and relatable. Coupled with a strong color palette built around a cultural media landscape, and a flexible but distinct brand mark, the visual foundation was set to be applied across any communications.
Defining Major Touchpoints
Primarily a digital platform, reaching an audience from anywhere meant making sure the brand resonated across different device types. Our flexible system meant the bold statements, identifiable attributes, and strong presence were unified in presentation across all windows of consumption.
Project Highlights
Collaborative workshops with the client to define the brand vision and mission
Strategic direction of the potential digital platform and how it would bring the mission to life
Design sprints to bring visual definition to the brand
A solid brand foundation and design system to build upon
Rapid visualization of executional implimentations of the brand across an variety of online and offline touchpoints
Deep collaboration with the company stakeholders to lead them through the brand definition process
Dave Papworth
Finlabs CCO. New York
Being in an era of media misinformation, it was very motivating to get on board with and help define the brand and mission of a new media company envisioned to combat these issues. As a creative, it is always nice to get those eyebrow-raising “ah-ha” moments when everything gains clarity and that was a feeling we all got, as a team, frequently throughout this project.
