Bonafide

Nicework created the branding and launch campaign for Cape Town fashion outlet Bonafide. The creative treatment, which was rolled out across the Bonafide promotional campaign and in-store materials, reflects the aesthetic of their edgy clothing range.

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Client: Bonafide

Bonafide is a South African urban apparel store located in Cape Town that sells imported street fashion.

Services:

Branding, Design, Project Management

Discovery:

Bonfide wanted to create a brand that would reflect the distinctive style of their target market: urban, youthful, cool and original.

Nicework was approached because of our ability to deliver cutting edge design work at great rates. And because we are urban, youthful, cool and original too...

Brief:

Nicework's mandate was to conceptualise the Bonafide brand and create a corporate identity that would meet desired project goals. These included:

• Roll-out of the new brand identity across all communication materials and in-store branding including: swing tags, flyers, signage and business cards
• The brand icon had to reflect the ever-changing world of urban style
• The brand identity had to evolve over time and remain relevant in the urban fashion market
• The brand needed to be launched on a very tight budget

Challenge:

The biggest challenge to the project was to think creatively within a very limited budget and to create a brand that was unique enough to be distinguishable in a congested market.

Tackling the brief:

Nicework used the image of an egg in the Bonafide logo as a starting point for other brand elements to be "hatched". The Bonafide Bird "hatched" first and became the central character of the ever-evolving Bonafide universe and an accessible icon of the brand. This evolving visual language succinctly captured the adaptable nature of the Bonafide brand, and settled the "chicken and egg debate" once and for all.

References to street culture permeate the design through the use of sweeping, graffiti-inspired lines, colours and techniques. The sophisticated execution of these urban references reinforced the image of the brand as both youthful and progressive. The brand was made more distinctive by creating a unique typeface that was simple, clean and had good legibility.

Budget constraints limited the design colour palette to two main colours: a burnt orange and an off grey. The choice of these contrasting colours created a striking and memorable design that was adaptable across a range of promotional materials such as in-store signage, flyers and stickers.

Nicework used viral marketing methods to promote the brand by creating a set of eye-catching stickers that used the main Bonafide brand icons and related basic information around the opening of the outlet. This approach aligned Bonafide with a street-orientated ethos and worked effectively within the constraints of a tight budget.

Result:

• A happy client
• A clean, simple brand identity that communicates with its target market across a broad spectrum of marketing materials
• A brand identity that stays relevant to changing trends 
• A successful brand: Bonafide is still in operation today