Sub Urban Films

Nicework was approached to rebrand local film production company Sub Urban Films. The new branding had to clearly express the core qualities and capabilities of the company. This was achieved by distilling these abstract qualities into a series of icons that were used throughout the corporate identity and logo. Nicework also curated a collaborative exhibition to launch the new brand that employed the talents of South Africa's finest illustrators.

Client: Sub Urban Films

Sub Urban Films was a film production company that brought together a diverse range of directors and industry specialists to create TV commercials, documentaries, music videos and new media. The company was established in 2000, by internationally recognised director Miles Goodall and CEO Linda Notelovitz Goodall. The company is no longer in existence.

Services:

Branding, Design, Project Management

Discovery:

Sub Urban Films positioning statement, 'Love at first sight' reflected the approachable and collaborative spirit that underpinned the company's philosophy. The company aimed to bring together a uniquely talented mix of individuals, built on a philosophy of trust, transparency, teamwork and creative collaboration to turn great ideas into exceptional work.

After seeing our impressive showreel, Sub Urban Films approached Nicework to conceive a creative strategy to rebrand their company.

Brief:

• Create a new brand for Sub Urban Films, including a logo and full corporate identity,
• All branding had to clearly reflect the company's vision and creative approach
• Conceive an inventive launch campaign that would increase brand awareness amongst clients and potential clients

Challenges:

• The brief required Nicework to translate a hugely complex concept into a simple idea through our creative treatments
• The client kept changing her mind, which led to three different iterations of the original design

Tackling the brief:

After an initial discovery period, Nicework outlined the key qualities and capabilities that encapsulated the Sub Urban Films brand. Five brand icons were created to relay these abstract qualities in a simple and visually accessible way:

1. Camera

   The camera is the most recognisable representation of film that cuts to the core of what Sub Urban Films is about. The camera is also the device that brings cinematic creativity to life.

2. Eye

   The eye and camera concepts are a mirror of two similar ideas: the eye as an organic camera and the camera being a mechanical eye. The image of the eye also connotes vision, clarity and experience.

3. Brain

   The brain is the place where creativity and knowledge meet, a connection that is implicit in the process of filmmaking.

4. Heart

   The heart referred to Sub Urban Film's positioning statement "Love at first sight". It also reflects the passion that Sub Urban Films put into each project.

5. Octopus

   The octopus is a simple yet highly evolved creature that is able to conduct a multitude of tasks in a seemingly frantic yet focused manner. It embodied the collaborative qualities that Sub Urban Films offered.

These five brand icons were brought together in the company's new logo inspired by the shape of a mandala. This logo mandala reflected the holistic approach of the company.

To launch the brand, Nicework conceived an exhibition that employed the talents of five local illustrators. Each illustrator was given the task to create an artwork inspired by one of the five Sub Urban Films brand icons. These artworks would express the creativity and collaboration that Sub Urban Films stood for. Participating artists Louis Minnaar, Shaun Botes, Theory One, Wesley van Eeden and Christian Mugnai created some truly amazing designs that way surpassed our expectations.

Despite producing a new brand that was beautifully executed and backed by a solid creative concept the project was never realised. Sub Urban Film's CEO decided to take the company in a new direction, forcing Nicework to can the project. Despite this unfortunate development, we can still thank Sub Urban Films for giving us a project that produced some of the finest work in our creative history and an opportunity to work with some of South Africa's best illustrators.

Result:

• A beautiful brand that is a welcome addition to Nicework's portfolio
• An opportunity to work with South Africa's finest illustrators
• The production of five beautiful artworks
• Many lessons learned