Case study:
Kora Outdoor
Kora Outdoor:
Brand strategy &
identity design
Yak wool activewear
Kora is a really special company with a noble purpose: to support Himalayan communities in a changing world and help to protect the ecology of the Himalayas.
When we met kora's founder he was right at the beginning of his journey, with a lofty vision of buying yak wool from Himalayan communities and making that into high quality, adventure-ready outdoor apparel.
Business Strategy
We helped kora understand their positioning in the marketplace as an outdoor, natural fibre brand and worked with Michael on concepts for licensing fabric.
Brand Strategy
After carrying out market research and consumer insights, we positioned the brand at the premium end of the outdoor market with a view to establish Kora as a thought leader in the world of natural fibres and extreme outdoor explorations. The kora brand combined high quality performance in extreme environments, natural comfort and a way to make a contribution back to the nomadic Himalayan communities. We devised a series of tests with kora carried out by an external test house to prove the performance of the fabric to prove the extreme performance element of the brand. The brand values were described as "freedom, adventure and connection to the natural world."
Brand identity
The brand identity work for kora centred very much on the natural environment that the wool comes from and where it will be used whilst exploring the outdoors wearing kora's products. The logo represents mountains, yaks and the idea of value coming full circle from the mountains, back to the mountains. We designed a brand book and style guide to describe how the visual parts of the brand should be presented.
Marketing Strategy
Our marketing strategy centred around storytelling and tribe-building. Michael, Kora's founder is also a keen explorer, having carried out many treks through the Himalayas where he sources the yak wool. We extended this thread of exploration to a collection of explorers / ultra runners and other athletes who had a strong connection to nature. We created a journal and infographics around Michael's explorations, these community and related themes whilst building connections with other kindred publications and brands to help build the community.
Deliverables for this project included:
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Brand strategy & framework
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Brand identity design
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Brand guidelines
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Asset design
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Infographics
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Copywriting
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Event stand design
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Social media assets
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Print design
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Packaging & hangtags
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Website design (ecommerce)
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Photo shoots, on location & studio
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Trade show design & live support
"Ruth is a tireless self motivator whose experience, commitment, creativity and positivity helped kora come to life. She supported us through our startup phase, wearing multiple hats throughout - project management, copy-writing, web design, research, spreadsheet crunching, financial analysis, email marketing campaigns... She is painstaking in her approach to each task, and her dedication to ensuring that the task is completed on time and to the required quality is exemplary.
Do not overlook her design skills either, as these are fantastic. She created kora’s logo - which is a thing of beauty and brains."
Michael Kleinwort
CEO & Founder,
Kora Outdoor