Graphic Design/Website Design/Branding
Our Process
Navigating a unique industry
StratWays Group is a geopolitical risk consultancy firm. Its team consults primarily with government agencies on the political and security landscape in Northeast Asia, focusing mostly on Korea. The StratWays Group founder contacted Noodle Wave Media to develop a brand that represented his company. He is relatively young for the industry, which skews older and favors things being done a certain way, so he wanted something that felt new but didn’t veer too far from the traditional approach.
In the “Think” and “Feel” stages of our process, we spent time delving into the nuances of the industry and brainstorming how to create branding that would be contemporary but still gain the trust of military generals and government officials. We developed a brand symbol representing the neural networks in the brain meant to highlight that this is a high-intellect, brain-equity type of agency. We then found the perfect serif font with a modern touch to tie the logo together.
With the logo complete, we began designing the website. Our vision for the site was a global connected feel. In keeping with that, the first image you see is the neural networks of the StratWays’ logo overlaid on top of the world. We kept things streamlined and simple in line with the firm’s focus on being direct and discreet. Finally, in the “Do” stage, we launched the new website, as well as new business cards and letterhead for a cohesive brand aesthetic.
Honoring Tradition While Looking to the Future
With StratWays Group’s branding, we had to straddle the old world and the new world, mirroring the way the industry itself is shifting towards the next generation of geopolitical experts. There’s a misconception that modern and contemporary are always the way to go from a design perspective, but there is so much value in tradition. In fact, honoring tradition is a huge part of Korean culture and this is the area of the world the client focuses on. Our design philosophy for StratWays revolved around embracing classic and time-honored foundations, while pushing for something new, which also represents the client’s philosophy as a consultant.
Branding
From the logo design down to the font we chose, it was important to make sure the branding felt fresh but was also rooted in history and tradition. We carried the brand aesthetic over to the website, letterhead and business cards. In a relationship-based business, your branding and collateral materials are the only artistic reflection of yourself. That’s why we wanted to express some creativity, while still maintaining a level of professionalism.
Web Design
Our client is fluent in English and Korean, served in the military and has held high-level government positions. The design of the website bridges these worlds and reflects the global nature of the firm. There was an element of discretion in our approach, which is why there is minimal copy on the site and it gets right to the point. We’ve found that the more exclusive a company’s business is, often the less information they want to share publicly. Even with the streamlined design, it’s still impactful.
