Brand Strategy, Concept Development & Visual Identity.
Cataleya is a wellness and recovery studio located in downtown Cartagena, Colombia, offering services such as yoga, pilates, boxing, massages, and wellness experiences.
Industry: Services/ Wellness
- Overview
Developed in partnership with MD Architecture, this project went beyond creating a visual identity. Together, we built an entire brand concept that connected the client's vision, the physical space, and the emotional experience they wanted visitors to feel.
- Challenge
The client approached us with the idea of creating a wellness-focused space for women, but the brand lacked a clear identity, positioning, and story.
The challenge was to create more than a wellness studio—we needed to design a concept that would:
- Differentiate the business from traditional fitness and wellness centers.
- Create an emotional connection with its audience.
- Align the brand identity with the architectural experience.
- Reflect values such as empowerment, elegance, self-discovery, and inner strength.
- Solution
Goals:
- Create a unique and memorable brand concept.
- Develop a visual identity that reflected both beauty and resilience.
- Build a cohesive experience across branding, storytelling, and physical space.
- Connect with modern women seeking wellness, balance, and personal growth.
Key Decisions:
Through workshops and discovery sessions with the client, we uncovered a deeply personal story rooted in family heritage, Colombian culture, and the symbolism of the orchid.
This led to the creation of the core brand concept:"Flortaleza" — the union of flourishing and inner strength.
Cataleya was positioned as a sanctuary where women reconnect with themselves, inspired by the resilience and beauty of Colombia's orchids and the transformative power found in stillness and self-care.
To bring the concept to life, we:
- Developed the brand strategy and storytelling framework
- Created the visual identity inspired by elegance, femininity, and strength
- Defined the brand personality, tone of voice, and customer profiles
- Designed a cohesive branding system aligned with the interior and architectural vision.
- Established visual guidelines to support future marketing and communication efforts.
- Results
Impact:
-Delivered a complete brand concept that connected the business vision, customer experience, and physical environment.
- Created a distinctive identity that differentiated Cataleya within Cartagena's wellness market.
- Provided the client with a scalable branding system ready for launch and future growth.
- Aligned architecture, storytelling, and visual design into a single cohesive experience.
What I Learned:
This project reinforced the importance of building brands from meaning rather than aesthetics alone.
By combining strategy, storytelling, and design, I learned how powerful a brand can become when every touchpoint—from the logo to the physical space—is rooted in a clear and emotionally resonant concept.
