Project overview

A family travel business in Rovaniemi had grown their operations over two generations and built a solid roster of services and locations. However, taking the next step on their journey required a comprehensive assessment of the company’s brands and their interplay with one another.

Category/Industry: Hospitality, Travel
Services: Brand strategy, Marketing Communications, Art Direction & Graphic Design
Year: 2024–2025

Challenge

The greatest challenge was creating clarity for StayLapland’s communications and brand hierarchy; we solved the equation by combining all their services under the StayLapland umbrella. This meant considering their program and experience service, Kuoksa Wilderness Park, as an extension of the StayLapland brand. Their new hotel enterprise needed an entirely new identity that would also feel part of the family, although it would operate as its own entity.

Strategy

We approached the hierarchy as a House of Brands with StayLapland at the top. While Kuoksa and Hotel Postmaster were to be fully featured brands independent from one another, they are services produced “by StayLapland” and indicated as such. We wanted to leverage the Kuoksa family history and experiences throughout to inspire trust and warmth towards the brand. We pursued this aspect foremost through stories and messaging.

Creative Solution

We created a complete identity and story for each brand. The visuals share the same platform and use color to differentiate between the separate branches. Each brand has their own personality, message, and brand story, suited to their specific needs. We made sure to maintain a likeness and familial feel among the group, as the family and their work are among the biggest assets between the brands.

Implementation

As the separate brands had distinct schedules and needs, their rollout was staged for different mediums. The new hotel would open for the 2025 summer season, so we had ample time to finesse the details, whereas the others would hot-swap their visuals and adopt other elements as they went. The hierarchy we introduced helped keep everything in line and up to date. The updated StayLapland website was scheduled for launch in Spring 2025, creating a robust, stylish home for the family business and their brands.

Impact

As each brand started to adopt the renewed look and feel according to plan, they were guaranteed to fall into place like cogs in a timepiece, crafted with precision beforehand.

TEAM

Project Manager Tarja Väyrynen
Art Director, Graphic Designer, UI Toni Rantanen
Brand Strategy Joni Pekkala, Toni Rantanen
Copywriter Olli Oilinki