Brand strategists and designers Addis Creson took a bold step away from conventional spa branding when Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was creating an entirely new spa destination.  http://www.harrahs.com/qua/index.html

For over 50 years, Caesars Palace has held a prominent position on the most famous strip in the world. With the changing landscape in Las Vegas of new development and luxury destinations, Caesars Palace’ ongoing commitment to high quality meant that its new spa had to be different.

Rather than simply creating another spa, Addis Creson helped Caesars Palace re-imagine the entire concept. http://addiscreson.com/experience.html.  The team was tasked to create a distinct brand platform and expression that promised a uniquely immersive experience reminiscent of the glorious baths of ancient Rome. John Creson explains, “The challenge was to positively evolve the Caesars brand perception while still retaining the Roman heritage theme.”

In creating an identity for the new spa, Addis Creson wanted to digress from the conventional category branding and the ideas and imagery so often associated with spas – a woman lying on a spa bed receiving a massage, for example. “We conducted an extensive category audit and found that much of the same imagery and language was being used globally,”  says John Creson.  “It was really surprising to find that most spas, while providing memorable experiences, were themselves so unmemorable.”

Addis Creson developed the name Qua meaning ‘here’ in Italian, that is also evocative of ‘aqua,’ or water. The name captures the importance of Roman society meeting at the baths. In developing the brand, the concept was to take people on an ‘immersive’ journey through the spa, showing how Qua offers something truly unique and compelling to even the most dedicated spa-addict.

Building upon the vision of the brand, Addis Creson created a meaningful brand identity  and logo that symbolically reinforced the three pools – all different temperatures - of the Roman Baths, using three different shades of watercolor, each pool hand-drawn.  This identity is featured on all Qua’s marketing materials, stationery, business and note cards, and packaging.
 
The main piece of collateral is the Qua spa ‘menu’, detailing the treatments and facilities.  This was designed to have a hand-crafted look, with a stitched spine, blind debossed title, and the watercolor ‘pools’ and logo in the center.  Addis Creson commissioned the photography for the main images, showing male and female forms sheathed in blue fabric, floating in water, creating dream-like, sensual imagery that evoke the elements of water, relaxation, as well as social interplay, that are central to the Qua experience.

Magdalena Hladka, designer for Addis Creson, says, “Our aim was to create an artisan quality to the brand and the collateral, with the watercolors, the stitching, the texture of the paper we used, even the ink. Qua therapists are also called ‘artisans’, and that’s the strong message and the point of difference both for the brand and for the experience.”

After opening its doors to the public, Quahas exceeded all expectations - including hosting many celebrities and visitors to an extraordinary experience they will never forget.

The recent launch of the ‘Kidfresh’ grocery and fresh food store in New York and the accompanying online store is proving a big hit with parents and children alike.  Fundamental to the success of Kidfresh is the colorful and distinctive branding recently created by Addis Creson, as well as the project’s position at the forefront of the emerging transformation of the healthy lifestyle category from niche to mainstream.

Kidfresh CEO Mathias Cohen says of the branding, “The Addis Creson team nailed it.  We have nothing but praise for the design, which is – as good design should be – simple, and extremely effective.  The kids love the colors, and the adults love the style.  It’s easily recognizable; it’s memorable; it’s dynamic; and it speaks to everyone as ‘healthy and fun.’  It represents every key word and phrase we came up with during our concept development.  As we roll out new stores during the coming months, the Kidfresh brand will become increasingly well-known.”

According to Addis Creson Executive Creative Director, John Creson, “As Kidfresh looked to create a new category, our work needed to define this offering in the consumer’s mind to insulate the brand from future competition. The healthy lifestyle category is being recast as it goes mainstream and appeals to a broader range of audiences. With this transformation the visual vernacular of healthy and natural is changing in line with consumer aspirations. For Kidfresh we needed to create a brand language that appealed to the sensibilities of the affluent parent while making healthy food fun for kids. Our work needed to present healthy as a vital component of a luxury lifestyle.”

Based on the concept of providing healthy, freshly prepared kids meals to-go, Kidfresh turned to Addis Creson because of the firm’s strong emphasis on healthy lifestyle brands, from Kashi to 24-Hour Fitness, and experience with kids’ brands like Pottery Barn Kids.  Kidfresh owners had already researched and identified the target market:,affluent parents, when they turned to Addis Creson to add the vital ingredient of branding. 

“We created personas for the affluent parent – out shopping with the kids, with a Barney’s bag, Banana Republic bag, and the Kidfresh bag. The design had to be aligned with other brands the parent aspires to and feels comfortable with.  And of course it had to be appealing to the kids too,” says Creson.

Starting with the simple statement of the name, Addis Creson gave Kidfresh a bold lower case typeface and created simple, graphic fruit icons with big hits of color which provide a playful, colorful, and contemporary palette that appeals to kids and adults.

In addition to being featured on storefront signage, packaging, the website and all other collateral, the branding creates a system of assets that can be built on and developed as the company grows. The kids grocery store provides a place where parents can go and quickly shop for their children by age and occasion. Each meal, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, is freshly prepared by a chef and provides the appropriate nutritional value and portion size for the age. Fun is a big part of a child’s diet and Kidfresh provides a sense of discovery and whimsy in the environment and each meal, from the shapes of the food to the games on the packages.

The overall spirit of the branding highlights the fresh ingredients. The graphic quality of the fruit icons combined with the bold colors and the friendly, contemporary typography, emphasize the Kidfresh position as a premium and healthy grocery store for kids. 

“We’re very excited to have Pauline Au join our team of talented designers. Her combined experience in marketing and design will add a different dimension and valuable perspective to all our projects,” says Creative Director Joanne Hom.

After earning her BA in Mass Communications at UC Berkeley, Pauline spent several years as the Marketing Communications Manager at BEA. In 2006 she received second degree, a BFA at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. “What attracted me to Addis Creson is their continuous commitment to positive and outstanding design,” says Pauline. “It is truly a pleasure to be part of such a vibrant and engaging team.”

Pauline comes to us from Honolulu, Hawaii where she enjoys anything to do with the beach and ocean, including swimming, scuba diving, surfing and kayaking. In her current home of San Francisco, she embraces city life as a devoted foodie, and enjoys biking, going to concerts and exploring the nearby hiking trails.

“Lisa’s a great addition to the strategy team and comes with a wealth of knowledge and a diverse background,” says CEO Steven Addis. “We’re absolutely delighted to have her join the group.”

Over nearly 17 years of brand marketing experience and passion (client side, agency side and as a brand marketing consultant), Lisa has developed an unparalleled zeal for digging into and communicating the essence of a diverse group of consumer brands, including Visa, Gap, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Citibank, Disney, Yahoo!, Pottery Barn Kids, AT&T, Glad and Karl Strauss. Throughout, she has been privileged to learn, serve and practice the marketing mix from strategy to execution encompassing a multitude of diverse channels, categories, and audiences. Top highlights include launching Gap’s branded credit card while initiating them into the ways of relationship marketing, developing innovative promotional strategies for Visa at Zipatoni, conceiving and realizing a complete brand development approach for Karl Strauss as a grass-roots consultant, and cultivating Pepsi’s break-through U.S. and European brand loyalty programs at Cyrk.

“I am innately drawn to Addis Creson’s new mission and practice areas.” notes Clapper.  “The opportunity to strategically and creatively reimagine brands and join Addis Creson on a shared journey of creating positive change is just what my soul has been seeking.”

A Connecticut Yankee who’s discovered her inner Californian, Lisa likes to get a daily fix of new music, supplemented by healthy infusions of festival vibes throughout the year. She and her husband enjoy drinking in the Bay area’s many riches, including the awesome local food and wine and nearby ski slopes, golf courses and hiking trails. Lisa received her undergraduate degree at Vassar College in art history, and her masters at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

About Addis Creson

Addis Creson is a brand consultancy that partners with companies to find and express the meaning of their brands through strategic and creative thinking. The focus of Addis Creson is to create positive change by helping our clients improve the way people relate to their brands, and their brands relate to people.

For more than 20 years the firm has worked with clients that include Barclays Global Investors, Blue Shield, Charles Schwab, Clorox, Dole, Gap Inc., GE Healthcare, Harrah’s/Caesars Palace, Intel, Kashi, Lego, Pepsi, Sephora, 24 Hour Fitness, and Williams Sonoma/Pottery Barn Kids. Addis Creson also advises a select number of not-for-profit agencies and start-up ventures.

To learn more, please visit www.addiscreson.com. To contact us directly email us at positivechange@addiscreson or call (510) 704-7500. We look forward to hearing from you.