Rebrand Proposal
Sipi Falls - Kapchorwa - Uganda
Rebrand Proposal for Crows Nest, Sipi Falls, Uganda
This publication covers the following areas: - Brand Identity - Location Signage - Overall Resort Brand Aesthetics - Examples of Printed Media - Promotional Materials - Impact of Rebrand
Crows Nest is beautifully situated at an altitude of 1770m on the slopes of Mount Elgon. The site offers spectacular views of all three Sipi water falls, the peaks of Mount Elgon and the plains far below. The friendly staff, comfortable but basic facilities design, appropriate technology, local employment and culture exchange makes Crows Nest an ideal sustainable tourist destination and a truly authentic Ugandan experience. Bandas, dormitories and camping facilities are all available (bedding is provided). The on site kitchen provides visitors with meals and snacks throughout the day, and all food supplies are bought from local families. Crows Nest works with other local businesses to provide visitors with numerous different experiences. Trek Mount Elgon and the Sipi Falls, go abseilling 100m down one of the falls, or explore the local coffee growing enterprises.
An Introduction to Crows Nest
Proposal for a Crows Nest Rebrand Theory Into Practice A growing trend within the tourism industry world wide is the search for cultural experiences, where a tourist aims to become exposed to and immersed in a new way of life for a brief period of time. In these instances, the tourist searches, often subconsciously, for as authentic an experience as they can find, and will travel out to a foreign country with preconceived ideas, as depicted to them by the media, of what to expect. Many tourism businesses utilise these predetermined notions to attract customers by providing the tourist with what they think is a true setting. A large majority of the time, these brands are generalised and in fact say nothing about the location whatsoever. It has been noted that the design, aesthetics and brand identities of tourism companies can affect and influence the experience a tourist has. This can be seen as both a positive and a negative aspect of the brand. If a tourism business were to employ the use of more symbolisms and aesthetics that directly tie it to the location, take into account the impact a brand can have on the locals, and consider how it will transform the tourist’s experience, then it will be more successful overall.
As a country, Uganda is often seen as simply being ‘a part of Africa’ and visitors travel there expecting to see a generalised picture of Africa. This generalisation that the whole of Africa is the same detracts from the cultural touristic experience as Uganda has its own unique and deep rooted national cultural identity. There are many symbols and emblems that hold a strong meaning for Ugandans which mean nothing to people from other areas of the continent, and traditional customs which separate the Ugandan culture from other cultures. In terms of tourism businesses in Uganda, Crows Nest is one which currently has little brand identity. This could be deduced as being more ‘authentically Ugandan’ but the business could benefit from capitalising on the symbolisms that could be brought in to create a brand for the company. By bringing in symbolisms to the brand identity, Crows Nest would stand out from its competition for being more accurately Ugandan, thus giving the visitor a more legitimate cultural experience. This publication aims to present a possible rebrand for Crows Nest so it’s customers can receive a more authentic experience.
Brand Identity The brand logo incorporates a combination of modern Western style typography and iconic Ugandan imagery. The symbolism of the crested crane, the Ugandan national bird, tied with the block san serif type creates a convergence between the sense of touristic discovery and traditional Ugandan values. The two merge seemlessly together to epitomise the relationship between Crows Nest and the tourist.
As the crane is said to symbolise the friendly, gentle and peaceloving characteristics of the Ugandan people, this is a perfect emblem to use for the warm and hospitable Crows Nest. The three logo variations can be applied and used in different ways allowing for flexibility and adaptability within the brand.
Primary Logo
Secondary Logo
Tertiary Logo
Brand Typeface To contrast the logo and to introduce a more contemporary style into the brand aesthetics, the typeface used is the classic Baskerville in both regular and
semibold. The typeface can be used in a range of point sizes to increase the adaptability of the brand identity.
Baskerville Regular abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Baskerville SemiBold abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Brand Colour Scheme The main brand colours are taken from the Ugandan national flag colours which hold symbolic meanings for the Ugandan people. The Crows Nest brand identity colours come from the use of black, which identifies Uganda as a black nation of Africa, C:0 M:0 Y:0 K : 100
and the red, which symbolises Uganda’s brotherhood with the rest of Africa and the World. The other Ugandan flag colour, yellow, appears in the general brand aesthetics to keep the costs of reproducing and using the logo down to a minimum. C : 31 M : 94 Y : 87 K : 40
Location Signage Crows Nest currently uses hand painted signage to direct the visitor around into and their grounds. By utilising this rural Ugandan design production style, the tourist will experience a more authenticly Ugandan visit. The aesthetic of hand painted signage merges with the general building design of Crows Nest, while
Examples of Signage
Welcome/Entrance Sign
General Signage
incorporating a contemporary Western feel to the brand through the application of the logo onto the signage. Both the Primary and Tertiary logos can be used to create the signs depending on where the wayfinding is directing the visitor.
Overall Resort Brand Aesthetics The brand identity for Crows Nest incorporates several uniquely Ugandan symbolisms and characteristics, yet these references are also carried on through the overall brand aesthetics. A rebrand will not change the structure of the resort or any of the buildings, but rather take what is already there and convert it into a new amalgamation of an authentic touristic experience fused with illusions to the Ugandan culture and national identity. By incorporating interior design and aesthetics with the rural, rustic style buildings which take reference from traditional Ugandan homes, the tourist will have more of a cultural experience.
As the brand identity incorporates symbolisms, the fabric chosen to be used across all soft furnishings within Crows Nest also holds meanings. Fitting in with the Ugandan flag colour scheme, the yellow (which is This would be achieved by using and building traditional furniture said to represent the abundant which would reuse and recycle old sunshine that Equatorial Uganda enjoys) appears throughout the materiels and using furnishings furnishings pattern. The other created out of traditional main colour of the kitenge fabric Ugandan kitenge fabrics. pattern is brown which can be said to represent the earth of Uganda, thus showing the hard working nature of Uganda’s people. This kitenge material (see inserted swatch) would be applied to cushion covers in both the communal areas and the sleeping areas, to bedding and to any other soft furnishings across the resort.
Examples of Printed Media Crows Nest currently has little to no printed materials which fit in with its brand. This is a factor which is not necessarily needed for a tourism accommodation service to be authentically Ugandan, but rather for the customer’s convenience. Having printed ephemera allows the customer to have an easier interaction with the brand and the business and although these will incur costs, these will also help the staff to communicate
with the customer, thus eventually increasing Crows Nest’s customer base and improving a tourist’s trust in the brand. As these printed products are only for temporary use, the costs can be kept relatively low by choosing cheaper printing options. The brand identity appears across all printed materials following the simple and adaptable rules of the brand identity, as shown through the examples here.
Receipt
Receipts are the last thing a customer will receive from Crows Nest and although they are often over looked in terms of design, these will help to leave a more lasting imprint of the visit in a tourist’s mind.
Visitor Information Leaflet A visitor information leaflet will provide the tourist with all of the necessary information they need for their stay in Sipi Falls, all in one place and removing confusion from messages passed on from person to person. The leaflet can also act as a lasting memory which the tourist can take home.
Restaurant Menu
As Crows Nest provides a restaurant and bar area for their guests, with the options of both indoor and outdoor seating, an important piece of printed material is to present the meals, drinks and snacks that are served in the form of a menu. This removes the need for the staff to have to list what is on offer and allows the customer to interact with a piece of the brand in a more tactile way.
The design of the menu is in keeping with the brand identity and other printed products by utilising a common layout and hierarchies of text. The format of the menu is also a standard size, an A4 portrait page folded in half to allow for ease of reproduction. This format is also seen across the Visitor Information leaflet which is an A5 page folded in half, tying the two pieces of print together.
Promotional Material Across the tourism industry in Uganda, many businesses support other businesses in other locations by advertising them within their own premises. This creates connections between companies and helps tourists to discover a more authentic Ugandan experience as this is the way in which many tourists find out about different places to visit.
The Crows Nest brand aesthetics should immediately jump out to a potential visitor as being somewhere which will provide them with the most authentic experience they can imagine they would have in Uganda by showing the merging of the more contemporary Western styles with the traditional Ugandan values, styles and symbolisms
Posters
Posters using the brand aesthetics, such as colours and type, and impact imagery of the area will instantly make the tourist interested in discovering more. The posters are simple, as fits with
the brand design ethos, to provide the customer with an image that will stick in their mind of the location, the name and place and contact details for them to find out more about it.
Fliers
Fliers are another printed promotional product which can help the Crows Nest to branch out to more potential customers. They can also be placed within other tourism destinations, they
can provide more information than posters will and can be taken away to retain the information. The design is kept in black and white to reduce printing costs and the layout fits to the brand.
Promotional Material Website While many tourists will first hear of Crows Nest through either word of mouth or from promotional materials placed within other tourism destinations, others will discover it through the internet. Many Ugandan tourism businesses are featured on travel review websites which then takes potential customers out to their website for more information.
For many tourists, their first interaction with Crows Nest is online, and therefore a strong web presence is important for building the connections with their customers. It is important that the brand values, the integration of contemporary and traditional and the aims to provide as authentic an experiene as possible come across through the design.
The homepage is the most important for attracting a customer’s attention and it has
been designed to fit in with the rest of the brand aesthetic in a way that works online.
The information and contact pages both also fit within the consistent layout and design aesthetics.
Sipi Falls is known for the breath taking scenery so an easy way to attract customers is to provide them with a gallery of images taken in the area through the form of an online gallery.
Impact of Rebrand This proposed rebrand of Crows Nest will add value to a customer’s experience in terms of the authentic culture they experience. True authenticity is not possible to achieve as it is subjective and for the visitor, not the local and is therefore built on pretense.
However, employing certain design elements and aesthetics, a tourism business in Uganda can enhance the experience the tourist has and therefore these designs should be sympathetic towards the locals and visitors.
This impact of a sympathetic rebrand can be shown through a simple SWOT analysis, by comparing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relating to the brand before and after a rebrand. Strengths
Opportunities
Currently, Crows Nest has many strengths in terms of being authenticly Ugandan, such as the design of the buildings and the structure of the facilities, but by employing this rebrand to include traditional Ugandan fabrics and symbolisms within the brand identity, another level of ties to the location appear. This means more tourists will be interested in experiencing a ‘real Ugandan’ designed resort.
Crows Nest has the opportunity to overtake other businesses in the area for when tourists are seeking cultural experiences, which along with the adventure activities is what the area of Sipi Falls is known for. The traditional style of buildings within Crows Nest makes it stand out from its competitors and by simply adding more Ugandan ties through imagery and general brand aesthetics will entice more customers.
Weaknesses
Threats
Before a rebrand, the weaknesses Crows Nest suffers are that it does not have much of an identity and that the brand says nothing specific about the location. A rebrand will make Crows Nest instantly more recognisable as Ugandan by using subtle symbolisms.
Within the area of Sipi Falls, Crows Nest is one of the more budget accommodations and therefore has more of a niche than others yet what other places have is luxury. Crows Nest, through a rebrand, may be able to tempt more customers to step away from the luxury and instead experience culture.