KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
BRAND STANDARDS
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Welcome to the KITSCH* design team! We’re really happy to have you. You see, we think you have something really exciting to say, and we want you to say it. There’s an adventurer and a storyteller in all of us, and KITSCH* is here to nurture that spirit. So be bold, be clever and have a little bit of fun. Just follow the rules. I promise there aren’t too many.
Best,
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Hayden Nagin CEO, KITSCH*
Hotels
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MISSION STATEMENT BRAND PILLARS WORDMARK DESTINATION MARKS CORPORATE COLORS DESTINATION COLORS TYPOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY WEB PRESENCE
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MISSION STATEMENT
MISSION STATEMENT (what we do)
POSITIONING STATEMENT (how we do it)
KITSCH provides a comfortable and engaging hospitality experience for the culturally hungry adventurer in vibrant destinations throughout the nation.
KITSCH provides culturally hungry travellers and young adventurers with a comfortable and exciting hospitality experience in engaging cities across the nation through community integration and curation; inclusive values and a lively, irreverent atmosphere.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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BRAND PILLARS
COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS
INCLUSIVE
Each KITSCH* Hotel is curated by locals to give our guests an authentic and engaging experience in a new and exciting city. Don’t just visit a new place, immerse yourself in its culture and live like a local. KITSCH* is devoted to creating a safe space in all of its destinations. All are welcome and hate will not be tolerated. Wander out and experience the city, or stay and hang in our vibrant communal recreation spaces and bars.
ACCESSIBLE
We here at KITSCH* know our guests want to get out and see new things in an exciting new place, so we’ve expedited the hotel process. Pay for what you want, and forget the rest. They can skip the front desk and check in remotely, or come down and say hi (we’ll be there 24/7).
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK
Each KITSCH* Hotel has an irreverent and fast-paced atmosphere. We don’t take ourselves to seriously, and neither should you. KITSCH is nothing like home, and that’s why you’re here.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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WORDMARK
It’s bold, declarative and a little bit wonky (but aren’t we all a little bit wonky?). Its “not-quite-right-ness” is a part of its charm. It’s what makes us appear friendly and approachable. Sure, impeccable sleekness is great and all, but it can be a little offputting. You see, we want our guests to feel welcome in a KITSCH* Hotel. Like “stroll in, kick off your shoes and put your feet up on the coffee table” welcome. So, yeah, we’re pretty fond of it. So much so that it appears on everything that we produce. Seriously.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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WORDMARK
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1� min. size
WORDMARK Whenever possible, the KITSCH* wordmark should be center justified, either featured prominently in the center of the design or centered at a smaller scale at the bottom. When aligning the wordmark, always align to the center of the word KITSCH, not the true center of the vectors. For efficiency, we recommend placing a transparent asterisk in the lower left corner to correctly center the wordmark both horizontally and vertically, but be conscientious when filling the wordmark that isn’t also filled. If a center justification is not conducive to the design, the wordmark may appear at a small scale in the upper or lower lefthand corners, but never to the righthand side.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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WORDMARK
* stretch the wordmark
* un-kern the wordmark
* get funky with it
* set the wordmark on a slant or vertical
* outline the wordmark
* ditch the asterisk (it’s who we are)
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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DESTINATION MARKS
Each of our destinations is unique – purposefully selected and curated to give our guests a new experience every time they stay a night at a KITSCH* Hotel. So we’ve given them each a secondary mark. They help us to distinguish between our destinations and give them each a little bit of unique personality. The destination marks are always secondary to the wordmark. They should never be given higher visual priority than the wordmark. They’re designed to resemble rubber stamps, and we recommend thinking of them in that context. Feel free to rotate them or bleed them off the edge of the page.
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DESTINATION MARKS
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CORPORATE COLORS
The world doesn’t exist in black and white, so neither should we. We appreciate the chutzpah of #FFFFFF and #000000, but pure black and white is a little to cold for us. Our corporate colors are a little softer; a little friendlier. Our “not quite white” and “almost black” have the boldness and contrast of pure black and white, but with a little more warmth. They are the primary palette for all of KITSCH*’s corporate endeavors, and they are secondary colors the palette of each of our destinations. Tints of the corporate colors may be used at 25% intervals, but we prefer them at full volume whenever possible.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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CORPORATE COLORS
C 70
M 63
Y 62
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K 58
DESTINATION COLORS
The interior of each of our hotel destinations is carefully curated to feel seamlessly integrated into the community. They’re contemporary and exciting, but they also feel like they could’ve been there for decades. This principal extends to graphic design as well. Each destination has a unique color palette inspired by the vibrancy of its surroundings that can be used in conjunction with the corporate colors.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
The NOLA hotel’s colors are inspired plucked from 2 iconic New Orleans eateries – Cafe du Monde and Mandina’s – because what’s more iconic about New Orleans than the food? The palette is equally inspired by New Orleans’ lush greenery and vibrant, historic architecture. NOLA’s destinations mark features a crown, a nod to the city’s history of Mardi Gras celebrations, and the KITSCH* Hotel’s location on Royal Street in New Orleans.
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C 88
C 02
M 32
M 17
Y 71
Y 09
K 19
K 00
KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
KITSCH* PNW’s colors are an homage to the Oregon’s history pioneering forestry. The subdued palette is a nod to Portland’s organic setting, as well as the quirky, laid-back attitude of its locals. The PNW destination mark features a pine tree as an homage to Portland’s proximity to lush evergreen forests.
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C 21
C 40
M 54
M 16
Y 90
Y 36
K 05
K 00
KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
Originally an industrial mecha focused on steel production, Cleveland’s palette features a deep red inspired by the prominence of traditional masonry construction in CLE’s downtown and a cool blue based off the city’s proximity to Lake Erie and its history as a thriving port city. CLE’s palette also has an athletic aesthetic (try to say that five times fast) inspired by the city’s newly burgeoning athletic tourism. Its destination mark features a guitar – an homage to the historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland.
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C 25
C 34
M 95
M 00
Y 99
Y 11
K 34
K 00
KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
The palette for Charleston’s KITSCH* Hotel is an homage to its laid back, nautical setting. A rich blue and bright orange accent as beautifully as the sand and sea. The orange is also an homage to South Carolina’s rich Southern history and booming fruit productions. Charleston’s destination mark features a traditional style sailboat – recreational boating being a major draw for tourists to South Carolina’s picturesque beaches.
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C 90
C 00
M 48
M 31
Y 49
Y 45
K 23
K 00
KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
Santa Fe’s color palette is educated by the rich and unique architectural history of adobo construction found in and around Santa Fe. The palette references clay, sand and the new Mexico sun. The yellow and grey combination gives the Santa Fe location a contemporary aesthetic while still paying homage to the city’s history. SFE’s destination mark features a sun – both a reference to the sun’s importance as a symbol in the culture of the indigenous Zia people.
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C 23
C 02
M 87
M 22
Y 97
Y 77
K 15
K 00
KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
The palette for the Provincetown hotel is inspired by the city’s beautiful seaside location and the vibrant and quirky characters that call it home. The flag in PTWN’s detination mark is a reference to its nautical history as well as its long history as a destination for LGBTidentifying people.
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C 100
C 00
M 94
M 56
Y 38
Y 27
K 37
K 00
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TYPOGRAPHY
Typography is the bread and butter of the KITSCH* design identity. We’ve have a lot of great stories to share and important things to say to our guests and to the world. We’ve developed a system that allows us to make big, declarative statements and have a little bit of fun with the copy along the way.
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TYPOGRAPHY
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TYPOGRAPHY
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TYPOGRAPHY
It’s kind of our thing. You see, a KITSCH* Hotel is a gateway to a vibrant and exciting new place. So, think of a KITSCH* Hotel as an asterisk in a sentence – it takes you away from something you already knew and shows you something new and different. The asterisk is the primary device to use when copy writing for KITSCH*. Use it to make jokes, make our guests laugh and make light of something serious.
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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890*.,?!/@#$%&(){}– ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890*.,?!/@#$%&(){}– ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890*.,?!/@#$%&(){}– ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890*.,?!/@#$%&(){}–
TYPOGRAPHY
Courier Prime is the primary body typeface for KITSCH*. KITSCH* Sans is the charming face of our brand, but Courier Prime is the workhorse that gets the real serious information across. We think they make a good team – a good cop, bad cop duo, if you will. Courier Prime should always be utilized secondary to KITSCH* Sans. We prefer ranging left whenever possible, but right and center are acceptable in some cases. Never justify Courier Prime. For body copy, set the leading to 150% of the x-height. For example, 10 pt type should have 15 pt leading, 20 pt type should have 30 pt leading and so on.
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KITSCH* BRAND STANDARDS
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is an important aspect of our brand, and we want the photos we use to feel appropriate for our image. We want to showcase images that paint our hotels – and the cities they’re in – in a positive, engaging light. Steer clear of cheesy stock imagery and low-res photos, and definitely don’t go Photoshop crazy. When choosing images of guests, be sure they look engaged and in a communal setting and that they fit our young adventurer demographic.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
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PHOTOGRAPHY
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Okay, I know we kind of ragged on Swiss design a little while ago back there, but we can admit there’s a lot going on here, from the wonky display type to the monospaced body type to the 14 colors – somebody needs to reign it all in, and that’s what the grid is for. Stick to it. We prefer a 6 column grid, as it gives you the flexibility of odd- and even-numbered columns, opening up some interesting layout possibilities. Have some fun with it.
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WEB PRESENCE
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WEB PRESENCE
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