6 minute read
Branding That Speaks Volumes
Montenegro provided the perfect setting for Mike Munt to explain his vision for a new brand to his client Rachel Bowers. A boat trip, a napkin and some creativity, and TALĀZ was born!
My name is Mike Munt and I have had the great pleasure of helping visionary experiential accommodation enterprises by designing brands to connect with their market. Having worked with Under Canvas since their inception I have had a front-row seat over many developments in this arena.
In early 2023 I met Rachel Bowers, who is also an Eco Resort Network member.
When I discovered that Rachel was going to be at the network excursion to Montenegro I realised it was the ideal opportunity to meet in person. Rachel develops eco hotels and is the founder of TALĀZ, an eco camping experience. The mission at Talāz is to provide a unique and eco-friendly concept that focuses on the most important aspects of life: mental and physical wellness, reconnection, and the environment.
Rachel had done a great deal of background work on the business model and purpose behind the project but was at the beginning phase of putting together a brand. Now there needed to be something that would tie it together and explain it from the ground up.
Talāz has a missional vision on how to create positive outcomes for the environment, those that visit and the locality through nature based hospitality. In needing to communicate this picture, the challenge for Rachel at the start was not knowing if there was a process that could bring it all together.
Knowing that building a new operation takes a great deal of effort, the process of shaping the brand had to not create additional challenges. We needed to create a vehicle to hang the ideas onto to bring along the relevant stakeholders and investors. This same vehicle can then be used to attract guests.
I initiated the process by digging into the vision, drawing out the underlying brand themes, and progressing towards the development of core ideas.
The aim was to tell a compelling story about why this new venture was of benefit. Rachel shared that of key importance to the enterprise was operating on properties that were around water. Being around bodies of water evokes play, rest and a way of truly immersing oneself in nature.
With these core ideas in hand, we delved into the exploration of word themes to craft a compelling brand name. Eventually, we landed on ‘Talāz,’ a word derived from both Romanian and Ottoman origins, signifying a large wave or surge. The selection of this name followed extensive research, comparing various options against our core ideas, and it performed exceptionally well in our name evaluation exercise.
Rachel mentioned these processes when I asked what the biggest change in thinking was for her after having worked with me:
I’ve had other businesses before where either I or someone else, were creating the name, the logo and the brand, so to speak. However, it was on a very rudimentary level. At least I didn’t know it was rudimentary until I went through the process with you.
Based on what we now knew, I had ideas for a logo that would visually distill some of the key aspects we wanted to convey. By this time the Eco Resort Network trip to Montenegro had come up, but it turned out to be the perfect setting in which to explain how the brand visual identity would work.
One evening we were treated to dinner on a boat as it cruised around the Bay of Kotor. It was a really special night as it was a chance to see the beautiful sights of the area from the water as the boat sailed inland and around the Church of the Madonna dello Scalpello. This relaxed atmosphere on the water could not have been more ideal for discussing the ideas for the brand as they included the themes of waves, calmness and rejuvenation.
The shapes I was proposing we used represented different waves across a body of water. Some were more rough and uneven, others straighter and calmer. This describes the action of water over time but also its calming effects on the people that spend time around it. The experience for guests of Talāz is one of waves of rest in nature and the calm state in which they will end their stay. “Choppy” stressed out people in = calm people out.
Explaining it in person on a dining napkin really helped to convey the intended meaning. And doing so in such an appropriate and magical environment probably didn’t hurt either. Having agreed on what and how we were to communicate the brand, the remainder of the design work proceeded - after the rest of the Montenegro trip. A successful journey!
And then I realised, wow, there is an actual art and science that goes into this.
Working together we have built an identity around Talāz’s mission in the field of naturebased hospitality. This helps to explain its commitment to fostering positive environmental impact and enriching the experiences of both visitors and the local community. Rachel expressed to me when it was that she realised that there was a pathway to clarifying the brand into something that can communicate its purpose:
“I think it was, when you showed me the process, and how in depth you go into creating the text and the colours and the logos. And then I realised, wow, there is an actual art and science that goes into this. So that was a really cool eye opening experience for me.” said Rachel.
Talāz is now something onto which to display the ideas and move forward in engaging stakeholders, investors and later guests. Again Rachel explains it best: “When you see a logo that’s had a lot of work and professionalism put into it, and creativity put into it. That speaks volumes about the brand itself. So I think it’s definitely given me a confidence boost. And it’s something I’m very proud to put out there.”
