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the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts
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our brand future scenario 1.0 future scenario 2.0 vision mission central value functional values expressive values target group brand manual introduction name & logo font & color brand language
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our brand i
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The world around us is speeding up, our lives are becoming busier and busier. As a result we are in danger of loosing meaningful connections to one another. Everyone is individually following the accelerating pace of life. Our brand is flowing in this rapid stream of development just like everyone else is, yet we have a clear and steady destination in mind. Inspired by urban developers, who are continuously challenged to bring people together. We aim to reinforce the human connections that impend to dissolve. More specifically our brand wants to act as a platform where communities can reconnect through interchange. Because it is only together that we can truly move 4ward.
it was a rush f
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The world is getting faster and our lives become busier. New products are popping up every minute as a result of rapidly consecutive technological developments and people are rushing to keep up with the ever-accelerating pace of life. The world has gone through enormous changes in traffic, health, environment and the general way of living in a very short time. People have the possibility to do almost everything they want, everywhere they want it thanks to globalization and innovation. Or not? For a few hours I have been in the fly-jet now that is taking me from Amsterdam to Milan for my creative business meeting. I feel more confident than before, because I am wearing my new 4WARD skirt. I cannot exactly point out why, but it makes me feel special. I keep starring out the window to the cities that pass by, wondering about how life has changed in the passed ten years. Ten years ago, if someone would have told me that real meat and vegetables would become short in supply, magnets were made out of non-damaging bio materials and my newspaper was printed by a 3D-printer at every corner of the street, I would have laughed at them and told them they had a very vibrant imagination. Now here I am, sitting with my 3D-printed newspaper in a fly-jet made of recycled materials. Shortly before I drown in my worried thoughts again about what I am going to say at the business meeting, I see how beautiful and green the landscape looks like. I realize that without the environmental precautions and their zero-waste goals, these fields would be gigantic piles of plastic. We were
producing twenty times more solid waste than back in 2016. There would have been no green fields at all, but now I can even spot some beautiful flowers. I have absolutely no reason to complain. Especially not while flying through this gorgeous landscape. Nevertheless I am still wondering; what is this emptiness that I am experiencing lately? I have everything I could ever imagine. A nice house, enough food, pretty clothes, the newest hologramphone and however I still feel incomplete. Switching between my thoughts about why I am feeling this way, what went wrong in the past and what can possibly go wrong at the meeting, I take a bite of my vegan sandwich without realising the plant-based packaging is still around it. The person in front of me starts to laugh and gently we start a conversation. When I step out of the fly-jet after a surprisingly nice conversation with that same person, it suddenly makes sense. This is what I miss so much; that feeling of real interaction and meaningfulness. Maybe I have to kick the habit of this rush life and take a look at what really matters. I realize that this is the reason why I not only like my 4WARD skirt so much, but actually the entire brand. They noticed that we are constantly in a rush to be important and find valuable ways to improve our way of living. But considering the fact that we are too busy with ourselves and constantly trying to keep up with an impossible pace, it can be concluded that we are ending up losing the connection with each other instead. That is why it is so nice and even necessary that 4WARD offers the possibility of communication through a swappingand switching platform of interchangeable clothing to reinforce human connections.
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After decades of materialism, mass-production and living by a ridiculously high, ever accelerating pace it is time for a change. It is time for integrity, pureness, authenticity, craftsmanship and above all interaction with each other. We abandoned mass-government and got back to smaller, self-sufficient communities. Participation, self-sufficiency, sharing and cooperation are the key values of the year 2025. The world evolves around small-scale living and sharing by localization and stagnation. Driving back home to my family after my work at the creative department of the biomimicry centre, I find myself absorbed in pleasant thoughts about being with family and friends. I quickly become aware of my thoughts nowadays, because I have learned to be mindful. Back in the days everyone blindly ran around, trying to catch up with the high speed of life. This caused a humongous number of heart attacks and depression. I notice that I am happy with the way we learned to live now; we focus on the importance of pureness and integrity. Connectivity is very important
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in this matter. I can even enjoy the fact again that we still can see flowers growing. If we would have not taken serious precautions on the environment the world would be a gigantic pile of plastic, because we were producing 6 million tonnes of solid waste per day. The government wanted to bring solutions for those problems, but when they kept cutting on our salaries as well as rising taxes, the crowd stood up against them and there was no handful of trust left in their abilities. As the influence of the government fell, the influence of local districts rose and citizens rather started their own initiatives than being dependent on large enterprises or governments. We now focus on solving problems together on a small scale, built on trust and interdependency. Little, local shops work together in changing multidisciplinary compositions and are focused on craftsmanship and circularity.
It is not that technology is not evolving, but it is not focused anymore on how to create new products. It rather now focuses on increasing the quality and sustainability of already existing products. For example, plant-based packaging is the norm nowadays and magnets are not made of damageable materials, but from rare earth materials. Which are actually not so rare anymore than back in 2016. This way they are not hazardous for credit cards and other gadgets with a magnetic field. Yep, there I go again; absorbed by my thoughts. But I woke up from them right in time to notice my favourite fashion brand across the street. Do you know this fashion brand called 4WARD? Even before we realized that we would be craving for it like we do now, they offered the possibility of reinforcing human connections by creating a powerful platform whereyou can swap and switch attachable parts of the outfits with one another. They found the perfect way to restore connection with each other in a society that is recovering from a rushed way of living and is looking for more integrity, honesty and a pure connection.
vision We believe in the power of interconnectivity
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mission we reinforce human connections
central value c
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In our ever-accelerating society, connections between one another becomes crucial. Based on this essential necessity, it is connectivity itself that constitutes our core value. We as a brand intend to create spaces where human interaction can be increased.
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functional values c
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Since two-sided communication forms the foundation of successful interaction, we highly value active exchange in order to offer mutual, powerful experiences. i
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Integrating the aspect of inter-changeability into our brand allows us to realise smooth and thus attractive exchange without complicated obstacles to overcome.
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expressive values d
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We are convinced that the energetic global movement can be transformed into positive energy to connect people. We want to go with the flow, together. v
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Since the world is not standing still, we keep on adapting to our ever-evolving surroundings while staying true to our core aim of connectivity.
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target group g
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The target group of our brand are the global socializers of modern society. They are male and female young independents who live in metropolitan, urban environments. As Innovators and Early Adapters of our society they are always up-to-date. Therefore they do not only support modern technology but also have a progressive attitude towards development in general. Global socializers are open-minded, outgoing people who value inspiring connections. Yet they often face the conflict of finding the time to expand their network, since they are following life on the fast lane. With our brand they don’t have to compromise. Our dynamic and versatile attitude responds to the active lifestyle of the modern socializers and at the same time our core value of connectivity triggers their strong sense of community.
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introduction b
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These BRAND MANUAL guidelines describe the visual and verbal elements that represent 4WARD’s corporate identity. This includes our name, logo, typeface, colors, visual language and verbal identity. Sending a coherent message of who we are is essential to present a strong image of our brand, ensuring it remains consistent throughout.
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name & logo n
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We are going forward in another pace than the rest of the ever-accelerating world we currently live in. Because of this rapidness, we are losing the connection with one another. But we as a brand value the importance of interconnectivity and interaction. Because we believe that only by connection we go 4WARD. The number “4� in the brand name is symbolically representing balance. We use this as a symbol to point out the restored balance and power that we can find by the ability of reinforcing connectivity.
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Our logo is the primary visual element that identifies us. It comes in two variations: the logo symbol and the logotype. The logos have been carefully made with honor for our sources of inspiration in urban development. As a matter of fact, the logo is inspired on both the curved angles and straight lines in the designs of our stimulation and is built as a little architectonical construction for our brand. The logo is only presented in black and white chosen for the powerful combination of the contrast and simplicity.
fourward 4ward
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Whenever you use the logo, it should be surrounded with clear space to ensure its visibility and impact. No graphic elements of any kind should invade this zone. The minimum clear space is defined as X, measured by the width of the vertical stroke of the “4” or the space between the “4” and “WARD”. This minimum clear space should always be applied. ¼X
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Do not stretch or distort
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Do not colorize the logo
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Do not change the font
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Do not change the position of the symbol
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Typography plays an important role in communicating an overall tone and quality. It boosts our personality as brand and ensures clarity and harmony in the communication of 4WARD to the audience. We have selected Bebas as the primary typeface for our brand. Through a mix of straight lines and simple elegant angles, this sansserif font has a both powerful and accessible expression. The titles that are being used in our texts are always in Bebas 78 with a tracking of -30. The page numbers are in Bebas 200. The subheadings that are being used in our texts are always Bebas 12 and fully outlined to the length of the title. The bodytexts that are being used in our texts are always InaiMatchi 12.
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bebas A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0123456789!@#$%^&*().,:; InaiMathi a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0123456789!@#$%^&*().,:; INAIMATHI A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0123456789!@#$%^&*().,:;
font & color C
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Colour plays an important role in the visual communication of 4WARD in a harmonious coherency to the audience. The colors below are recommendations for various media. A palette of primary colors have been developed to imply both power, seriousness and connectivity to the visual identity of the brand. 4WARD has two official colors: “Dynamic Blue” and “Versatile Turquoise”. These colors have become a recognizable identifier for our brand. Combined with white, black and grey, a well-defined style is created which is both simple to use and powerful through its simplicity. Consistent use of these colors will contribute to the cohesive and harmonious look of the entire visual identity across all kinds of relevant media. The black and white we are using are not 100% black and white, but are symbolically treated with a pop of blue which is our primary color, to make these colors more personalized for the brand.
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C 76
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brand language t
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Our verbal identity is a crucial part of who we are and how we connect with our audience. The more consistent we are in our tone of voice, the more likely it is for people to understand what we mean. We are a straightforward and confident brand, so the tone of voice we use to communicate is serious and powerful, yet very receptive, because above all we cherish interconnectivity. v
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Our visual language plays an essential part in engaging the audience with our brand identity. The images that we use are responsible to transfer the values of our brand to our audience in a conceptual way with a strong feeling of both seriousness and powerfulness. Every image that is being used should contain a certain level of connectivity in a dynamic and versatile way. The maximum number of images used on a spread is three. Using more would be harmful for the calm force in the layout and therefore it is not allowed to use more than three images per spread. Less than three images on one spread is allowed, this will not derange the consistency of the layout.
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