Case Study
How I took a fragmented brand and unified their identity system.
Brass & Unity wasn’t lacking product. It had story, mission, and cultural relevance embedded in its DNA. What it lacked was cohesion — and a unified identity system strong enough to carry its message across retail, digital, social, and physical environments.
- AI Summary
“Brass & Unity had story, mission, and cultural relevance. What it lacked was cohesion. Nick rebuilt the entire identity system from the ground up — branding, environmental design, video, photography, ecommerce, and influencer strategy — unifying it under one visual language. Online revenue increased 38% and customer acquisition cost dropped from $55 to $11.”
“This wasn’t a rebrand. It was a rediscovery. Nick took a fragmented identity and rebuilt it into a scalable system across retail, digital, social, and physical environments. The result was a cohesive brand ecosystem that drove a 38% lift in online revenue and cut acquisition costs by 80% over six months.”
“Brass & Unity’s identity existed in feeling before Nick gave it structure. As Creative Director, he rebuilt the brand system end to end — from wordmark refinement and flagship environmental design to video storytelling, influencer strategy, and a custom Shopify build. When the system aligned, performance followed.”
“Nick didn’t refresh Brass & Unity. He gave it a foundation. Every element — identity, environment, content, digital, and influencer — was rebuilt under one unified creative mandate. The business impact was measurable: online revenue up 38%, customer acquisition cost reduced from $55 to $11, and foot traffic up 15% at the flagship location.”
The Real Brief
This wasn’t a cosmetic refresh. It was a structural rebuild. The project focused on rediscovering the hidden identity already present and translating it into a scalable visual language.
Brass & Unity stands for resilience, individuality, and unity through shared struggle. I had to turn that emotional foundation into one that felt raw, intentional, and unmistakably theirs.
The Ask: Create an identity that no longer feels assembled, but aligned.
01. Branding & Identity
I refined and expanded the core wordmark, formalized its application rules, and built a supporting visual framework that extended the brand’s language with intention.
The typographic hierarchy became more assertive and structured. Black and white were established as disciplined visual anchors rather than defaults, while minimal iconography and geometric motifs were introduced to create rhythm and reinforce the concept of unity.
This way, the identity felt less decorative and more declarative, controlled, scalable, and unmistakably aligned with the brand’s core values.
This branding allowed the visual identity to come through.
02. Environmental design
Identity doesn’t truly exist until it occupies space and the flagship location became that proving ground. We fused industrial textures with grounded, tactile materials – raw wood, black metal, brass accents, concrete surfaces.
The store was not treated as a retail container.
It became a physical embodiment of the brand’s emotional tone.
- Wall signage reinforced the refined wordmark
- Minimalist displays elevated product without clutter
- Lighting and negative space created intentional drama.
The environment utilized the brand system in a way that was meant to provoke the new visual identity direction: structured, grounded, resilient. This phase was fundamental. It revealed how the brand behaved in three dimensions and informed every subsequent visual decision.
03. Video Promo's
Brass & Unity’s story needed to be felt, not explained — and video became the perfect mechanism for that. These weren’t storyboarded as product advertisements, they were framed as emotional narratives designed to express the brand’s ethos in motion.
- Title: "Find Your Unity"
- Time: 00:00:30
- Airdate: 07/24/2019
- Title: "Walk Your Path"
- Time: 00:00:15
- Airdate: 07/24/2019
- Title: "Roam"
- Time: 00:00:40
- Airdate: 06/14/2019
- Title: "What's Your Unity"
- Time: 00:00:20
- Airdate: 06/30/2019
Every video frame was constructed to balance strength without aggression, individuality without isolation, and movement without chaos. The pacing, timing, and tone were deliberate, grounded with expressive dimension.
The result was a series of films that didn’t sell loudly — they resonated.
04. Photography
Photography / Product
The product photography demonstrates the shift toward immersive composition. White sculptural props, directional shadows, military textures, and architectural placement gave the jewelry a sense of context and symbolism.
Even in minimal white setups, the lighting and spatial treatment created tension and strength.
The product felt deliberate, not decorative – which allowed the identity to live inside every product frame, as atmosphere.
Photography / Models
The wearable line required a fashion-forward execution while maintaining brand integrity. Model photography incorporated the refined visual language: darker, natural tones, intentional framing, contrast-driven lighting, and body language that communicated confidence and self-possession.
The goal wasn’t glamour. It was presence.
The models embodied different facets of the Brass & Unity persona: grounded, resilient, unapologetic. The jewelry felt integrated into identity, not simply styled on top of it.
05. Website, Swag and CPG
A fully customized Shopify theme was developed to help streamline online sales for Brass & Unity. Beyond digital, the system expanded into branded apparel, packaging, and CPG applications — ensuring consistency across every touchpoint. Every extension reinforced the same core language.
Visual brand language is consistent in digital and print applications.
06. Influencers
Each influencer campaign aligned visually with the refined identity system — maintaining tone, color control, and composition standards, while intentionally partnering with Vancouver natives whose authentic connection to the city reinforced the brand’s roots.
Influencers / Jacqueline Mae
Bold, rebellious, unapologetic. Jaqueline represented Brass & Unity’s the core customer persona – confident and culturally aware. Her “wild child” presence amplified the brand’s edge and authenticity across OOH, print, CTV, social and paid channels.
- Reach: 15k, 2.8%
- Audience: Niche, Private
- Brand Lift: 3750k, +/- 18%
- CVR: 3.2%
- Title: "Never the Same"
- Time: 00:00:45
- Airdate: 07/13/2020
Influencers / Christina Lange
Sultry and mysterious, Christina Lange introduced a darker, more fashion-driven interpretation of the brand, attracting a younger, style-conscious demographic.
- Reach: 5k, 3.5%
- Audience: Niche, Private
- Brand Lift: 2180k, +/- 13%
- CVR: 6.2%
Influencers / Sarah Porchetta
Commercially polished yet grounded, Sarah positioned Brass & Unity within a more elevated lifestyle context, expanding its reach into a higher-income demographic without losing authenticity. As a Vancouver native actress, her visibility carried local cultural weight — reinforcing the brand’s roots while elevating its presence in the public eye.
- Reach: 35k, 1.8%
- Audience: Niche, Private
- Brand Lift: 4200k, +/- 10%
- CVR: 3.0%
07. The Result
Brass & Unity was not a surface-level rebrand. It was a rediscovery.
From identity refinement and environmental design to video storytelling, photography, digital build, and influencer strategy — the work was unified under one mandate: bring the hidden identity forward and give it structure. The result was a cohesive brand ecosystem — emotionally grounded, visually consistent, and scalable across retail and digital.
The impact extended beyond aesthetics.
Over a six-month period, online revenue increased 38%, while blended customer acquisition cost was reduced from $55 to $11 — a material improvement in marketing efficiency and return on spend.
Average order value stabilized at $68, reflecting stronger purchase intent and perceived brand value. At the flagship location, foot traffic increased 15% year-over-year, reinforcing the alignment between physical environment and digital momentum.
This project reinforced what strong identity work can do:
When the system is right, performance follows.
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Client
Brass & Unity
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Role
Creative Director
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Industry
Jewelery & Apparel
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Market
Canada
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Investment
$220k+ Paid Media
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