Project
Tropical Watch
Disciplines
Brand Identity, Web Design
Description
Tropical Watch, a renowned vintage watch dealer helmed by Jacek Kozubek, approached the team at Godfrey Dadich with an unusual branding challenge. Jacek was launching a new venture selling his trademark timepieces, and though he operates in the luxury sector, he wanted its brand identity to feel unpretentious and approachable. He wanted his customers to feel at ease whether they were buying their first vintage watch or their fifth, whether they were spending $3,000 or fifty times that. We designed an e-commerce experience and a brand identity that aligned with Jacke's vision and personality.
Applications
Along with the brand identity, we delivered a suite of promotional products, from business cards to tote bags to tissue paper. As a point of inspiration, we looked to the era when many of these watches were produced: the mid-century Jet Age. We studied the colors and styling in the work of photographer Slim Aarons, who captured the lives of postwar jet-setters and celebrities as well as midcentury passport stamps, which influenced graphic elements in Tropical Watch’s branding.
The typeface, Hoefler & Co's Decimal, was inspired by markings on classical timepieces and gave us the vintage references we needed, while functioning as a modern, crisp workhorse.
Website
The project went well beyond brand identity: We also designed the
Tropical Watch online store to ensure it was easy to navigate and
appealing to luxury shoppers.
We landed on a design with a striking hero image, easy-to-browse pages, and large-scale photography to show every detail of the watches on sale. We also custom-designed clickable buttons with a rounded edge to match the typeface, and we created icons inspired by midcentury passport stamps. The online shopping experience had to be flawless to inspire trust for customers making big-ticket purchases, and it needed the same level of thoughtfulness and polish as the luxury products Jacek sells.
Role: Art Direction, Design
Junior Designer: Isabella Levethan
Motion Design: Elizabeth Tae, Melody Fitzgerald
Creative Direction: Allie Fisher, Scott Dadich, Shawn Sprockett
Selected Works
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Netflix - Abstract S2 Times Square BillboardArt Direction
Brightcove - Brand Refresh CampaignArt Direction, Design
Tropical Watch - Brand Identity & WebsiteWeb Design, Brand Identity
The Joshua Tree House - Brand IdentityBrand Identity
Palo Alto Networks - Prisma Launch CampaignArt Direction
OpenTable - Consumer Email RedesignEmail Marketing
The Assembly - Brand IdentityBrand Identity
Cold Water Vinyl ReleaseAlbum Art
OpenTable - Arepas & AgaveEvent Branding
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