CHOOSE PROJECT
Background & brief
Sostena approached us to build their brand from the ground up after a previous agency had taken the work in the wrong direction. What existing was too literal, too prescriptive and not reflective of the experience they wanted to create.
They needed a senior team who could open the brief back up, explore multiple creative directions and define a brand that matched their ambition: a modern, tech-enabled, community-driven leisure space that feels nothing like a traditional gym.
The project required a full identity system:
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Brand DNA
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Hierarchy
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Messaging
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Tone of voice
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Creative concepts
All grounded in strategy, scalable across locations, and clear enough for a wide mix of audiences to interpret confidently.
Project design
Before lifting a pencil, we built a project structure that would keep everyone aligned.
The earlier agency relationship had left the team wary of leaping straight into design, so we anchored the process in strategy first, creativity second.
We built the project around four phases:
1. Brand DNA → 2. Brand foundations → 3. Visual identity → 4. Tone of voice.
This meant the brand’s philosophy, audience motivations and role in the community shaped every creative decision.
As a later feedback workshop highlighted, alignment was essential because the brand needed to work for many internal voices and an unusually wide audience set
Brand DNA
Sostena’s offer was exciting, but the story behind it hadn’t been shaped yet.
Before design or messaging, we needed to understand who they were at their core and what made their approach different to a typical leisure or fitness brand.
We mapped their:
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Values
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Motivations
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Personality traits
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Audience needs
Then distilled it all into a simple idea: Sostena exists to make movement feel enjoyable, social and easy to sustain.
This became the thread that tied everything together, from the café to the assessment pods to the group sessions and social spaces. We defined the emotional qualities the brand needed to express (warmth, energy, a sense of belonging) and the practical ones too (clear guidance, confidence, ease).
The result was a Brand DNA the team could actually use day-to-day, a foundation that grounded every decision that followed.
Top challenges we overcame
Sostena had gyms, café spaces, tech tools, social areas — but no single idea holding them together. We pulled everything back to one core: movement, connection, ease.
CHALLENGE ONE
Defining a centre of gravity for a brand with lots of moving parts
CHALLENGE TWO
Creating a brand that spoke to wildly different audiences without feeling generic
Teens, older adults, performance teams, beginners — each needed something different. We built a DNA that was flexible at the edges but consistent at its heart, so nothing felt diluted.
They had great instincts — inclusion, energy, community — but nothing written down. We turned those gut feelings into values, behaviours, and personality traits they could actually apply.
CHALLENGE THREE
Translating instinct into an actual brand philosophy the team could use
Brand herarchy & foundation
This stage was about giving Sostena a structure people could understand at a glance.
With so many moving parts, it was easy for the brand to feel scattered. We mapped the offer into a simple hierarchy: Sostena at the top, then Fitness, Activity Café, Social Spaces, and the wellbeing tools (Checkup Pod, Technogym tech, BioCircuit).
Once the structure was set, we layered in the foundations: audience insights, core messages, and the customer-facing proposition that could sit confidently across every touchpoint. This meant each audience could see themselves in the brand without rewriting the whole narrative.
The hierarchy became the anchor that shaped all later work. It kept the brand consistent, helped refine the designs, and made sure the identity could scale as new locations and services come online.
Top challenges we overcame
Fitness, café, pods, social spaces, assessments — everything sat on one level. We created a hierarchy that made sense to newcomers and could scale as Sostena grows.
CHALLENGE ONE
Structuring a brand with too many parts and no clear order
CHALLENGE TWO
Stopping the brand from drifting toward “gym”, “community centre” or “leisure centre” territory
Our hierarchy anchored the brand in one idea — a multi-use wellbeing space — so it didn’t skew too far either way.
With six audience groups, each with different needs, we built foundations that flexed by segment but still felt unmistakably Sostena.
CHALLENGE THREE
Building a system that worked for all audiences without overwhelming them
Brand look & feel
The look & feel phase started with three fully envisioned creative territories, each exploring a different expression of the Sostena brand. One leaned into energy and movement, one focused on social connection and playfulness, and the last explored a more grounded, community-led style. All three were strong in different ways, intentionally broad, giving the team space to react and understand what felt closest to “them.”
Before we could take these routes into refinement, Sostena shared the concepts publicly for feedback. This was well-intentioned, but premature. The comments that came back were mixed and emotionally driven: favourite colours, references to other brands, and contradictory opinions that could have easily derailed the process. Early-stage look & feel work isn’t designed for public testing; it’s meant to help a team understand where the brand could go.
So we paused and created a structured feedback session.
Instead of reacting to every comment, we grouped the feedback into “objective” (anything tied to accessibility, clarity, fit for purpose) and “subjective” (taste, colour preference, loose personal impressions). We showed the team how to weigh each category, which helped them see what should guide decisions and what could be set aside.
With clarity restored, we took all three routes into version two. Each was sharpened:
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The movement-focused concept gained more structure and consistency
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The playful route became more cohesive and elevated
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The community-led option gained stronger graphic logic and visual rhythm
This evolution made it far easier to have an informed discussion, because the concepts were no longer early sketches and were now practical, usable brand directions.
From there, Version 03 became the decisive step. We brought forward the strongest elements from all routes: the warmth, the sense of movement, the clean type system, and the balance between energy and ease, and shaped them into a clear, unified direction. This final concept reflected everything Sostena stands for: a lively but welcoming space, modern without being intimidating, and flexible enough to scale across departments, signage, digital platforms, and future locations.
The process could easily have gone off-track, but by structuring the feedback and keeping the strategy at the centre, we landed a brand look & feel that was not only visually compelling but right for Sostena’s future
Top challenges we overcame
The team gathered public feedback on Version 01 before the work was fully formed. We had to protect the creative process and reframe what feedback actually mattered.
CHALLENGE ONE
Managing stakeholder expectations when early concepts were shared publicly too soon
CHALLENGE TWO
Separating objective insights from subjective noise
People commented on colour preferences, “vibes,” and personal taste. We built a structured feedback workshop to filter emotion-driven reactions from strategic, brand-led feedback.
Each route had potential, but none were ready. We refined all concepts into Version 02, then guided the team towards a final, confident direction for Version 03.
CHALLENGE THREE
Evolving concepts without losing the core idea of Sostena
Tone of voice
Tone of voice was the moment everything clicked into place; the point where the strategy, the brand DNA, and the look & feel began speaking the same language.
We explored three tonal directions. The first was warm and community-led, speaking like a trusted local ally. The second leaned into innovation and energy, so it was sharper, bolder, more futuristic. The third kept things simple, light, and friendly, designed to welcome people who normally feel intimidated by wellness spaces.
Across these routes, we tested rhythm, vocabulary, warmth, and clarity. The patterns became obvious quickly. Sostena needed a voice that sounded approachable and encouraging, but never patronising. Something that made newcomers feel safe, made older adults feel valued, and made active users feel energised, without switching personality each time.
We pulled the strongest elements from all three routes into a final tone:
warm, conversational, quietly confident, and genuinely people-first.
A voice that speaks with you, not at you.
From here, we built guidelines the team could actually use: how to write for signage, how to adapt tone for teens versus corporates, how to express movement and connection without slipping into clichés.
It gave Sostena a voice it could grow into, not out of, and tied the whole brand together in a way design alone never could.
Top challenges we overcame
Sostena needed warmth and personality, not jargon or performance clichés. We shaped a tone that felt human, easy, and quietly confident.
CHALLENGE ONE
Finding a voice that didn’t feel like a gym, a council leisure centre, or a corporate wellness brand
CHALLENGE TWO
Creating a voice flexible enough to suit six very different audience groups
Older adults need reassurance, teens need energy, corporates need clarity. We built a tone with a single heart but adjustable edges.
The voice had to be simple and sturdy, expressive but practical, so the team could use it consistently without relying on us every time.
CHALLENGE THREE
Ensuring the TOV worked across every touchpoint — website, signage, social, campaigns, onboarding
Result
The result was a polished, fully aligned sales document delivered in under a month—ready for their team to use at meetings, tenders, and project pitches.
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Brief
Sostena needed a clean, welcoming website that introduced the new brand with confidence and guided people smoothly into the Technogym sign-up journey.
The original plan was a simple shop-window build in Wix Studio: light, clear and focused on brand storytelling. Halfway through, the specification changed completely. The website now had to handle all Activity Café bookings in-house, which meant creating a custom member’s area, building integrated calendars, supporting recurring sessions, and adding bespoke Wix coding to make everything work together.
The project shifted from a straightforward build to a fully functional digital platform.
Sitemapping
We built the sitemap around what users needed to understand first: who Sostena is, what the space offers and how to join.
From there, we mapped secondary journeys: Technogym equipment, the Activity Café, and social spaces, in a way that didn’t overload a brand-new visitor.
Once the specification changed, we revisited the structure and added a dedicated members’ area, calendar pages, and a booking flow that didn’t break the UX.
The sitemap became a living document, helping the team see what belonged in phase one, what could wait, and how the site would grow with them.
Top challenges we overcame
The team wanted everything at once. We created a phased roadmap so the core site could launch quickly, with deeper features planned for phase two.
CHALLENGE ONE
Defining an MVP for a fast-moving brand
CHALLENGE TWO
Balancing clarity with ambition
Sostena has many services, but too much early information overwhelms. We structured the sitemap around simple top-level journeys, keeping detail in expandable sections.
When bookings moved into Wix, we revisited the sitemap to create a logical place for member resources and recurring sessions without disrupting the wider UX.
CHALLENGE THREE
Accommodating later integrations not originally in scope
Wireframing
The wireframes laid out the entire experience: a clear homepage flow, service pages, café pages, class listings, and the future member login area. Every page used simple visual blocks so Sostena’s energetic brand could sit comfortably without overwhelming first-time users.
As requirements expanded, we adjusted wireframes so the new booking components slotted in seamlessly. This avoided Frankenstein layouts and kept the experience feeling intentional; something especially important for older audiences and those new to fitness.
Wireframes also acted as early prototypes for the internal team, letting them understand how their content would live on the site.
Top challenges we overcame
We built clean layouts that could scale without forcing a redesign when bookings were added.
CHALLENGE ONE
Keeping the wireframes simple while planning for complex future functionality
CHALLENGE TWO
Designing journeys for six very different audience groups
We used modular blocks so content could flex without changing the page structure.
Wix Studio is powerful but opinionated. We created wireframes that played to its strengths rather than fighting it.
CHALLENGE THREE
Working in a platform with layout constraints
Copywriting
Copywriting grounded the design. We wrote pages that felt friendly, welcoming, and easy to scan, matching how real users browse fitness and wellbeing sites. The homepage explained Sostena’s personality and promise, while service pages broke down what people actually get, who it’s for, and how to get started.
We threaded the tone through every element: buttons, FAQs, wayfinding text, café content, assessments, and class descriptions.
As the site grew in functionality, so did the copy. We added booking explanations, membership benefits, recurring session descriptions, and reassurance-led messaging for users unfamiliar with digital gym tools.
Top challenges we overcame
We wrote copy that felt warm and encouraging, but still clear for corporate and performance audiences.
CHALLENGE ONE
Translating the new tone of voice into a site that spoke to everyone
CHALLENGE TWO
Explaining unfamiliar tools (Technogym, Checkup Pod, BioCircuit) in plain English
We simplified complex features so users could see the value without jargon.
Short, helpful, confidence-building copy guided every page.
CHALLENGE THREE
Balancing brand storytelling with quick-scan usability
Build
The original build was straightforward: create a welcoming, high-performing site in Wix Studio that introduced the brand and handed users off to Technogym for sign-up.
Halfway through, the plan changed. The Activity Café needed to run all its bookings inside Wix: recurring sessions, calendar views, member logins, cancellations, reminder emails, and more. Instead of forcing a workaround, we rebuilt core pages, integrated booking apps, and added custom code so the system behaved the way Sostena needed.
Despite the scope change, we kept the UX clean and aligned with the brand.
The final build supports bookings, sign-ups, classes, and café sessions while still performing like a simple, accessible leisure site.
Top challenges we overcame
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The site shifted from a simple shop window to a full booking platform. We rebuilt the structure without losing previous work.
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CHALLENGE ONE
The project spec changed mid-build
CHALLENGE TWO
Wix Studio needed custom code and logic to support bookings
Calendar integrations, member areas, and session rules required tailored solutions.
We optimised layouts and interactions to keep the site feeling light.
CHALLENGE THREE
Maintaining speed and usability with more complex features
Result
Sostena’s website evolved from a simple brand showcase into a fully functioning digital hub, complete with bookings, member tools, and flexible content. It now reflects the brand’s warmth and confidence, supports real operational needs, and gives Sostena a scalable platform for future sites and services.
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Brief
Sostena needed a full suite of exterior and interior banners that felt cohesive with the new brand.
They wanted clear visibility from the roadside, a warm welcome at the entrance, and in-space dividers that made their fitness and assessment pods feel intentional, modern, and on-brand.
Design
We developed a full set of design routes — external signs, feather flags, pod dividers, and machine dividers — testing colourways, gradients, and cropped-logo layouts.
Each option was mocked up in situ to show scale and impact, then refined into a final, consistent system ready for production.
Top challenges we overcame
Exterior signage needed bold clarity at distance, while interior dividers required a softer, more premium feel. We built a system flexible enough to work in both spaces without losing consistency.
CHALLENGE ONE
Creating banners that worked across very different environments
CHALLENGE TWO
Translating the brand into large-format assets without overwhelming the space
Sostena’s gradients and movement-led graphics look great digitally, but could overpower in print. We refined colour, cropping, and scale so the visuals felt confident, not noisy.
Pods, machines, and entry points all demanded different visibility levels. We tested mock-ups in situ to make sure every banner guided, welcomed, or defined space exactly as intended.
CHALLENGE THREE
Designing for real-world usage — high traffic, equipment-heavy areas, and mixed sightlines
Result
The new banners transformed the site’s first impression.
The exterior signage now anchors the brand from the roadside, and the interior dividers create a clean, high-quality feel across pods and assessment areas. Everything works together visually, giving Sostena a confident, cohesive presence both outside and in.
Client's perspective.
"Client quote goes here".
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