1. And this is?
So, what does the aesthetic of the header image (above) telegraph about the offering?January, one year prior, I had come across an article on Business Wire regarding a new metric, or indicator, of Brand Dependence as a predictor of a brand's influence and potential. This new index, delivered by Laurence Vincent of UTA Brand Studio at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, was titled "Story of Attachment." In summary, it's a measure of consumer brand strength as a sort of touchy feely emotional metric that helps brands (consumer electronics in this case) better gauge influence and power. That's an interesting metric, emotions.
Outside of fitness, industries wage pitched battles in efforts to differentiate their brands. Look no further than the "hamburger arms race" between McDonald's and Burger King or auto giants Honda and Nissan. What's at stake? Market dominance, market share...r-e-v-e-n-u-e.
Yet the fitness industry continues to cross industry trend, or brand borrow cannibalize, internally the aesthetics of its market segments. Cross industry trending is the focus of this content and off all the gym trends which greatly blur a gym brand, the aesthetic known as Boutique Design, reigns supreme. It deserves special scrutiny because it gets little mention in the rhetoric of critical design conjecture. As noted in one of my earlier posts, the design intelligentsia considers this trend to be sophisticated stylish and cool, yet the reality is that it's an exhausted pedestrian cliché employed across all manner of commerce. Hotels, restaurants, bars, residences, retail, hardware stores, dry cleaners, food chains and now gyms embrace this trend.
Boutique Design's greatest disservice is that it telegraphs nothing about fitness, nor a gym brand.
Outside of fitness, industries wage pitched battles in efforts to differentiate their brands. Look no further than the "hamburger arms race" between McDonald's and Burger King or auto giants Honda and Nissan. What's at stake? Market dominance, market share...r-e-v-e-n-u-e.
Yet the fitness industry continues to cross industry trend, or brand borrow cannibalize, internally the aesthetics of its market segments. Cross industry trending is the focus of this content and off all the gym trends which greatly blur a gym brand, the aesthetic known as Boutique Design, reigns supreme. It deserves special scrutiny because it gets little mention in the rhetoric of critical design conjecture. As noted in one of my earlier posts, the design intelligentsia considers this trend to be sophisticated stylish and cool, yet the reality is that it's an exhausted pedestrian cliché employed across all manner of commerce. Hotels, restaurants, bars, residences, retail, hardware stores, dry cleaners, food chains and now gyms embrace this trend.
Boutique Design's greatest disservice is that it telegraphs nothing about fitness, nor a gym brand.
2. And this is?
3. And this is?
4. And this is?
If you're a luxury gym developer and you want to turn your USP (unique selling proposition) over to others, boutique design is your aesthetic vehicle of choice. At first, an ego enlightened joy ride. In time, as you identify the aesthetic everywhere you turn (as will your members,) your once lofty gym joy ride is diminished as another luxury brand wanna-be. Unless you're a fitness facility 1%-er, in the likes of the David Barton brand, avoid this aesthetic lest you appear un-inventive and unoriginal.
As a gym developer you have to really ask of yourself, where is the greater value? Is it in adopting aesthetic trends, or delivering a unique gym model to the marketplace?The preceding will certainly result in a nice facility, the later, opportunity to find other features of your branding platform that will further differentiate you from your competition.
Header Image Boxing Gym
Image 2 Gym Reception Area
Image 3 CrossFit Locker Room
Image 4 Gym Locker Room
As a gym developer you have to really ask of yourself, where is the greater value? Is it in adopting aesthetic trends, or delivering a unique gym model to the marketplace?The preceding will certainly result in a nice facility, the later, opportunity to find other features of your branding platform that will further differentiate you from your competition.
Header Image Boxing Gym
Image 2 Gym Reception Area
Image 3 CrossFit Locker Room
Image 4 Gym Locker Room
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