Goal
Develop a business name and brand concept for a wellness center offering a wide range of services: massage and meditation, self-defense and martial arts, strength training and yoga. The concept should be gender-inclusive and take inspiration from eastern spiritual traditions.
Solution
The company name is unusual. But when it's combined with a verb, it provides the foundation for a wealth of meanings. This approach forms the advertising campaign, allowing the client to offer a wide range of services to multiple audiences. The business name conveys support and encouragement: you’re not joining a gym, you’re entering a community of like-minded individuals, gathered together in common purpose.
The initial design inspiration was the collective contraction and relaxation of muscle cells. To create movement, millions of individual cells must move together. In the same way, aligned waves of energy perform work. Each society mirrors these dynamics; communities, cities and countries are the product of collective action. Using these dynamics, I created a foundational shape — a slice of multiple waves. This design resembles a contracting muscle; individual cells or waves pull together to achieve movement.
When this shape is repeated in the four directions, it takes on the appearance of the uttarabodhi mudra, a symbolic yogic hand gesture used in both Buddhist and Hindu traditions. When two of these shapes are combined, they symbolize a couple. When eight are brought together in a mandala, they symbolize community. This eight-spoked design also recalls the dharmachakra.
The colors are taken from the purple lotus, symbolizing enlightenment (the purple and gold flower) rising from the murky waters (navy blue and teal) where it makes its home.