angela liu
cornerstone
NEW YORK, NY
scope
branding
role
creative director
duration
Q4 2021 - Q2 2022
deliverables
visual identity
brand strategy
marketing collateral
brand applications
partners
logo design
salus liangoverview
The Cornerstone Group is comprised of two businesses - one that manages their proprietary app and wholesale retailer (Cornerstone), and another that manages their physical laundromat in SoHo, NYC (Cornerstone Laundromat).
I was brought on to help create a brand strategy and visual identity ahead of the collective launch of their recently renovated laundromat, Cornerstone app, and a new loyalty program in partnership with neighboring businesses.
the challenge
The laundromat itself is a commoditized business and its potential to scale is limited by its inherent nature of being a location-based service. I spoke to several new and regular customers and recognized that the trend in choosing the laundromat over others is based on convenience. This presented our first big challenge - identifying differentiators to market and increase awareness of the laundromat.
Another main challenge was to create a brand hierarchy and system that houses both brands in a cohesive manner. The visual identity would have to allow for both distinctions and connectivity between the two. The system itself also needed to be scalable for additional business ventures down the pipeline.
the vision
The vision of Cornerstone was an organization and place that acts as a foundation for its community, supporting and connecting those within.
The objective was to create a thoughtful, systematic brand that embodied the customer-centric approach Cornerstone has towards its business.
the process
I began by identifying the target audiences and conducting interviews with Cornerstone customers which naturally informed the SWOT analysis I did for the business. From there, I developed the brand positioning by breaking down the what, how, and why of the business. Three brand values then came to the surface - dependable, thoughtful, and neighborly.
I leaned into the fundamental definition of the name - Cornerstone - to develop a vision that ultimately shaped the final positioning and visual identity: a foundation for those within its community.
After exploring several creative territories, we developed a visual identity that embodied the values and the vision of Cornerstone.
the brand
The brand elements were selected and designed to bring a sense of ease, comfort, and delight to the customers - the same feelings one can expect to experience at Cornerstone.
The brand system was established via the color hierarchies and font styles to create a clear distinction between the two brands. The uppercase used for Cornerstone vs. the sentence case used for Cornerstone Laundromat denote the main difference - that one is for corporate business and the other is for consumers.