Strategy comes before style: Take a look at the branding work of creative group NA1

Although NA1’s creative focus is on branding, the multidisciplinary collective doesn’t operate like your usual agency. This is for two reasons: the first being that the studio doesn’t really have a fixed in-house team, it collaborates with creatives across disciplines, frequently shapeshifting with a project-driven approach to practice. The second being that when designer and founding director Hana Na decided to set up a visual practice of her own, she wanted her offering to be as much about strategy as it was about establishing a visual style for the brands that she collaborated with.

Hana is a firm believer in visual decisions not just being an expression of personal taste “or ego”, but instead, a sensitive appreciation of each client’s “core DNA”, she says. With this strategic foundation NA1’s work puts concepts first, aiming to deliver “genuine stories and authenticity” through unique visual codes. Its portfolio is proof that each project can look quite different when you de-centre any sense of house style and focus on a singular message or sentiment – from paired down fashion branding that feels distinctly editorial to squidgy 3D character design.

“For brands that value analog sensibilities and authenticity,” the designer says, “our design process may involve hand-drawing, making, deconstructing, and exploring irregular, tactile textures, but for brands driven by graphics and visualisation, NA1 collaborates with AI, motion and 3D designers to build narrative-driven visuals.” Regardless of form, the agencies aim is to go beyond design and style, to take brand building beyond the surface of a logo or visual identity and establish a core set of rules for future play.