Do Not Design for Paladino - a purveyor of exquisite fabric for the modern gentleman

Officine Paladino

Services

Research & Analysis

Brand Positioning

Brand Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Preston Tham

Photography

Munkong

Styling

Marie Lee / April Lee

Collaterals Photography

The Gentle Studio / Anton Tang

Crafted with the finest Merino wool woven exclusively in the best mills in Italy, a curation of trendy designs, colours and timeless essentials.

Art direction, branding and identity, publication design, digital marketing and responsive website design– these are a few of our favourite things! (and also what we constructed for Paladino) in order to introduce the brand to the market, while driving sales and building a customer loyalty base.

More than just a cosmetic development of the brand, our research went deep into understanding the suits market in order to drive the logic and reason behind every touchpoint of Paladino, while ensuring relevance for modern day consumers. We realised that brands like Paladino rely mostly on their representatives and tailors to build a reputation with consumers. The question was now about how we could take control of the narrative in order to increase our brand visibility. How could we transform our relationship with consumers? How would we create an interactive and impactful tailoring experience?

It came down to research. Conducting surveys. Analysing the traditional tailoring process. Speaking to those on the ground, finding out what people truly need. How do consumers even decide what they want in a suit? Do they follow trends? A budget? How are suits even made? How do consumers decide what and which fabric to be used?

What we came to realise is that the process of purchasing a suit always involves a middle man. Which meant that the opportunity for users to experience a brand was no longer a luxury. Competitors swatch books were also corporate and serious. Who said that had to be the case?

We took it upon ourselves to reshape the perception of swatchbooks, transforming into something reminiscent of a magazine, something anyone would want to pick up and really start flipping

The design system revolved around a defining straight line representing a woven thread that adds tone and balance to the overall identity; while establishing a distinction across the different collaterals.

Conventional colors for men include black, brown, dark red and green. Instead of using colors that were overused, stereotypically male and basic, we wanted to stand out from the crowd, right from the start.

This meant opting for a dye fabric color that is offbeat yet subtly luxurious— Orange. Sourced from across the globe in Belgium, orange would be distinctive and lush, a color that was most definitely not forgettable. Orange (Think Hermes, Louis Vuitton and even Holland and Sherry’s female range) also harmonized well with blue as a secondary color, which we ended up choosing.

Celebrating the spirit of craftsmanship, clarity and personal touches, the swatch book showcases fabric swatches in the best possible way against a stark white background. Handwritten text was paired with a timeless sans serif font to create a novel typographic language.

A set of custom icons are designed and set in a clear, friendly and easy to understand tone. Each layout spread portrays style in a relatable and engaging manner with its easy-to-reference format. The striking orange cover also reflects a forward-thinking mindset in revitalising the fabric market.

Paladino wasn’t a small, unassuming startup. It became a contender, a brand that was comfortable in the market, right from the start. With its good design, Paladino continued to take off and expand, seeking opportunities in the Southeast Asian market. From Japan, to Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. And then, it came time to look for greater pastures within the US market.

Reinventing the online experience of a fabric merchant for consumers: For the uninitiated, fabrics can be unnecessarily complicated and difficult to comprehend. Paladino was created to change that. The website is designed in a way that consumers can learn about Paladino's story and the origin of the fabrics, browse collections, create a look based on the fabrics offered, all in one site. From small to big screen, Paladino’s website is designed to look great everywhere. One of the main challenges was to translate the experience of touch into a digital format. To do so, we developed a tool that allowed visitors to view products in 3D, which showcased the depth and texture of each fabric and how it would reflect light or flow to fit the shape of each body.

Do Not Design

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