Branding & Strategy
Branding & Strategy
During 2021 and 2022, Nash worked closely with co-founder Micah Belamarich to identify, consolidate, and streamline all things branding for the company. The scope was simple: hone in on what works and begin strategizing how to implement it into the everyday workflow across all brand touchpoints. In the 15 years Only NY has been in business, they had built a large visual system that was identifiable to the brand as ‘Only’, but had not been organized in a way that was easily navigable for leadership, freelancers, or current employees.
The projects ranged from large scale internal brand guidelines curation and brand presentations, to the product trim system and everything in between. Only NY is run by creatives, so every detail is considered and factors into a final decision.
Scope of Projects
• Brand Guidelines
• Design Guidelines Toolkit
• Trim System (core woven labels, speciality labels, hangtags, care labels), Pictured Right.
• Eco-Friendly Packaging Exploration (Incl. boxes, mailers, tape, paper messaging, poly-bags)
• Retail / Point-of-Sale Bags
• Brand Icon System Strategy
• Logo Adjustments / Tweaks
• Merchandise Program
Brand & Design Guidelines
Brand Guidelines
Only NY has a rich history woven into the fabric of the NY streetwear scene. Being born from a simple viral t-shirt design 15 years ago, to being the first apparel brand to collaborate with a City Department, Only NY has a special story as a brand.
Nash worked closely with Only NY’s co-founder Micah Belamarich to flesh out both the Brand Guidelines which is used as a starting point for new hires and collaborators to understand the brand, what it stands for, and it’s visual appeal and principles.
Design Guidelines & Toolkit
In order to further streamline all things graphic-related between internal departments such as production, design, and external freelancers / vendors, an easily digestible design guidelines “graphic toolkit” was created. This, coupled with the Brand Guidelines, gives individuals working with Only NY a great starting point for getting up to speed.
The documents are internal and cannot fully be shown. Select images have been chosen to share the general final product.
Icon System
Branding & Strategy
Brand cofounder Micah Belamarich is a renowned artist and illustrator who’s work is most famously known as the brand’s central hand drawn look and feel. While looking for opportunities to expand and streamline the brand’s visual archive, these icons became essential to the Only NY visual language.
Micah doodles hundreds of icons monthly, mainly dealing with New York centric themes that have inspired himself and the brand. The icons had been used in a few miscellaneous ways, but never with a true intent. Nash worked to flesh out a framework and strategy for these icons that can now be seen across the brand integrated into products & accessories, retail store signage, woven labels, brand presentations, advertisements, and more. The system is ever-evolving, shown here is a few examples listed above.
Trim System
Branding & Strategy
A clothing brand’s trim system is their market identifier to distinguish itself from competition, so it’s crucial to get it right. Only NY had always been very exploratory with labeling their products, and over the span of a decade it created a bit of internal and external confusion. Nash worked on creating an essential structure to follow that allows for creativity in the form of new labels, but within a basic framework for visual consistency for brand voice and product coherence.
The Scope
• Core brand labeling system
• Premium Basics label system
• Customizable hangtag system for both core and collaborations
• City of New York® branded labels
• Custom ‘speciality labels’ for individual products
