Branding a Gym

Windy City Strength & Conditioning (WCSC), home of Windy City CrossFit, was the first CrossFit gym in Chicago. After several years in business, they were facing a saturated market and ready to differentiate themselves by evolving their brand experience, messaging and renovating the facility. Through our design process, we helped them tap into their core values and vision which led to a new name and messaging that set them apart from the competition and rang true to their purpose. We redesigned their visual identity, logo, website, apparel, merchandise, signage, ads and other marketing materials, as well as collaborated with Ellipsis Architects to help conceive the look and feel of the renovated space.

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Services

Brand Identity
Website + Digital Design
Print + Packaging Design
Environmental Design

Credits

Justin Marcis, Founder

Kyle Eertmoed, Brand Design Director

Cheston Bogue, Photographer

Scott Thompson, Photographer

Kyle Eertmoed, Photographer

Brett Burwell, Front-end Developer

Surprise Highway, Back-end Developer

Ellipsis, Interior Architect

Scott Thompson, Videographer

Cheston Bogue, Videographer

Rightway Signs, Sign Painter

Recognition

Website Awwwards ‘Honorable Mention’

Brand Vision

The foundational belief we came up with that set the tone is “The quality of your health determines the quality of your life and nothing is more important than that.” Most gyms show photos of the space and people working out, but we wanted the entire experience of WCSC to be about using the gym to get fit so you can live your best life, whatever that means to you. The entire website was designed to speak to this idea, including a page on Adventures where members share their stories and experiences where they travel the globe, seeking the most adventurous ways to get out there and use their fitness—so others can do it too. The logo was inspired by a bumper plate and the visual identity takes on an industrial feel, resembling the aesthetics and interior of the gym itself.