ARNO KEMP The room behind the decision: brand strategy, creative direction and copywriting for an...ARNO KEMP The room behind the decision: brand strategy, creative direction and copywriting for an...
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The room behind the decision: brand strategy, creative direction and copywriting for an executive coach
Brand strategy, positioning, creative direction, visual identity and copywriting for executive coach Arno Kemp.
THE STORY
Leadership gets lonelier the more senior you become.
By the time someone reaches the top of an organisation, they’re usually very good at looking like they know what they’re doing. But behind the decisions, the meetings and the performance, there’s another conversation happening. The one about whether the role still fits. What comes next. And the things you can’t necessarily say to anyone else in the room.
That was the territory I wanted to build Arno Kemp’s brand around.
I kept coming back to the space before the visible decision. The thinking, doubt and uncomfortable honesty that happens privately, before a leader walks back into the room.
That led to the central idea: “The room behind the decision.”
From there I built a visual and verbal world that felt intelligent, quiet and assured. Less like traditional executive coaching and more like a private conversation between two people who understand the stakes.
The writing followed the same principle. The role used to fit. This isn’t confusion. It’s consequence. What leaders stop saying out loud. You’re still performing. That’s not the same as fitting.
The idea carried through the identity, presentation material, social content and wider brand system.
WHAT IT TAUGHT ME
That the most interesting thing about a service isn’t always what happens in it. Sometimes it’s the moment that makes someone realise they need it.
And that when you’re speaking to accomplished people, you don’t need to tell them how to lead. You need to show them that you understand what leadership feels like.
Brand Identity & Packaging Design
A complete visual identity and packaging concept for Cerveja do Bolo, including branded packaging, merchandise, and outdoor signage. I developed the visual direction and applied the brand consistently across multiple touchpoints to create a cohesive and recognizable identity.
Rather than following the typical loud adventure aesthetic, we kept the system clean, modern, and confident, reflecting XNOMAD's idea of quiet luxury and freedom.
The identity was built around a distinctive X, supported by a minimal wordmark, bold blue palette, typography, graphic patterns, and applications across digital and physical touchpoints.
Wake Up Anywhere.
One of those projects where simplicity did most of the talking.