The Deluxe M rebrand was one of those projects where the first step wasn’t opening Illustrator. It was asking better questions.

Deluxe M is a beauty studio in Požega, Croatia, founded by Marija, a nursing graduate who brings a very personal approach to every treatment. She starts with a conversation, takes the time to understand her clients, and creates an experience where nobody feels like just another appointment.

The problem was that the existing brand wasn’t communicating any of that.

The previous identity leaned heavily into gold, satin, and a decorative monogram, which suggested a more traditional idea of luxury. But that wasn’t really Marija’s version of luxury. For her, luxury is trust, attention, comfort, and feeling genuinely looked after.

So we started with strategy rather than visuals. I created a questionnaire to understand the business, Marija’s approach, her clients, and where she wanted the studio to go. From that process came the sentence that became the foundation for the entire rebrand:

“Here, every client is always the only one.”

Once that idea was clear, the visual direction became much easier to define.

I moved away from decorative elements and created a clean typographic logo that feels calm, confident, and personal. The colour palette shifted from gold into warm, understated neutrals. Thin lines and generous negative space brought a sense of softness and breathing room, while the overall system was designed to feel premium without trying too hard to prove it.

The identity was then developed into a complete brand system, including logo variations, typography, colour palette, supporting elements, applications, and a 35 page brand book to help Marija use the identity consistently across her business.

And honestly, Marija deserves a special mention here. She gave me something every designer loves: trust. She was open to the strategy, trusted my creative decisions, and gave me the freedom to actually solve the problem rather than simply decorate it.

That is what I love about rebranding.

It isn't about making something look newer. It's about figuring out what is already true about a business and building a visual identity that finally communicates it.

For Deluxe M, the goal was never to look more luxurious.

It was to look more like Marija.

And that, to me, is always the point.