If we’re using styling terms, well then we’ve given our brand a wardrobe refresh. From bold new colours that match our attitude, to transforming our education online, we’re empowering tomorrow’s stylists. In fact, that’s even our new tagline!
A lot goes into a re-brand, from having a vision to partnering with creatives to bring it to life. We chat with ASI Founder & Director, Lauren Di Bartolo, who together with the ASI team has given us a whole new style and we’ve never felt better.
ASI: What was the driving force behind the re-brand?
Pushing boundaries and innovating the way we do things is in our ASI DNA, much like the fashion industry itself really. We wanted our re-brand to reflect this role that we play in both the worlds of education and style. Similar to how our students experience a transformation from the classroom through to their career, we’ve experienced our own.
This year we’re celebrating 10 years of establishing ourselves as the specialists in styling courses. We wanted to honour this milestone not only with this fresh new look but also by evolving our education into an immersive online classroom experience. It’s so exciting for us to be welcoming students from all over the world!
ASI: Tell us about the essence of the re-brand?
As a stylist, I believe in the power of a good makeover. We all know what it feels like to step into a new style that feels like ‘us’. For ASI that was something bolder. While we wanted to keep the existing ASI logo which has become well regarded in our industry, we looked to introduce bold new primary colours to represent each of our courses, impactful fonts and styled imagery.
It was also important that the re-brand provided us with the opportunity to share more of the ‘behind the scenes’ of student life and successes. We’re so proud of the work our students and stylists go on to produce and the lives they change, so we wanted to champion them through their stories.
ASI: Tell us more about the importance of the styled brand imagery and how it came to life.
We wanted to produce aspirational imagery as a literal storytelling of what we specialise in and teach – styling! It’s a realistic example of what our students experience in our courses: start with a brief, develop the visuals, source garments, cast a model and book the best creative team around (see below). What we have achieved are three different yet cohesive visuals that represent each of our courses and we believe, are truly reflective of our product.
Brand Creative: Anatomy Studios
Website: Ven Creative
Styling: Australian Style Institute
Photography: Hugh Davies
HMA: Elle James
Model: Laura Wood
ASI: Personal branding and launching a business form part of the education at Australian Style Institute. What would you say was your biggest consideration when approaching the re-branding?
It’s important to know who you are and communicate this visually. This helps your audience to gain a real understanding of what you’re committed to. For us, that stemmed from our values: innovation, inspiration, success, empowerment and inclusivity.
It’s also important to consider the bigger picture. For example, ASI isn’t just an institution where our students choose to study, it’s also their gateway to industry opportunities. We’re also a resource for retail and industry partners, so we needed to consider all these moving parts that form the big picture.
ASI: What excites you most about the future for the Australian Style Institute brand?
It’s simple. We’ve never seen so much demand and opportunity in styling than we are right now. Year on year, we are more committed to innovating our students learning experience and stylist’s success. While they’re growing and thriving, the next 10 years are looking like our brands brightest yet.
