Centering a creative brand on its world-class talent
For over 30 years, the former LifeFormations has been known around the world for their pioneering animatronics at museums, theme parks, ballparks, and other interactive spaces. But their work is so much more than moving figures. They’re a full creative studio of highly-talented designers, engineers, sculptors, and seamstresses who craft custom, immersive experiences. When they asked Hanson to rebrand their offerings, it was a chance to tell their story with the drama it deserves. And that’s how the LF Studios brand was born.
From LifeFormations to LF Studios
The original LifeFormations name communicated the figure-based work that started it all. But as the capabilities of their multi-disciplinary team expanded, the name had become limiting. They wanted potential clients to see the full breadth of what they do today.
To convey that, we explored their work for ourselves, interviewing team members and learning about the incredible experiences they craft. We toured their workshops full of strange and glorious works in progress. And we analyzed what really makes them different from other design and build shops.
Then we unveiled a creation of our own: a new brand strategy and identity.
The name LF Studios channels the brand equity of the original while re-centering the focus on the talented craftspeople whose collaborative genius makes it all possible. The new mark evokes both the professionalism and the sense of delight the team delivers to their clients—and to their clients’ visitors. An elegantly muted color palette ensures the work always takes center stage.
Activating the New LF Studios Brand
To ensure a successful launch of the new brand, we crafted an elevator pitch and other key messages for a consistent script. Developed a brand guide. Roadmapped a full plan for activating internal and external audiences. And produced some of the key assets, like sales enablement materials.
This approach gave the LF team flexibility in how and when to activate internal resources, meeting the launch target without redirecting efforts away from in-stream projects.
Introducing LFStudios.com
A key activation of the new brand was the website. A confident visual design features vibrant examples of the “breakthrough experiences” LF Studios creates. The rest of the content quickly tells the story of the team’s capabilities and trusted process.
Hanson built the site on WordPress to ensure the LF team can easily update it. To support go live, we also provided copywriting and art direction for all the foundational content.
Results
Our client partners weren’t the only ones who thought we hit the mark. We were thrilled for the LF Studios rebrand to be awarded a bronze Addy by the American Advertising Federation.
“We approached Hanson, a partner we have used in the past solely for website updates, and they were able to take my vision and create a new dynamic rebrand…The team at Hanson felt like a true partner in our brand, something that our company values. We look forward to the partnership we cultivated with Hanson.”
— Rodney Heiligmann, President of LF Studios
