Design Bridge Shanghai has rebranded JEN, Shangri-La's diverse chain of up-scale hotels aimed at adventurous urban travelers. Central to Design Bridge's rebrand is an interpretation of the Chinese character symbolic of benevolence and harmony known as 'rén,' innovatively incorporating it as a dual-language wordmark with the English 'Jen.'
"We wanted the new visual identity to capture the true vibrancy of JEN's destinations across Asia's most dynamic cities, as well as reflect the shifts in the hospitality sector and rise in Chinese tourism within an increasingly competitive hotel market," commented Tom Gilbert, Executive Creative Director of Design Bridge Shanghai. "Re-branding from 'Hotel Jen' to 'JEN by Shangri-La' is a move that takes the brand beyond a physical place to a community of like-minded travellers, reassured they are in the safe hands of Asia's leading hospitality group."
Design Bridge's iconic interpretation of the 'rén' symbol has also been used as a flexible supergraphic, imbuing print and digital touchpoints with JEN's signature bold and graphic identity. The symbol has also been used to create a bespoke Jen typeface and a series of striking geometric patterns in a new color palette drawn from the contemporary urban environment.
Creating new brand photography and a brand launch video were also a crucial part of the project. "We collaborated with photographers Tristan Zhou and Vivien Liu, both of whom specialise in capturing dynamic Asian cityscapes, to create a bespoke set of brand imagery to bring the new JEN to life," Gilbert said. "We also led a 4-day film shoot across Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore to create a new launch video directly appealing to the community of sophisticated urban explorers that the new JEN by Shangri-La is fostering."
Design Bridge's work also underpins the visual direction of a new suite of digital assets, including a new website.
Photos: Courtesy of Design Bridge Shanghai