Laurence Shahlaei is one of the biggest names in Strongman – a former Europe’s, Britain’s and UK’s Strongest Man, with 11 WSM appearances, and numerous world records to his name. We have worked with Loz and wife Liz to continue to grow his personal brand, along with his social channels, hugely influential YouTube channel, and his coaching business.
LAURENCE SHAHLAEI
CLIENT
BRAND STRATEGY
VISUAL IDENTITY
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
CONSULTANCY
SOCIAL & PRINT DESIGN
WHAT WE DID
BIG LOZ
THE HOME OF STRONGMAN
It was clear that in order for the brand to grow it needed to be consolidated under a clearly defined ‘Big Loz’ brand, with sub brands allocated to each of the social channels and Loz's coaching business, in a way that allowed it to be adaptable and not too rigid.
To achieve this, we created a new brand visual identity leading with a brand new 'Big Loz' logo to build a solid foundation for the brand that can be built upon going forward. We were keen for the identity to have a strong, robust feel; welcoming without being too dark or grungy. We also developed a new brand tagline – “Stay Strong” – that is used throughout the visuals and messaging – a reference to both physical and mental strength - increasing the opportunities as the brand continues to develop.
A key element of the visuals is to stand out against the ever-growing competition in the Strongman, fitness, and coaching industries. This involved combining a bright colour palette with an uncomplicated design approach, as well as relying heavily on the two brand fonts “Binnek” and “Korolev”. The new identity also includes a variety of paint stroke graphics as a reference Loz’s strongman nickname, “The Warrior”.
It was important the new brand colours had meaning rather than just a random selection. The new palette of 3 main colours were chosen for their affinity to each sub brand, as well as to go against the grain of the rest of the industry, who tend to use black and red.
Each colour is attached to a sub brand - Instagram page using orange, which symbolises ‘action’, blue for the YouTube channel, which represents ‘trust’, and green for ‘growth’ for 'Big Loz Coaching'. They can stand on their own or be used in combination with darker shades, as well as black and white to create the most effective design.
Loz and Liz had already built up a strong community feel around their YouTube channel, so we expanded this to cover the brand as a whole.
A new branded #teamloz graphic was designed to be used on Instagram and new merchandise to create a feeling of inclusion and aspiration around the brand, particular for the growth of Loz’s coaching business.
As well as a new identity, we have continued to support Loz and Liz with strategy and content through our ongoing consultancy, focusing on sustainable growth and exploring new avenues for the brand.
