SARA WASS

Throughout 2022, I conceptually developed and art directed a holistic brand refresh for for obé Fitness, a digital fitness and wellness platform built for those seeking electrifying, entertaining workouts. I also directed all obé's marketing initiatives, creative directed and produced a partnership campaign and lookbook for Athleta, art directed and post-produced marketing materials for a partnership campaign with American Airlines, creative directed obé's first-ever outdoor photo shoot, and launched a variety of new digital products and workout programs.

obé x Athleta Retail SS 2022

In collaboration with Athleta, we launched The Set(s) of Summer - a look book of 10 obé-branded Athleta products available for purchase in the obé shop. I creative directed our strategy, produced and directed our shoot, and design directed all retouching and marketing creative surrounding 3 separate summer launches. Despite using unique gradient color ways (an obé staple) for each launch creative, our tie-in factor is a summery light blue (#ACD8F5), appearing throughout.
The first obé x Athleta drop lead to nearly a 6% click-through rate via our email newsletter - one of obé's highest ever CTRs.

obé Audio, Branding and Launch Campaign

Primarily a livestream or video-on-demand platform, obé has since forayed into the world of audio-only workouts - that is, expertly guided fitness classes that don't require watching your screen. From the concept phase to execution, I oversaw the naming and key messaging, photography, and logo and asset design for obé Audio. Our challenge was to figure out how to sustainably maintain hero imagery, or thumbnails, for new classes launching on a nearly day to day basis. I also produced, directed, and photographed hybrid outdoor-indoor photoshoots for each instructor who would teach an audio class.

Brand Guideline Refresh

The obé squad was seeking to expand on their brand guidelines from their startup era, in order to appear more contemporary and appeal to a wider audience. I took on the challenge of leading the creative team in revamping obé's color system and logo usage, added several new design elements, and a consistent look and feel for iconography. We also tackled a visual system for product design, and post production guidelines for video content including a premium intro animation and subtitle directions. Moreover, we included a separate booklet for the livestream production team that covered guidelines for box lighting schemes and clothing styling for instructors.

Photography Style Guide

Pre-2022, obé's marketing imagery had a corporate feeling. Posing appeared stiff, color systems were gentle and pastel, and photographs were heavily retouched. This did not accurately reflect the energy that obé emits, nor would it resonate with a contemporary, young audience. My solution to these issues was to approach obé's marketing photography with a more contemporary perspective, so that images would appear more relatable to their audience, and taking them would be more efficient and sustainable for the team moving forward. After some trial and error, I developed a manual for future obé photographers and staffers to use when shooting photos, including a hero image shoot guide, considerations when posing and directing models (obé instructors), and color palettes for lighting and styling. You can see some examples of this in below with our launch photography for Izzi Lynn, shot by Alec Kugler.

Social Media Shoot SS 2022

Creative direction, styling, production, and post production for obé's first "out of the box" outdoor photoshoot for summer 2022. Previously, 100% of obé imagery was shot indoors in the obé box with a significant amount of image retouching, so the mission here was to authentically highlight obé instructors, class types, and the general vibrant energy of a healthy and fun summer.

obé "In the Box" with Tyler Cameron

I post-produced a trailer and 3 sizzle reels to promote Tyler Cameron's appearance (of The Bachelorette fame) in the obé box, to take 3 different classes with various obé instructors. Using storyboards from clips of all class footage, I approached this project with a high entertainment factor and comedic flair, similar to that of reality TV. I also developed the concept for a logo animation for on-screen graphics and a static version for marketing materials, as well as produced a BTS stills shoot to accompany the campaign.

obé x American Airlines

I oversaw art direction and design for obé's partnership with American Airlines, where obé provided 10 unique pieces of content for in-flight viewing. I also directed production of a trailer, using clips from the content we provided.

obé Pride 2022

obé featured a variety of Pride content in 2022 - from themed live programming and a one-off show by Peter Tucci (aptly called "The Show") to a custom hat. I art directed custom on-screen graphics, social-first GIF stickers and a variety of O&O graphics for this campaign, as well as directed & photographed Peter.

Design Direction (Miscellaneous)

I oversaw a variety of other projects for obé Fitness, including 2 experiential activations (with Athleta and Showfields), a Pride Month campaign, a social media playbook, new email graphics, retail photoshoots, static and video assets for new class and program launches, and so much more.