Objective
Running Y needed a brand that finally matched the resort experience. A brand that could walk into a room and hold its own against the competing premium resorts and experiences in the region. The goal was to build an identity that felt elevated, calm, and intentional. Like the experience guests have when they’re on the property. Then we wanted to use that new identity to reach discerning travelers who’re selective about where they spend their time. The brand needed to resonate with people drawn to exceptional golf, wide open nature, and the rare feeling of truly getting away from it all.
Problem
Guests arriving at Running Y encountered a brand that simply didn’t match the experience waiting for them inside.
- The visual identity felt dated and disconnected from the resort’s premium quality and the first impression of resort ammenities.
- Affluent travelers weren’t putting Running Y on their radar because the website experience, the branding, the messaging and visuals did not signal that the Running Y Resort belonged on a their travel destination shortlist.
- Across every guest touchpoint, the brand felt scattered and more like a collection of mismatched marketing campaigns and one off brands than a cohesive resort experience.
Insight
The deeper the marketing team looked, the clearer it became Running Y wasn’t losing guests because the resort fell short, it was losing them before they ever gave it a chance. Travelers making decisions about where to spend their limited time at a premium price are relying almost entirely on what a brand website, voice, and messaging before they ever set foot on the property. Running Y’s experience was genuinely world-class, but the brand surrounding it wasn’t tellling that story online and carrying that story into the world. The look, the feel, the language, none of it was saying this is somewhere special. And if a place doesn’t feel premium before you arrive, most people will never find out if it actually is.
Solution
I led the brand design portion of the rebrand, centered on visual and voice repositioning of Running Y Ranch Resort as a refined retreat from the hectic pace of city life. The new identity balanced natural authenticity with elevated elegance, aligning the visual expression with the experience guests encounter on property.
The redesigned logo introduced a more sophisticated and timeless presence, supported by a restrained color palette and cohesive visual system designed to evoke calm, space, and premium resort hospitality. Each element was built to reinforce the idea of renewal and discovery, helping guests immediately understand the level of experience the resort offers, from world-class golf to dining and spa services.
The identity extended across collateral, creating consistency from first impression through on-site interactions and giving the resort a unified, premium brand presence.
Process
- Discovery & Audit We started by sitting down with the people who know Running Y best. Through working sessions and conversations, we asked a lot of questions about who the guest is, what a stay actually feels like, and where the brand was falling short. What came out of those sessions gave us a clear picture of where the brand was and where it needed to go.
- Identity Development & System Design We explored multiple creative directions, different ways of visually capturing the calm, the scale, and the elevation of the place, and refined them collaboratively until we landed on something that felt unmistakably right. The result was a complete visual language: typography, color, imagery, and design principles that work together to tell a consistent story across every surface.
- Collateral & Rollout With the identity locked, we brought it to life across every touchpoint a guest might encounter, from print and digital to on-property materials, designing each piece to feel like part of the same world. We wrapped everything into a clear set of brand guidelines so anyone working with the brand going forward could maintain that same standard without guessing.
Results
The final identity received immediate client approval and was quickly adopted across the resort experience. The rebrand established a clear premium positioning, aligning perception with the quality of the destination and providing a cohesive foundation for future marketing and guest communications.
The new brand expression elevated Running Y Ranch Resort’s presence, helping reposition it as a credible luxury escape and strengthening its appeal among high-income travelers seeking an elevated outdoor resort experience.
