What Pattern discovered about the Village: The Village had a great brand. But it was hidden, like a buried treasure of marketing potential. The Brand appeared in cameo appearances as collages of images and text - scattered and random. We discovered we could unify these marketing elements into one solidified message.

Our game plan. Guided by new copy that exposed the Village's emotional qualities - that comfort of home and feeling of belonging experienced by its members - we created a 'welcome kit' and collateral with a new color palette, custom photography and functional design.

Results for years to come. We created a Welcome Kit that is more than just beautiful to look at. It's a kit that will last for years. It champions the essential emotional difference between what the Village offers, and the cold, corporate world of the big box gyms.

Debbie Condo says: It's a partnership. I have to feel like they're listening to me and I'm understanding why they're doing some of the things they're doing... And the very first thing her team asked me was, what are the Village's Goals?

In our own words: Competition forces your brand to come together. We listen to what the experience is of the end user. We find out why they relate to the product and what it means emotionally to them. We find out why the audience chooses that product. You've seen your own web site over 500,000 times - you need a fresh set of eyes to unearth new potential.

Debbie Condo says: I have so many different kinds of materials...so I need them to coordinate. The way Pattern helped us build the Village brand was in their ability to feed us one piece at a time. And we saw it was working incrementally, like building a staircase.

In our own words: One of the secrets to great design isn't design - it's great copy. We've learned that COPY finds the brand. If the copywriter finds that it's a hometown club, that influences the visual language, and how the look and feel is established. Because it's not just supposed to be beautiful...it's not just about polish - you need a structure, the wire frame; the bones come first, and then we build out from there. Design is good looks, but the heart and soul come from copy.

Debbie Condo says: Amy suggested getting the people involved right away who are going to approve the process - that way, everybody has their say - that way they are on board with what's happening...they feel like they are contributing to the process. You save money by involving everyone from the beginning...because there are no major design surprises in the end.

I chose to work with Pattern Design because they can accomplish so much compared to a big agency. I'm not getting charged for things I don't need, and I get to pick and choose what I want to do myself. It's much more cost effective. It's a flexible way to arrive at excellent creative work...