Branding for a Golf Training Facility
Hamoni (phonetic version of harmony in Japanese) is a publicly accessible golf learning centre in Gurgaon, India, with a mission to break down the barriers to golf and change its public perception as an elitist sport and to make it available to everyone who loves sports. It provides an extremely affordable and accessible environment to learn and practice golf in the heart of the city.
We were first approached in 2013 to work on their branding, that included a logo, an ad campaign and a website. However, our engagement with Hamoni went beyond the initial set of requirements and we produced a varied set of communication collaterals over the following four years – from print merchandise and giving face to a new game-cafe to interesting graphics for their Facebook page and an endless number of campaign posters.
Hamoni Logo
The logo had to communicate the perception of Hamoni that the client wanted to put forward: smart, efficient, simple and youthful. We came up with a wordmark that incorporated a stylised H, which could also be used as a symbol on tiny print surfaces such as golf ball and club handle. A direct representation of golf through a club and a ball was used to create the negative space that defines H. The left half of H is thicker and meatier that sets a strong anchor for the word to follow. The top left part of H also gives an impression of a fluttering flag; this along with a slight angle to the alphabets brings dynamism to the logo.
Illustrations for the Hamoni motto
Golf is not just for the elite. To make golf a part of mainstream sports in India and invite anyone who loves sports we came up with the motto - golf is for me. And that ‘me’ could be anybody (irrespective of gender and economic background). The posters also make a point on how addictive this sport is. Once you get hooked golf will be all around you. Mouse pads start resembling bunkers, spilled chai makes for an interesting water hazard, chopped veggies take on new life as trees and a chakla becomes the perfect tee off point.
Teaser video
Our next deliverable was a short teaser video on “coming soon”. Taking the motto forward, we imagined the beginning of a day for a golf enthusiast whose obsession with the game is palpable through the transformation of common day objects into a golf ball. An adaptation of this video was later released as “now open”.
Website
The initial launch of the website was a coming soon page that used the illustrations created for the “golf is for me” campaign (above). With the subsequent launch of full website these illustrations were then retained as landing page. The latest overhaul of the website decided to kill the landing page in addition to making it responsive across all devices. The emphasis throughout its evolution over the years has been on a clean and minimal design.
New icon family for the website
With the introduction of new features and programmes from time to time, the ad hoc development of icons for them was very disjointed. It was therefore decided to redesign the icon family that would be homogenous in its look (using a golf ball as the basis) and go with the evolving brand imagery. The icons catered to general features (first two rows), golf academy features (third row) and junior golf features (last row).
Venue: guidemap
The illustrated map — meant for use on the website and at the facility for way finding — featured key points of the 15 acre facility.
Venue: access cards
Entry to the facility is through access cards, which also double up as cash cards that you can top up and enjoy cash-less transactions for ball and club rentals. The theme of these cards was again an extension of the “golf is for me” campaign that saw golf balls in varied setups to bring out the fun aspect of this game.
Hamoni camps
Identities were created for two short term golf learning programmes along with print collaterals like certificates that were issued at the end of these camps.
Promotional posters
A few posters that were designed to promote new programmes or events or openings.
Print Merchandise
My Passport to Golf is a small booklet, the size of a passport that fits into a pocket and carries bite sized information on the game of golf. Covering a wide range of topics like basics of golf, its history, HGC (Hamoni Golf Camp) golf leaning modules, maintaining scorecards, etc. this learning tool was intended to be given out to participants of students’ camps. The booklet also features some interesting quotes and a major part of it is blank pages to take down notes during the camps. This is also available on sale at the Hamoni Golf Camp.
The Yardage Book is a handy notepad that helps a player plan his/her way around the course. It’s used during practice rounds before tournaments to take notes on various aspects of the course they will be playing, such as yardages, wind conditions, sloping of greens, hazards, etc. Because it needs to be carried around by a player all the time, the size of this has to be a convenient one, small enough to into one’s pocket.
‘My Passport to Golf’ (2015)
The booklet was designed for a young audience (5 to 18 years) and the approach therefore was to keep the booklet quite pictorial and visual heavy. Using a limited colour palette, hand drawn type and super short text bits we had great fun putting together this piece of communication, and from what we hear, it is being loved by players of all ages!
Yardage Book (2016)
This little cousin has a page for green details and another for hole details. The opening spread shows rough drawings and markings for a user to understand its usage. A legend of icons also accompanies the booklet for a player to refer for his/her notes.
Taking a Break from Golf? Hop in to Hamoni Red: Play Cafe.
In 2016, Hamoni decided to venture into serving food, drinks and games. They wanted to start a play cafe within the premises of Hamoni Golf Camp in Gurgaon. We were asked to come up with a simple yet memorable name, an identity and a design for the menu.
We suggested “Red”, a colour that sits directly opposite green, the brand colour of Hamoni and also the term for the putting area. The idea was to bring about the fact that Red is where one can do all that they wouldn’t on the greens. Additionally, this space is also for those who don’t play Golf. So when the players aren’t exploiting the greens of the golf course they could be found immersing themselves in the addictive competitiveness of PS3 and board games while savouring some delicious food and drinks at Red.
Hamoni Red Logo
Imagine the child-like ecstasy of throwing a six on a dice. Using those six dots we created the logo of Red, wherein the negative spaces in the three alphabets form the remaining three out of six dots on a dice. Since the cafe was envisioned to be a dynamic space we also suggested the three dots to be ever changing to represent games and food, and themes in future. This thought was realised through a gif that was shared on Facebook on the day of Red’s launch.
Swing out of the greens and roll into the Red
The menu of Hamoni Red was kept simple and bold to cater to its initial growing up days that would see a lot of changes to the menu before it settles down. “Red” repeats itself on all pages as an attempt to reiterate a new brand and to help in its recall.
Icons for the gif
A set of 12 icons were created, half representing food and the other half for games, for use in the animated gif. They were designed to conform to the circular shape of the dots they would replace.
Hamoni Golf Through the Years on Facebook
We worked on ideating and designing Facebook posts for the Hamoni during its initial years to establish its visual identity on the social media and also to set a stage for the evolution of the brand language in the coming years. The posts were an extension of the brand message “golf on your mind” that juxtaposed golf balls in everyday scenarios. From the customary wishes on occasions of national holidays (like Holi, Diwali, Eid, etc.) to singular events (like elections, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, etc.) the posts were meant to bring a smile on the brand’s followers on Facebook. Here, we present the 10 best posts we created (in chronological order).
