Nick Onken, entrepreneur, photographer, and creative coach became enchanted with the process of making hats many years ago. He was captivated by people who wore hats and saw them as a symbol of self expression and confidence. He wanted to make a hat that represented his authenticity, his unique journey and his values. What started as a personal project, evolved into something much when his hat caught the attention of friends, strangers and celebrities alike. Infusing symbolism with craftsmanship, his bespoke hats aimed to represent the wearer and serve as a portal into what they were becoming. His creative process was highly personal, spiritual, and collaborative. Before sitting down to make a hat, he would get to know each client and their unique journey and dreams.

After meeting Nick, I was captivated by his story and inspired by his creative process and his vision for Onken Made. A brand sprint helped illuminate how all of his creative endeavours rallied around a deep desire to show up in this world authentically and empower others to do the same. As a creative himself, the brand creation process was highly collaborative and iterative. Nick articulated his vision with clarity and thoughtful examples, which allowed us to leap into the creative process with a shared vision and clear idea of what Onken Made needed to embody. The brand came into existence and just felt right.

Since Onken Made hats were made uniquely for the wearer, no two hats were the same. But all of his clients, no matter how diverse their stories, saw value in symbolism. The hats were just that: symbols of alchemy that allowed the wearer to step into their authenticity. As such the brand needed to be eclectic, expressive, and infused with symbolism and spirituality. I explored several expressive typefaces and colour palettes by testing them out across a wide range of digital and physical applications to land upon a final option that could grow with the brand. I created custom symbols, illustrations and artistic patterns that could be in textiles and social media ads alike. The result was a brand identity that was expressive and intriguing; that would invite people from all walks of life to tap into their most authentic self.