How we designed a brand identity for a new-age fitness brand - (HustleUp Case Study)

About HustleUp

HustleUp is a collaborative initiative driven by a team of highly qualified professionals in the health and fitness industry, united by a single purpose — making health accessible to all.

At its core, HustleUp is a fitness consultancy that harnesses the unique strengths of each of its expert mentors. This approach allows us to deliver comprehensive, 360-degree solutions tailored to a wide range of fitness goals and challenges.

We believe in creating customized, premium plans designed to meet individual needs — steering clear of the outdated, one-size-fits-all approach that has held back many in this industry.

Brand Personality

HustleUp has a bold yet approachable personality.

If it were a person it’d be your friend from the gym who is an expert in all aspects of fitness as well as wellness. They love to help you out by spotting you, giving you nutrition tips and even help you stay motivated when you feel low.

Target Audience

While HustleUp’s services are open to anyone with the intent and dedication to improve their lifestyle, the core offering is designed for those who value premium, personalized care and are willing to invest in their health.

After careful consideration, we’ve refined our target audience to working men and women aged 24 to 40 — individuals who often struggle to find time for themselves amidst busy schedules. They’re not looking for shortcuts, but for efficient, customized solutions that fit into their lifestyle.

Because let’s face it — when you try to speak to everyone, you end up resonating with no one.

Problem Statement

One of the core challenges HustleUp faces is the saturated market landscape — with numerous brands targeting a similar audience, it becomes crucial to build a distinct and memorable identity. The brand’s positioning needed to cut through the noise, communicate its core message clearly, and foster recall among its target audience — a task far easier said than done.

An additional concern that surfaced during the branding process was the name itself. While “HustleUp” carries a strong, energetic tone, it doesn’t inherently convey a connection to fitness or nutrition. In fact, it could easily be mistaken for a business seminar or entrepreneurial initiative, making it even more essential to reinforce the brand’s purpose through thoughtful visual identity, messaging, and tone.

Initial thoughts

When we first came across the name HustleUp, the initial imagery that came to mind was the overwhelming “hustle culture” — the kind that once dominated motivational posters for entrepreneurs and peaked around 2019. In recent years, that culture has rightfully faced criticism for promoting a toxic mindset that places wealth above well-being.

However, once we looked past the surface connotation, we recognized the brand’s true intent. HustleUp is about flipping that narrative — encouraging individuals to prioritize their health as the foundation for a more balanced, fulfilling life.

As brand custodians, it was our responsibility to ensure that this message was communicated clearly and authentically through visual storytelling. We began by gathering inspiration, curating a focused Pinterest board, and developing a mood board that captured the essence of the brand — energetic, empowering, and purpose-driven.

The Mood board

The brand’s core focus revolves around two key pillars — fitness and nutrition. Naturally, the identity needed to reflect this duality in a cohesive and meaningful way.

Let’s break it down. Fitness and workouts bring with them a bold, active, and rugged energy — one that leans into a more aggressive, high-intensity mindset. This aligns well with the “Hustle” aspect of the name, evoking drive, discipline, and motion.

On the other hand, nutrition and wellness carry a softer, more holistic tone. They speak to balance, nourishment, and sustainability — a natural fit with the “Up” in the name, representing upliftment, progress, and improved quality of life.

At first glance, the connection might seem like a stretch — but when viewed in totality, the interplay between the two creates a brand narrative that’s both dynamic and grounded.

Initial concepts

Once the mood board was in place, we had a clear sense of direction for sketching out initial concepts. We began by listing visual elements that could effectively communicate the brand’s core message — symbols like running silhouettes, dumbbells, kettlebells, sport shoes, dynamic arrow variations, and of course, multiple explorations of the brand’s initials.

Interestingly, visualizing an abstract concept like “hustle” proved more challenging than expected. After spending hours searching for a singular element that captured its essence, we realized that the solution didn’t lie in a single symbol.

Instead, we pivoted to a more layered approach — combining the brand initials with fitness-related elements to represent movement, drive, and momentum. This allowed us to infuse the spirit of “hustle” into the visual identity in a way that felt authentic and ownable.

You can explore the following examples to better understand our thought process:

The (Excruciating) Process

While the client generously offered full artistic license—with the intention of making our job easier—it actually made the process more challenging. Creative freedom, though seemingly a positive, can often lead to a “hit or miss” situation when not paired with clear direction or boundaries.

The truth is, very few clients come to the table with a precise vision of what they want. And even when they do, that vision isn’t always the best solution to their problem. The real value lies in earning their confidence—enough that they set aside preconceived notions and trust our instincts as creative professionals. Without that trust, the process often spirals into rounds of endless revisions.

Fortunately, we were able to build that trust early on. After just two rounds of feedback, the client was aligned with our belief that a strong brand must stand out from the clutter—and that uniqueness should drive the identity forward.

With both sides now sharing a clearer vision of the ideal brand identity, we began refining the preferred directions, integrating everything we had learned from research, exploration, and strategic thinking.

The Final Concept

And the winner is….

Let’s break it down. This design exudes momentum. The upward movement depicted by the arrows is very suggestive of the core brand message. The shape language is also carefully chosen to represent the aforementioned duality i.e. the sharp corners and straight lines subtly hint toward the structured nature of the product while the rounded corners & circle stand for the softer & wholesome nature.

Then there are more obvious elements which stand out easily such as the human figure winding to fly up (an accurate representation of the brand name). If you break it down even further, the arrow which makes up the right arm of the figure also represents the element of growth. On the other hand, the main body is designed to look like a ‘lower case h’ which is the brand’s main initial.

Brand Colours

Once the design direction was finalized, it was time to choose a bold and fresh colour palette — one that not only aligned with the brand’s energetic personality but also helped it stand apart in a crowded space.

We explored a series of variations, experimenting with combinations that balanced vibrancy with versatility. After several iterations, we landed on a palette that felt just right — distinctive, dynamic, and perfectly in tune with the brand’s dual focus on fitness and wellness:

While aquamarine is the colour that represents rebirth & transformation, when coupled with smoky black, it gives out a luxurious look.

It follows a no non-sense approach in order to let the user focus on the message and still give them an energetic & authentic vibe.

Typography

For a fitness-focused brand like this, selecting a bold primary font was essential — something that visually communicates energy, strength, and activeness. Fortunately, we had the perfect typeface in mind from the very beginning.

This phase of the project was refreshingly straightforward. With a clear understanding of the brand’s tone and personality, we quickly locked in a font that not only complemented the visual identity but also reinforced the brand’s core message with confidence and clarity.

Magz is a bold font with strong edges as well as fluid curves just like the logo, which hints towards the duality of the brand's product.

It is also italicised by default which brings in the element of activeness which is perfect for a fitness brand such as HustleUp

Conclusion

It might seem surprising that a design so fundamentally simple took as long as it did — but in truth, this is quite common. Even when certain directions seemed unlikely from the start, we made it a point to explore them as part of a thorough and responsible creative process.

From day one, our goal was clear: to craft a visual identity that was clean, stylish, bold, and functional — something with an ownable element, but also a subtle sense of neutrality that would allow it to scale and evolve.

Admittedly, it was a challenge to land on a direction that satisfied both sides. But in the end, we were proud of the outcome — and more importantly, so was the client, who was excited to call the final design their own.

There’s so much more that went into this identity — countless micro-decisions, iterations, and back-and-forth refinements. But hopefully, this gives you a good sense of the thought, care, and intentionality behind the process.