The challenge by far would be bringing all elements of Cortina’s business together into a brand that cracked the surface vs. established players with history.

Brand creation began with a BMX workshop used to define Cortina’s core attributes, mission, and vision. We conducted a key personas exercise to understand the target audience. Here we helped Cortina uncover an opportunity to break into the direct-to-consumer market. While Cortina’s primary personas would be luxury hotel chains, there’s a growing market of consumers who want high-end shower doors in their homes. This discovery helped direct part of the brand identity and showed how ambitious Cortina could be.

The lion’s share of the work was establishing a visual and voice identity for the brand and shaping a brand strategy based on the findings in the BMX workshop. The strategy centered on redefining how shower doors and shower spaces are designed, sourced, and installed in the hospitality sector. We then positioned Cortina as a fully seamless experience. Rather than having to engage with manufactures, designers, and installers separately, Cortina handles all facets of the process making for a much more communicative and efficient system. This meant fewer headaches for contractors and designers.

The name "Cortina" means "curtain" in Italian, the fixture Cortina aimed to replace. We developed a logo based on the image of a curtain being drawn to evoke the idea of transparency and removing boundaries.

From this idea of transparency and removing boundaries, we built a system of brand codes for Cortina including tone of voice, values, visual design, and launch-ready messaging. This library of distinctive brand assets helps Cortina stand out in an industry void of rich symbolism, especially in B2B.

The final result is a distinct, strategy-backed brand that balances elegance with practicality. A B2B brand ready to compete with legacy players in hospitality while leaving the door open for future DTC expansion. With a clear mission, strong visual identity, and compelling market position, Cortina is poised to become the most talked-about name in premium shower systems.