BRINGING A GENRE-BREAKING ART FORM ONLINE.
We helped the Freestyle Love Supreme team evolve their aesthetic as they went from the Broadway stage to a new stage of digital growth.
INTRODUCTION
Freestyle Love Supreme is an improv and freestyle rap group founded in the early 2000s that has been seen on Broadway, in a Hulu documentary, and in performances all over the world. In 2018, members of the group founded Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, offering classes in their signature art form with the goal of fostering diverse creative voices. As the FLSA team looked to bring more people into the fold, they came to SMAKK for a brand evolution that could lay the groundwork for growth without compromising the existing brand equity of Freestyle Love Supreme.
WHY WE LOVED THIS PROJECT
Is it too simple to say that it was a whole lot of fun? What’s not to love about creating a visual world inspired by the energy of New York City, hip-hop, and showbiz? But beyond that, we felt aligned with the founders’ mission to create inclusive, safe spaces where self-expression and creativity could bloom. Additionally, we relished the challenge of creating a brand system that could adapt across their many different classes and programs, expanding on but not departing from the original logo - which a few of the group’s members have as tattoos!
WHAT WE DID
After getting to the core of FLSA’s identity — as well as future goals — we crystallized its brand voice and expanded its visual world. We refined the existing logo — also adding a new crest and a mark optimized for swag — and established a color palette and graphic assets that capture the energy of FLSA and its inspirations. We also worked with the FLSA team to anticipate marketing moments like event invitations, new class announcements, press hits, testimonials, and newsletters. Then, we built out a toolkit of templates that the team could adapt as these occasions arose.
