Odyssey Capital - Fund management brand identity - Firedog Brand Identity & Design Agency

The visual identity featured Elephant artwork provided by South African artist Vincent Reid. The provided artwork was then post produced into the brand colours.

A contemporary wordmark with subtle typographic treatment.

The brand symbol features a representation of the arrow driving through an axe ring.

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the client

Odyssey Capital is an independent investment management firm dedicated to preserving and growing the wealth of discerning private clients. Guided by deep investment expertise, long-term thinking, and a commitment to personalised service, the company provides bespoke local and international investment solutions designed to navigate complexity and create enduring value.

The Brief

The incumbent brand identity featured only a simple wordmark with no real identity to speak of. It had a grey palette and lacked suitable clout. We were tasked with introducing a bolder and more memorable brand identity that elevated the brand from the mere pedestrian.

The Solution

We undertook extensive research to create a meaningful connection between the Odyssey Capital name and its new visual identity. After revisiting Homer's Odyssey, Cliff identified the journey of Odysseus as the most compelling narrative foundation for the brand. Throughout the epic, Odysseus faces immense challenges, overcoming them through wisdom, patience, resilience, and sound judgement. These qualities closely mirror Odyssey Capital's approach to wealth management. With a strong private client focus, the firm provides strategic investment guidance built on the fundamental principle of preserving and growing capital over the long term. We then looked deeper into the story for symbolism that could express the values of precision, expertise, and considered decision-making. In one of the most iconic moments of the Odyssey, Odysseus defeats the suitors competing for Penelope's hand by stringing his legendary bow and driving an arrow cleanly through twelve aligned axe rings, a feat that demonstrates exceptional skill, precision, wisdom, and rightful authority. The dynamic wedge device, derived from the letter "O", captures the essence of this moment: an arrow striking its target with confidence and accuracy. It became a symbol of clear direction, informed judgement, and the disciplined pursuit of long-term investment objectives. Rather than relying on clichés to build the supporting visual identity, we turned to local art and adopted the African elephant as a secondary brand motif. Widely associated with wisdom, memory, leadership, and long-distance journeys, the elephant reinforces the themes of guidance, endurance, and strategic navigation that sit at the heart of the Odyssey Capital story.

The Results

The project delivered far more than a visual refresh. We created a distinctive brand identity and messaging platform that expressed Odyssey Capital's values with greater clarity and confidence. The resulting strategic framework provides a foundation for ongoing communications, while the new WordPress website gives the team the flexibility and control to publish content, share insights, and continue building the brand over time. The end result is a more memorable, cohesive, and future-focused brand experience.

The brand projected commenced with workshops, interviews and the production of a brand strategic framework.

The brand strategy looks at positioning, how the brand is communicated, and the attitude of messaging.

Brand values articulate the spirit and meaning behind the brand.

Early on, it became apparent that Odyssety Capital has a high client service and engagement level.

Our understanding of the origins within the Odyssey story helped us define and adapt the brand meaning into a market relevant proposition.

The brand symbol process starts with the collaboration with client over their opinions of other great brands and symbols. Here you can see the moodboard is adapted to O based symbols and characters.

Early stage brand concepts which illustrate our thought process around adapting the story highlights into brand mnemonics.

Development of the brand symbol across a number of ideas and meanings.

Beginning to explore colour and mood and how it relates to the brand spirit.

Although the client ultimately chose a wordmark based solution, we always look to develop a standalone icon.

The brand symbol from the Odyssey Capital wordmark is extracted and can be used as a feature icon on its own.

The final brand logo in colour features unique custom lettering and a special O character initial.

The brand colours follow through into stationery and in this case, a double-sided business card design.

The extension of branding into communications, business stationery and MS word based documentation.

Our brand remit extends to the creative direction and art direction behind equipping the new brand with a suitable image identity. Here we looked at a number of themes. You can see the client's choice starting out bottom right.

An example of early-stage web mockups using an alternative image identity. Whilst contemporary, the client sought imagery more grounded in the African journey - thus the choice of elephants.

The application of the branding to Fund Fact Sheets and Minimum Disclosure documents is an important and vital extension of the brand identity.

Applying the brand to reporting templates. Suggesting editorial type imagery to extend the imagery beyond purely brand marketing imagery.

We wired, designed and built a new Wordpress website design. The site used clear layout and plenty of segmentation to suit the audience - who most likely have trust issues within anything overly flashy.

The website media section became a bit more vibrant due to its more relaxed editorial style.

Responsive design is obviously critical to the digital brand experience. We ensure every device clearly represents the best possible brand experience.

Extending the web design across all the major site functions and pages.

Vincent Reid is a local South African illustrator specialising in wildlife and in particular, the African Elephant.

The client purchased the rights to a series of no less than ten brand images which could be used in digital and print communications.

A good deal of the images concerns the subject matter of groups of Elephants showing family ties and this narrative suits the metaphor for enduring client relationships.

Brand guidelines, mark the tail end of the branding process. They accumulate all the rules and advice in one cohesive document. Enabling a consistent and strong brand narrative.

Imagery outlined within the branding so that third parties understand the library available.

The brand applied to environmental brand design - in this case a totem signage system.

The client produced a number of branded Moleskine notebooks using the brand symbol.

The visual identity featured Elephant artwork provided by South African artist Vincent Reid. The provided artwork was then post produced into the brand colours.
A contemporary wordmark with subtle typographic treatment.
The brand symbol features a representation of the arrow driving through an axe ring.
The brand projected commenced with workshops, interviews and the production of a brand strategic framework.
The brand strategy looks at positioning, how the brand is communicated, and the attitude of messaging.
Brand values articulate the spirit and meaning behind the brand.
Early on, it became apparent that Odyssety Capital has a high client service and engagement level.
Our understanding of the origins within the Odyssey story helped us define and adapt the brand meaning into a market relevant proposition.
The brand symbol process starts with the collaboration with client over their opinions of other great brands and symbols. Here you can see the moodboard is adapted to O based symbols and characters.
Early stage brand concepts which illustrate our thought process around adapting the story highlights into brand mnemonics.
Development of the brand symbol across a number of ideas and meanings.
Beginning to explore colour and mood and how it relates to the brand spirit.
Although the client ultimately chose a wordmark based solution, we always look to develop a standalone icon.
The brand symbol from the Odyssey Capital wordmark is extracted and can be used as a feature icon on its own.
The final brand logo in colour features unique custom lettering and a special O character initial.
The brand colours follow through into stationery and in this case, a double-sided business card design.
The extension of branding into communications, business stationery and MS word based documentation.
Our brand remit extends to the creative direction and art direction behind equipping the new brand with a suitable image identity. Here we looked at a number of themes. You can see the client's choice starting out bottom right.
An example of early-stage web mockups using an alternative image identity. Whilst contemporary, the client sought imagery more grounded in the African journey - thus the choice of elephants.
The application of the branding to Fund Fact Sheets and Minimum Disclosure documents is an important and vital extension of the brand identity.
Applying the brand to reporting templates. Suggesting editorial type imagery to extend the imagery beyond purely brand marketing imagery.
We wired, designed and built a new Wordpress website design. The site used clear layout and plenty of segmentation to suit the audience - who most likely have trust issues within anything overly flashy.
The website media section became a bit more vibrant due to its more relaxed editorial style.
Responsive design is obviously critical to the digital brand experience. We ensure every device clearly represents the best possible brand experience.
Extending the web design across all the major site functions and pages.
Vincent Reid is a local South African illustrator specialising in wildlife and in particular, the African Elephant.
The client purchased the rights to a series of no less than ten brand images which could be used in digital and print communications.
A good deal of the images concerns the subject matter of groups of Elephants showing family ties and this narrative suits the metaphor for enduring client relationships.
Brand guidelines, mark the tail end of the branding process. They accumulate all the rules and advice in one cohesive document. Enabling a consistent and strong brand narrative.
Imagery outlined within the branding so that third parties understand the library available.
The brand applied to environmental brand design - in this case a totem signage system.
The client produced a number of branded Moleskine notebooks using the brand symbol.