Project
ASTER RETREAT
Type
Wellness
Deliverables
Brand Identity
Design
Motion Design
Year
2022
Collaborators
oneeightoneone
samurai
rodo dendron
mahuliena
ayscha
Project team
Maya Lin
Olivia Reyes
Ethan Cole
Jasmine Park
Sofia Alvarez
Chloe Bennett
Noah Brooks
Liam Carter
Amelia Clarke
Freya Bennett
Isla Morgan
Oliver Hughes
Ethan Patel
Brooklyn, NY Team, Manchester, UK Team
The project began by exploring what “slow living” actually means beyond aesthetic interpretation. Instead of starting with visual references, the process focused on emotional states, behavioral patterns, and the psychology of rest. The goal was to understand how digital and physical experiences can support a sense of distance from everyday acceleration. Research included alpine landscapes, remote architecture, personal travel documentation, and studies of retreat spaces designed for isolation and recovery. These references helped define a direction where silence is treated as a design material rather than an absence of content. This phase established a foundation built on reduction, where the absence of unnecessary elements became as important as the elements that remained.
The identity system was constructed around extreme simplicity and controlled contrast. Typography was treated as the primary expressive element, with spacing and hierarchy doing more work than color or decoration. The intention was to create a system that feels almost invisible at first glance, yet deeply intentional in structure. Color was derived directly from the environment of the Dolomites, referencing fog, stone surfaces, muted vegetation, and shifting natural light throughout the day. Instead of creating a branded palette, the system behaves more like a translation of atmosphere into structured form. The result is an identity that avoids visual dominance and instead allows content, imagery, and pacing to define the experience.
The website was designed as a continuous spatial experience rather than a conventional navigational structure. Users move through content in a slow sequence, where transitions are deliberately softened and interaction is reduced to its essential function. Scrolling is treated as movement through environment rather than page hierarchy. Each section introduces subtle pauses and breathing space, allowing the experience to feel less like browsing and more like drifting through a place. The entire system prioritizes attention and calmness, ensuring that the digital experience reinforces the same emotional state as the physical retreat.
Photography direction focused on authenticity, imperfection, and environmental presence rather than curated wellness imagery. Light conditions, weather variation, and material textures were prioritized over staged compositions or idealized moments. The intention was to avoid the visual language commonly associated with wellness branding and instead create something that feels grounded, quiet, and observational. Each image acts as a fragment of atmosphere rather than a product representation. This approach ensured consistency across digital, editorial, and promotional materials without relying on traditional aesthetic cues.
The final system positions Aster Retreat as an experience of emotional clarity rather than visual branding. Identity, content, and interaction were designed to work together as one continuous field of calm. Instead of presenting wellness as a product or service, the system frames it as a condition of attention. The result is a brand that feels less like communication and more like environment.
Our Work
