Viola Basalaeva. Stockholm-based brand designer. Strategy-led visual identity work across print and digital.
Cases
Visual Identity
Category
Brief: Create a visual identity for a matcha soda brand that feels contemporary and stands out in an oversaturated category.
Approach: Rather than defaulting to the expected (greens, leaves, zen references) the identity is built around a chromatic fish as its core graphic element. The fish brings fluidity and movement that feels right for a sparkling drink without being literal. A restrained grey palette keeps the system grounded, while archive-inspired typography adds structure and a nod to traditional print aesthetics.
Result: A refined, adaptable visual language that captures the product's dual character: calm yet sparkling, rooted yet modern.
Approach: Rather than defaulting to the expected (greens, leaves, zen references) the identity is built around a chromatic fish as its core graphic element. The fish brings fluidity and movement that feels right for a sparkling drink without being literal. A restrained grey palette keeps the system grounded, while archive-inspired typography adds structure and a nod to traditional print aesthetics.
Result: A refined, adaptable visual language that captures the product's dual character: calm yet sparkling, rooted yet modern.
A matcha soda identity that deliberately avoids looking like matcha. Built around a chromatic fish and a restrained grey palette instead of the expected greens and zen references.
Matcha Nova Studio
Brand
Visual Identity
Category
Brief: Build a visual identity for a floral studio offering events, corporate floristry, and subscriptions, one that could compete in a category saturated with botanical illustration and soft romantic aesthetics.
Approach: During research I made one deliberate decision early: no flowers in the identity system. Every floral brand was doing the same thing (leaves, watercolor, blush palettes) and another version of that would disappear into the market instantly. Instead I looked at what surrounds flowers rather than the flowers themselves. The rituals, the gestures, the moment before the gift is opened. The ribbon emerged as the clearest visual metaphor, it reads as gifting, anticipation, and celebration without showing the product at all. From there I developed it into a flexible graphic language that functions as a symbol, a framing device, a pattern, and a compositional element across every touchpoint.
Result: An identity that stays recognisable even when flowers aren't present. Delivered across logo, brand guidelines, website, packaging, social templates, and floral cards; with particular attention to packaging, where the ribbon concept becomes something the customer physically interacts with, not just sees. The brand is currently live and active across all touchpoints.
Approach: During research I made one deliberate decision early: no flowers in the identity system. Every floral brand was doing the same thing (leaves, watercolor, blush palettes) and another version of that would disappear into the market instantly. Instead I looked at what surrounds flowers rather than the flowers themselves. The rituals, the gestures, the moment before the gift is opened. The ribbon emerged as the clearest visual metaphor, it reads as gifting, anticipation, and celebration without showing the product at all. From there I developed it into a flexible graphic language that functions as a symbol, a framing device, a pattern, and a compositional element across every touchpoint.
Result: An identity that stays recognisable even when flowers aren't present. Delivered across logo, brand guidelines, website, packaging, social templates, and floral cards; with particular attention to packaging, where the ribbon concept becomes something the customer physically interacts with, not just sees. The brand is currently live and active across all touchpoints.
A floral identity built around the gesture, not the product. The ribbon (not flowers) became the brand.
Offbeat Studio for V Cvetu
Brand
Brand strategy, Brand Identity
Category
Brief: Conceive, build, and run a womenswear brand entirely from scratch, with full ownership of the creative direction, brand identity, and design across every touchpoint.
Approach: Ast was as much a branding exercise as it was a fashion brand. Every decision started with a clear creative position: romantic, natural, unhurried. From that I built a consistent visual language that ran through campaign imagery, art direction, packaging, and the garments themselves. I briefed and directed a team of freelance photographers, stylists, and an illustrator; translating the brand's aesthetic into shoots and visuals rather than leaving interpretation to chance. On the product side I designed the collections, sourced fabrics personally, and worked directly with local manufacturers through sampling, which gave me an unusually close understanding of how design decisions translate into a physical object. Running the brand for three years meant constantly making the kind of calls that are usually split between a creative director, a brand designer, and a producer.
Result: A brand with a coherent identity that held together across three years and multiple collections and a loyal customer base that grew organically, built entirely on the strength of the creative work rather than paid acquisition.
Approach: Ast was as much a branding exercise as it was a fashion brand. Every decision started with a clear creative position: romantic, natural, unhurried. From that I built a consistent visual language that ran through campaign imagery, art direction, packaging, and the garments themselves. I briefed and directed a team of freelance photographers, stylists, and an illustrator; translating the brand's aesthetic into shoots and visuals rather than leaving interpretation to chance. On the product side I designed the collections, sourced fabrics personally, and worked directly with local manufacturers through sampling, which gave me an unusually close understanding of how design decisions translate into a physical object. Running the brand for three years meant constantly making the kind of calls that are usually split between a creative director, a brand designer, and a producer.
Result: A brand with a coherent identity that held together across three years and multiple collections and a loyal customer base that grew organically, built entirely on the strength of the creative work rather than paid acquisition.
Full creative ownership: brand identity, art direction, and garment design built and run from the ground up over three years.
Ást
Brand
Visual Identity
Category
Brief: Develop a visual identity for a local coffee shop that creates strong recognition across print and spatial applications.
Approach: Instead of centering the identity on a single mark, the system is built around a modular black-and-white pattern that acts as the unifying brand element. The monochrome palette was a deliberate move away from the warm, rustic aesthetic that dominates the coffee category, creating a focused, contemporary positioning instead.
Result: An identity that creates recognition through repetition and texture, scalable across every touchpoint without relying on excess decoration.
Approach: Instead of centering the identity on a single mark, the system is built around a modular black-and-white pattern that acts as the unifying brand element. The monochrome palette was a deliberate move away from the warm, rustic aesthetic that dominates the coffee category, creating a focused, contemporary positioning instead.
Result: An identity that creates recognition through repetition and texture, scalable across every touchpoint without relying on excess decoration.
A coffee shop identity built on pattern, not logo. A modular black-and-white system designed to create recognition through repetition rather than a single mark.
NARA
Brand
Visual Identity
Category
Brief: Develop a conceptual brand identity for a cinematic boutique hotel in Stockholm.
Approach: The entire visual system is driven by one metaphor, the hotel as an unfolding film. That idea drove every decision: editorial typography that feels like opening credits, microcopy that reads like screenplay direction, signage and print materials designed as if they were props from the same production. The result is an identity where the concept is inseparable from the execution.
Result: An immersive hospitality identity with a strong narrative backbone and a distinctive voice that sets it apart from conventional hotel branding.
Approach: The entire visual system is driven by one metaphor, the hotel as an unfolding film. That idea drove every decision: editorial typography that feels like opening credits, microcopy that reads like screenplay direction, signage and print materials designed as if they were props from the same production. The result is an identity where the concept is inseparable from the execution.
Result: An immersive hospitality identity with a strong narrative backbone and a distinctive voice that sets it apart from conventional hotel branding.
A boutique hotel identity built around one idea: the hotel as a film set. Where rooms become scenes, guests become characters, and every touchpoint feels like a prop from the same movie.
Atelier Aur
Brand
Visual Identity & Content Direction
Category
Brief: Develop a cohesive visual content library for a sexual wellness brand using AI image generation. Worked on as Marketing & Rebranding Project Manager directly at the company.
Approach: The challenge was consistency, making every image feel like it belonged to the same visual world in terms of lighting, skin tones, mood, and composition. The process combined prompt engineering, iterative refinement, and post-production to maintain creative control throughout. The visuals center on human subjects, expressing intimacy, softness, and body confidence in line with the brand's values of inclusivity and pleasure.
Result: A controlled, on-brand image library deployed across the brand's digital channels and marketing materials, demonstrating how AI can accelerate creative production without sacrificing intentionality or coherence.
Approach: The challenge was consistency, making every image feel like it belonged to the same visual world in terms of lighting, skin tones, mood, and composition. The process combined prompt engineering, iterative refinement, and post-production to maintain creative control throughout. The visuals center on human subjects, expressing intimacy, softness, and body confidence in line with the brand's values of inclusivity and pleasure.
Result: A controlled, on-brand image library deployed across the brand's digital channels and marketing materials, demonstrating how AI can accelerate creative production without sacrificing intentionality or coherence.
AI-generated imagery that doesn't look AI-generated. A cohesive visual library built through prompt engineering, iterative refinement, and post-production; creative direction first, technology second.
Geil (SSE Business Lab)
Brand
Visual Identity
Category
Brief: Create a visual identity for an Apple Festival that commands attention across signage, print, and outdoor applications.
Approach: The design is built around layered fruit forms, high-contrast color palettes, and dynamic typography. Overlapping shapes and deliberate movement give the system energy, as if the festival is already in motion before it begins.
Result: A striking, memorable visual presence that communicates abundance and excitement at a glance.
Approach: The design is built around layered fruit forms, high-contrast color palettes, and dynamic typography. Overlapping shapes and deliberate movement give the system energy, as if the festival is already in motion before it begins.
Result: A striking, memorable visual presence that communicates abundance and excitement at a glance.
A festival identity designed to hit hard on the street. Layered fruit forms, high-contrast color, and dynamic typography built for immediate impact at scale.
Apple Festival
Brand
Posters
Category
Brief: A self-initiated series exploring typography, spacing, and layout as tools for visual storytelling.
Approach: Each poster starts with a single question: about tension, rhythm, hierarchy, or negative space. References drawn from outside design: architecture, editorial, film. The constraint is intentional: by limiting each study to one problem, the thinking becomes visible in the work.
Result: An ongoing body of experimental work that sharpens the eye and the reasoning behind every client project.
Approach: Each poster starts with a single question: about tension, rhythm, hierarchy, or negative space. References drawn from outside design: architecture, editorial, film. The constraint is intentional: by limiting each study to one problem, the thinking becomes visible in the work.
Result: An ongoing body of experimental work that sharpens the eye and the reasoning behind every client project.
Personal studies in how type and composition tell stories. Each poster investigates one question — about scale, rhythm, hierarchy, and how subtle decisions shape meaning.
N/A
Brand
About me
I'm a brand designer working across visual identity, art direction and brand systems.
Before formally training I founded a sustainable fashion brand, owning the full visual identity, art direction, campaign shoots, and the garments themselves and managed a full commercial rebrand for a startup, from research and stakeholder interviews through to final delivery. That background shapes how I approach every project. I think about the strategy, the process, and the outcome, not just how something looks.
Open to new roles in Stockholm where craft and strategic thinking sit side by side.
Before formally training I founded a sustainable fashion brand, owning the full visual identity, art direction, campaign shoots, and the garments themselves and managed a full commercial rebrand for a startup, from research and stakeholder interviews through to final delivery. That background shapes how I approach every project. I think about the strategy, the process, and the outcome, not just how something looks.
Open to new roles in Stockholm where craft and strategic thinking sit side by side.
e-mail
violabasalaeva@gmail.com
phone
+46 76 719 83 59
linkedin
Viola Basalaeva
telegram
@violabasal
Contacts