STF Studio

The Good stf

SELF SPACE MODALITIES

SCOPE

Self Space came to us needing a way to visualise something that isn't a tangible thing, their full range of therapy modalities. There was no established visual system for it, and no obvious way to represent something as personal and abstract as a therapeutic approach.

We developed a series of collage based illustrations, one for each modality, moving away from the cliche stock photography and obvious metaphors typical of the industry that can sometimes feel soft edged and disconnected from the raw difficulties of real life.

SERVICES

Creative Direction
Illustration
Production Roll Out
Printed Booklet
Web Assets

PROBLEM

Therapy modalities are ideas and experiences rather than physical things, often difficult to put into words, let alone images. Self Space needed the work to hold real nuance, communicating complex and sometimes difficult subjects without feeling clinical or oversimplified.

The identity also needed to feel human and approachable, in keeping with how Self Space talks about therapy, while still respecting how personal each modality actually is to the people engaging with it.

SERVICES

We developed a set of collage based illustrations, one for each therapy modality, combining familiar objects with drawing and colour to build a distinct visual world for the collection. Each piece was built around a central concept, from a Rubik's cube used to explore the complexity of Intercultural Therapy through to a marbled, shifting figure for Somatic Experiencing, translating the feeling of each approach into something visual.

The illustrations were then woven into the wider Self Space brand, becoming part of the marketing and communications used across the website and beyond.

OUTCOME

The visual style reflected the abstract language of therapy so well that the response went beyond expectations, and the decision was made to roll the modalities identity and collage style out across the wider brand. What started as illustrations for one page on the site has become the defining visual language for Self Space as a whole.

The feedback has been consistently strong, with the design resonating across the business and with the wider audience engaging with the brand day to day. A small, focused project has grown into the identity shaping everything Self Space creates, and continues to set the direction for the brand going forward.