This is my art direction and creative project management portfolio. Today I design bespoke websites.
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Planet Lodges

A new emblem and brand system for a family of Tanzanian lodges.

Client

Planet Lodges

Sector

Hospitality

Year

2022

Scope

Rebrand direction, designer sourcing, creative briefing, founder reviews and brand standards

Planet Lodges logo in white over a lamp-lit cottage among trees at dusk

Planet Lodges was entering a new phase and needed an identity as refined as its guest experience: genuine Tanzanian hospitality, delivered with care and calm sophistication. The old mark worked, but it gave the brand little distinction and little to build on.

The challenge

  • Move from generic initials to an owned symbol with a clear sustainability meaning.
  • Set a quiet premium tone that feels natural and keeps its warmth.
  • Keep the founders aligned through controlled review rounds.
  • Deliver files that future marketing and operations teams could use correctly.

My approach

  • Planned the project stages and approvals before any design work.
  • Sourced external designers, shortlisted three and appointed the best fit for the work and the founders.
  • Wrote the brief: brand meaning, tone, references, visual expectations and practical use.
  • Kept feedback tied to the agreed standards instead of personal preference.

From initials to an emblem

The move from initials to a sustainability-led emblem the brand can own and build on.

  • The old logo beside the new emblem.
  • The logo versions: emblem left, emblem only and centred.
  • The primary colour palette.
Former Planet Lodges logo, white PL initials on a lime green square above the name
Planet Lodges logo alternating between the Airport and Arusha versions in green and cream
Planet Lodges logo in cream on dark green with a faint repeating symbol pattern
Planet Lodges colour palette of five greens and three logo variations on dark backgrounds

The look

The references and imagery direction that define how the brand and its future photography should look.

  • Inspiration and imagery references.
  • Direction for future photography.
  • The second part of the colour palette.
Planet Lodges inspiration board of gardens, rooms, food and a beaded lamp with green swatches

Type and pattern

Typography and pattern work that carries recognition beyond the mark, into a texture the team can repeat.

  • Ageo, Riverflows and The Billion as the type system.
  • The brand patterns and how to apply them.
  • A branded email signature.
Planet Lodges typography sheet showing serif, sans-serif and script alphabets
Planet Lodges patterns and applications on a tote bag, gift box, T-shirt and wooden stamp
Planet Lodges email signature on a green background, with an aerial pool banner and award badge

The result

The rebrand ended with a complete brand system the team can use.

  • A complete identity kitLogo files, official fonts, the brand board, the colour palette and the brand patterns.
  • A full logo systemPrimary, secondary, centred and icon versions for every use.
  • Rules for future useTypography, colour and pattern standards show the team how to use the brand.
  • A clear approval pathFounder feedback became a practical approval path and a clean handover.
Planet Lodges green gift box and folded logo T-shirt on a pale green background

“The rebrand was handled perfectly. The quality is exactly what you would want, and I would recommend this approach to anyone without a second thought.”

Director, Planet Lodges

Planning something like Planet Lodges?

Email me if your rebrand needs senior direction before a designer starts. I reply by email or WhatsApp.

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Rivertrees Country Inn logo over a festive garland of gold bells and baubles under thatch

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ADINA Lodges logo in white over a lodge and lit swimming pool at dusk

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Hi, I'm Alan.

This site is my portfolio of art direction and creative project management. Today my main service is bespoke website design. Read the quick answers below, or tell me about your project on WhatsApp.

Quick answers

Bespoke website design is my main service today. I also take on:

  • Art direction for brand identity, logo, photo shoot and campaign projects
  • Creative project management, from the first brief to the final files
  • Care and updates for websites that are already live

A website planned and designed for your business only. We agree who it is for and what visitors should do, then every page is designed around your own words, photos and brand. Nothing is cut or cropped to fit a ready-made theme.

Every website is priced after a short brief, and I reply with your price within two business days. See the websites at alansuccess.com.

I set the look before anything is made: the references, the colours, the type and how the photos should feel. I direct brand identity and logo projects, photo shoots and campaigns. I write the brief, choose the designers and photographers, and review their work until you sign off.

For the Rivertrees festive season, I set the Emerald Green theme and directed the shoot with Sky Studios. See the project.

I turn your ideas into one clear brief, choose the right studio or designer, and run every review until sign-off. The work can be a rebrand, a brand rollout across menus, signs and documents, or marketing materials such as brochures, posters, ads and social media content.

You deal with one person, so you don’t have to follow every detail yourself. For Lairs Camps, I wrote the brief for Yöy Agency and managed the work through to handover. See the project.

Planet Lodges, ADINA Lodges, Good Earth Tours, the British School of Zanzibar, Nomad Tanzania, Rivertrees Country Inn, Lairs Camps, Love Boo and Seissense.

See every project

Yes, including websites someone else built:

  • A redesign, or new versions of the pages that are not working
  • Tunza Website Care every month
  • A paid website review: a written list of what to fix first
  • Copy polish, or new copy for your pages
  • An email signature, a Google Business Profile, analytics or an email signup

Send me the link and what you need, and I confirm the price before we start.

Tunza Website Care, each month: about 30 minutes of small changes, updates with a backup first, a security check, a test message through your form, broken links fixed and a visitor report from Google.

Bigger changes are quoted. You can stop with a month’s notice.

Every website is priced after a short brief, because the price depends on your pages, your content and where your business is.

Art direction and creative project management are quoted after I read your brief, because each project is a different size. Your budget sets the scope, and your written quote confirms the price and dates before anything is booked.

In Tanzania. I work with brands across East Africa and with clients in the UK, Europe, Dubai and the USA. Every meeting is online, on WhatsApp, Zoom or Google Meet, so we don’t need to meet in person.

Send me a WhatsApp with what you need, your budget and your date, or use the form here. For a website, you can also send your brief at alansuccess.com, and I reply with your price within two business days.

I take on a few projects at a time, so the sooner you write, the more start dates you can choose from.

WhatsApp me your project

Prefer a form? Send your project here.