GOLD'S GYM BRAND CREATIVE GUIDELINES: BUILDING THE STANDARD FOR A GLOBAL BRANDI turned OVER 60 years of legacy into a system that tells every team, franchisee, and partner how Gold’s Gym looks, sounds, and leads.
Gold’s Gym had decades of equity and a franchise network across six continents, but its guidelines only governed the logo, color, and type. I led the evolution of the brand book into a 360° system. It now defines how Gold’s Gym looks, sounds, and decides what to say, at every touchpoint from paid social to channel-letter signage.
THE EXECUTION
Brand foundation: Introduced four Global Design Principles that give every creative decision a test to pass.
Brand framing system: Built a three-part messaging architecture, with a decision tree that maps each framing to a funnel stage. Teams no longer guess which message leads.
Legacy guardrails: Defined when heritage is used and when it isn’t, protecting the brand’s history from becoming a promotional crutch.
Expanded visual system: Added an ADA contrast grid, documentary textures, and photography direction.
Production standards: Added videography specs covering captions, lower thirds, motion, audio, and logo animation, plus exterior signage specs for franchise build-outs.
