The Up & Up Group 'The Up & Up Group Brand Identity'

The Up & Up Group Identity Case Study

AWARDED

WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick

AWARDED
10 December 2025

JUDGES COMMENT
“What I love most about this piece of work is the detail and the craft – you can really feel the care that went into it. Its simple and clean and feels timeless, which is a hard thing to achieve brand identities especially for the purpose of this one.”

View WISH I DID THAT showcase

WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Toni Hughes

AWARDED
10 December 2025

JUDGES COMMENT
“& up this goes in my books. Love the typography.”

View WISH I DID THAT showcase

ABOUT THE WORK

The Up&Up identity was built by people, not prompts. Every core element, from the custom wordmark to the 3D glass ampersand, was designed, modelled, and executed by hand using traditional design tools and techniques.

AI was used in a strictly limited, post-conceptual way. Once the 3D ampersand was finalised as the visual embodiment of the brand, a symbol of openness, optimism, and opportunity, we explored how it could flex across campaign and content needs. To do this, we used the glass ampersand as an image prompt within ChatGPT’s image generation workflow.

Using that visual input, AI tools generated quick, varied iterations of the same ampersand form, filled with materials like popcorn, ice-cold beer, or strawberries and cream. It was simply a way to expand the ampersand’s storytelling potential. The structure, silhouette, and design remained consistent in every output.

No type, layout, colour palette, or branding decisions were made by AI. It was used only to multiply one handcrafted object into a series of expressive visual variations, all grounded in a human-made foundation.
Our use of AI was functional, not conceptual. A tool for variation, not creation.

CREDITS

Client/Brand: The Up&Up Group
Brand Manager: Nadia Siegel
Marketing Manager: Deborah Whitlock

Agency: M&C Saatchi Abel
Regional Agency Group: The Up&Up Group
Agency Managing Director: Illé Potgieter
Chief Creative Officer: Neo Mashigo
Creative Director: Alicia Nicola
Designer: Alicia Nicola
Executive Creative Director: Jake Bester
Agency Producer: Martine Levy, Rochelle April
Illustrator: Qumran Patience
Finished Artist / DTP: Graham Arendse
Account Management: Sihle Sipamla
Strategist: Robert Grace
Writer: Bella Evans, Lazarus Mathebula

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