Karen Minami is a visual artist from São Paulo who, after completing a (quite challenging) degree in engineering and spending years in the corporate world, realized she needed to express what she felt through art.

Karen reached out to Arribada to transform her artistic persona into a brand and create her website. However, instead of doing a traditional branding process, we chose to build her Essence Identity.

The Essence Identity differs from Branding in that, while Branding aims to humanize a brand — giving it personality and emotions — Essence Identity starts from the opposite direction: we explore all the layers, complexity, journey, tastes, and desires of a human being and reveal how that essence can be translated into a tangible and commercial form.

Karen moves through cycles of introspection and extroversion. She begins in quiet solitude, deeply reflecting, and then lives everything she desires with great intensity, surrounded by friends, family, and music. She navigates between her Japanese heritage and her fascination with every tiny element of nature. This duality is reflected in both her Essence Identity and her artwork.

From the Essence Identity, we developed her logo and other visual elements, selected typography, and designed her website. The guiding idea behind the site was to make it feel like her first solo exhibition, where each room represents a phase in her personal cycle. What once seemed like disconnected references now come together to tell a story: the story of Karen Minami.

We wrapped up the project with Karen Minami’s CX Sprint, a strategic analysis of three essential points to enhance the experience of those who engage with her art.