Self-initiated concept  ·  Wellness

GLIDE METHOD

A reformer Pilates studio shaped by movement, light and place.

Wellness  ·  Brand  ·  Art direction  ·  Web  ·  Campaign  ·  App  ·  3D  ·  2026

A woman in a plank on a reformer in the sunlit GLIDE La Jolla studio, the GLIDE METHOD logo on the slatted-light wall behind her and the ocean through the open wall

The concept

GLIDE METHOD is a reformer Pilates concept for La Jolla, built around a simple tension: the workout is intense; the environment is quiet.

My role

I developed the concept end to end: positioning and naming, visual identity, art direction, AI-assisted imagery, website and app design, launch campaign, and a custom 3D reformer model.

The GLIDE studio: the GLIDE METHOD logo on the slatted-light wall, reformers in rows, the glass wall open to the ocean (AI-assisted image)

01  /  The idea

A studio built around contrast.

The space became part of the identity. Slatted light, ocean air and a glass wall that opens to the coast shaped a visual system designed to feel calm, precise and physical across the studio, photography and digital experience.

02  /  Identity

The carriage is the mark.

The three-bar symbol abstracts the reformer itself: two rails and a carriage moving between them. The middle bar sits slightly forward, capturing the reformer mid-stroke. In digital applications, it can slide into place.

How the mark got here

  1. Starting point · 1 of 10An early GLIDE wordmark: the E drawn as three even bars

    01Ten ways to draw it

    Ten wordmarks tested across navigation, app icon and favicon scale before choosing a direction.

  2. The two that survived
    GLIDE wordmark with Didone contrast: thick, thin, thick bars
    Didone contrast
    GLIDE wordmark with the middle bar slid to the right, like a moving carriage
    The glide

    02Two ideas, refined

    Didone contrast and the movement concept survived. Twelve refinements brought the strongest parts together.

  3. Carriage length
    The three bars with the middle bar longer
    Longer
    The three bars with the middle bar same as the rails
    Same as the rails ✓
    The three bars with the middle bar shorter
    Shorter

    03Measure the carriage

    Three middle-bar lengths tested in motion to find the point where displacement felt intentional.

  4. FinalThe final GLIDE METHOD logo

    04Build the family

    That geometry became a flexible identity family: primary mark, short mark, symbol, app icon and favicon.

Glide in — on screen, the carriage slides forward into its resting position, echoing the reformer mid-stroke. This is the mark’s only approved motion; everywhere else, it stays still.
  • GLIDE short logo

    Short logo — nav and small spaces

  • GLIDE symbol: three bars, the middle one sitting forward

    Symbol — the carriage on its own

  • GLIDE app icon: the salt symbol on a sea-stone rounded square

    App icon — salt on sea stone

In written copy, the name is always GLIDE METHOD. The three-bar symbol belongs to the mark, not the word.

03  /  Type + color

Editorial, coastal, quiet.

The type system balances editorial character with everyday clarity: Bodoni Moda defines the mark and expressive moments, Gilda Display carries the headlines, and Hanken Grotesk handles everything functional. A shared neutral palette holds the brand together while each studio introduces its own sense of place.

  • Bodoni Moda

    Logo · hero · italic accents

    Strength, slowly.

  • Gilda Display

    Headings · numbers

    The room moves with the weather.

  • Hanken Grotesk

    Body · labels · UI

    Book a class · 7:00 AM · 4 of 10 left

Core palette  ·  Shared by both studios

  • Salt

    #F4EFE7

  • Sand

    #DCCDB8

  • Driftwood

    #6B6157

  • Olive

    #545A33

  • Sea stone

    #2C3431

Coast accents  ·  La Jolla

  • Pale stone

    #E4DED3

  • Marine

    #A9B5B5

City accents  ·  Little Italy

  • Espresso

    #33241D

  • Charcoal

    #25272A

GLIDE La Jolla

The Coastal Studio

La Jolla colors: salt, pale stone, sea stone, oliveBook a class

GLIDE Little Italy

The City Studio

Little Italy colors: charcoal, espresso, salt, light oliveBook a class

One brand, two environments. The shared neutrals stay constant while location-specific accents shift the atmosphere: marine and pale stone for the coast; espresso and charcoal for the city. The system lets each studio feel rooted in its setting without becoming a separate identity.

04  /  The place

Architecture is the brand.

A permanent glass roof sits above slatted timber, while the ocean-facing glass wall stacks away completely. I built the photography system around changing light and weather, using the architecture itself as a recurring brand device.

The studio with the ocean glass wall stacked fully open on a sunny day
OPEN — the glass wall stacked away. The primary hero condition.
The same studio enclosed behind the glass wall on a gray day, marine layer over the water
ENCLOSED — marine layer rolling in. Same view, protected room.
Golden hour: the sun setting over the ocean through the open wall, warm slatted light across the reformers
Golden hour — the editorial campaign light.
A full class on ten reformers, the ocean wall open behind them
Class in session — the room at full capacity.
An instructor adjusts a client’s position on the reformer
Instruction — small classes, close coaching.
The studio seen from the back: mirror wall on one side, limewash on the other
Back of studio — mirror wall vs. limewash wall.

Imagery

AI-assisted concept imagery, art-directed and finished by me. The studio, lighting conditions and brand applications were developed as one visual system.

A 3D model of the GLIDE reformer: sand frame, charcoal carriage and shoulder blocks, chrome springs, ropes and straps

Drag to turn

05  /  The machine

The reformer, made tangible.

The reformer is central to the experience, so I built it in 3D rather than treating it as a generic equipment image. The model carries the GLIDE material system — sand frame, charcoal upholstery and exposed springs — and gives the digital experience a closer connection to the physical studio.

Custom 3D reformer · built in Three.js · drag to turn

06  /  Studio mode

One detail, everywhere.

The glass wall changes with the weather, so studio mode became a live piece of information across the experience. From the schedule to booking confirmation to the app, members can see whether the room will be Open or Enclosed before they arrive.

GLIDE phone schedule: a week strip with a weather icon under each day and today’s studio mode, Open
The schedule previews each day’s expected mode.
GLIDE booking confirmation: See you at 7, with a Studio mode · Open note
“The glass wall will be open.”
GLIDE app home: Good morning, Sam, a studio photo and Studio mode · Open
The app’s home screen leads with today’s mode.

07  /  The website

A website that feels like the room.

The digital experience carries the same restraint as the studio: editorial type, generous space, full-bleed photography and translucent surfaces that borrow from the room beneath them. The architecture stays foregrounded while the interface keeps booking clear and immediate.

Why glass

Frosted surfaces reference the studio’s glass architecture without competing with it. UI elements sit over photography and light, giving actions structure while letting the environment continue to carry the brand.

Booking-first website

A studio site designed to move quickly from atmosphere to action.

Scope
Homepage · classes · pricing · studios · schedule · booking
Surfaces
Desktop 1440 · Mobile 390
Primary action
Book a class

Design process

  1. 01Lead with the room

    Full-bleed photography comes first. Type and UI stay restrained so the environment can carry the brand.

  2. 02Glass over light

    Frosted navigation and cards borrow from the studio’s glass architecture, adding structure without covering the photography beneath.

  3. 03Choose your reformer

    After selecting a class, members choose a specific reformer from the studio map before confirming. The physical room becomes part of the booking experience.

  4. 04One build, two studios

    Location variables shift photography, color and content for La Jolla and Little Italy without splitting the experience into two separate sites.

The GLIDE homepage on a laptop: the giant GLIDE METHOD logo over the open, ocean-facing studio
The GLIDE homepage on a phone
View live build  →
Website schedule: a week strip with each day’s studio mode and the day’s classesWebsite booking: a map of the ten reformers to choose a place in the roomWebsite confirmation: See you at 7, reformer 4, limewash side

Booking flow  ·  On the website

From class to reformer.

  1. 01  ·  Pick a class

    The week strip shows each day’s studio mode.

  2. 02  ·  Choose your reformer

    The studio map lets members choose ocean side, mirror wall or their usual spot.

  3. 03  ·  Booked

    Your class, reformer and studio mode are confirmed together.

Phone homepage hero: the giant logo over the studio
Hero
Phone homepage: Three classes. One method — a swipeable class card
Classes swipe
Phone pricing: Simple pricing, Unlimited shown first
Unlimited first
Phone menu: frosted glass over the page — Home, Schedule, Buy classes
Frosted menu
Phone booking sheet: class, time, reformer and Confirm booking
Booking sheet

08  /  The app

Your studio, in your pocket.

The member app is organized around what matters now: today’s studio mode, the next class, the schedule and membership. Booking stays compact, and every confirmation ends with the same simple promise: “See you at 7.”

Member app

A member utility for today’s class, booking, studio mode and membership.

Scope
6 screens · iPhone · studio mode built in
Primary action
Book a class

Design process

  1. 01Today first

    The home screen leads with the next class and today’s studio mode, so the most useful information is visible immediately.

  2. 02From class to confirmed

    Choose a class, select a reformer and confirm without leaving the flow.

  3. 03Glass, not boxes

    The same translucent surfaces carry over from the website, keeping the interface quiet while photography and information stay visible beneath.

  4. 04End on a promise

    Every confirmation closes the same way: “See you at 7.”

App opening screen: the salt GLIDE logo and Strength, slowly. on sea stone
Opening
App Today: Good morning, Sam, studio mode Open and the next class
Today
App schedule: week strip, La Jolla and Little Italy tabs, the day’s classes
Schedule
App booked: See you at 7, reformer 4, the studio map
Booked
App membership: Unlimited, classes this month and payment history
Membership
App profile: Sam’s stats, preferred reformer and settings
Profile

Booking flow  ·  9-second loop

Pick your class.
Pick your reformer.

Today → Schedule → Reformer → Confirmed. The booking flow stays focused on one decision at a time, ending with a specific place in the room and a clear confirmation.

10  /  Apparel + objects

The carriage leaves the screen.

The identity extends into the objects members wear, carry and use in class: grip socks, sweatshirts, studio totes, caps and water bottles. Salt, olive and sea stone keep the collection within the core palette, while restrained logo applications give each piece its own expression without leaving the GLIDE system.

GLIDE grip socks in cream, the logo on the cuff and the grip sole
GLIDE grip socks in charcoal
GLIDE grip socks in olive
Cream GLIDE METHOD sweatshirt on a hanger
Olive GLIDE METHOD sweatshirt on a hanger
Cream GLIDE studio tote
Olive GLIDE studio tote
Cream GLIDE cap with the three-bar symbol
Olive GLIDE cap with the three-bar symbol
Cream GLIDE METHOD water bottle
Olive GLIDE METHOD water bottle

Grip socks  ·  Sweatshirts  ·  Studio totes  ·  Caps  ·  Water bottles

11  /  In closing

One idea, carried all the way through.

GLIDE METHOD began with one idea — movement held inside a quiet environment — and carried it across identity, space, imagery, digital experiences, campaign and physical objects. The goal was consistency without repetition: one brand system, expressed differently at every touchpoint.

GLIDE METHOD is a self-initiated concept. The studio, pricing and instructors are fictional, and imagery is AI-assisted unless otherwise noted.

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