brand

Dressed to the nines, for the Magpie to fall in love. An unusual love story!

A brand's positioning depends on taking a unique, differentiated space in the customer's mind. A destination brand starts with its unique spirit, guardian charm that guides the creative process towards one narrative. Here it was the Magpie's rhyme. And we at NYUCT Design Labs fell for number nine.

NYUCT Design Labs

NYUCT Design Labs

— 8 min read
Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.
Place making and building a destination brand with a bird's infatuation.

This is the tale of Naukuchiatal and venture design for the eponymous Naukuchia House.

Our design journey takes flight with this beautiful lakeside destination that enraptures the senses of everything mortal. Some say that the lake of nine corners (Naukuchiatal in the local language) is divinely blessed while others believe that it is impossible to sight all the nine corners of the lake while on foot. Spring fed and almost vitrified, this is a perennial lake that is surrounded by everything that is classic Himalayan and holds this precious micro-universe together. This is around which our brand adventure is set.

Located in the beautiful lake district of Nainital, trotted up on a hill of cedars, pines, and rhododendrons, stands this Palladian estate. 90 courtly rooms, virtuoso experiences, and balconies that stare out into the region’s piece-de-resistance – the Naukuchiatal lake.

Dressed to the nines.

Naukuchia House, a beautiful address takes its eponymous name from this 9-cornered lake. Remind us to tell you about the urban legend around the nine corners and salvation. But that is for another time.

Nine corners, nine levels of utter romance with the destination and somehow numbers tend to be a guiding factor in life. And then comes along a poem, a rhyme, that made it seem almost like an epiphany - that this was the story that was waiting to be unraveled. And unfold it did.

What's the best way to picture this micro-universe called Naukuchiatal? Well, let the pictures say the thousand words for us.

A lake, a garden estate and all things beautiful.

How do you make a place loved? Read more

All of this makes for many falling in love.

But there’s one character, a rather enigmatic one that is captivated by this beguiling and aristocratic address more than anything else. Infatuated so to say with Naukuchia House.

The infatuation of Blue Maggie that guided the brand development journey

Known for its love of things that are shiny, bright and bijou, this is the love story of the Gold Billed Blue Magpie. We call it Blue Maggie.

Flamboyant, colorful, it prances around on its toes, swishing about its blue tail with flourish and making sure it stays high off the ground. Like a prima donna in ever-youth. Confabulating at times with the red-billed neighbors that call Naukuchiatal home, looking out at its luminous moments and stellar cast.

Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.
The blue magpies are primarily arboreal birds. While most common in areas of dense jungle, they can also be found in agriculture areas and bare mountain sides at higher elevation. They frequently feed on the ground and adopt a hopping gait with the tail held high to prevent it coming into contact with the ground. They live in parties of seven or eight birds and are highly territorial.

Manicured gardens, fruiting trees, quiet pavilions and ambling sit-outs at Naukuchia House are coveted not just by luxury seekers but also by its
feathered citizens. They do come in all shapes, sizes and vivid colours right from the White Throated Laughing Thrush and the Rufous bellied Niltava to the petite Himalayan Bulbul and of course our lead, the Himalayan Magpie. Feasting on apricot, kafal (bayberry), lychee, hisalu and peaches. Making itself at home.

Belonging to the Corvidae family, Magpies exhibit a high level of intelligence, curiosity and in our case a streak of possessiveness for Naukuchia House.

Positioning that joined a few dots to take flight

Every destination has what we believe is its unique spirit, a guardian charm. And the guardian charm like a talisman and lighthouse, guides the creative process towards that one narrative that brings it all together.

For us many dots joined in this adventure. For starters, the Magpie's rhyme. And we fell for nine.

Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.
Reading poems can be very productive for the creative spirits.

Our Magpie story also traces to an inspiration that linked it all together. Made us see reason when we could have been beguiled by the beautiful destination. It convinced us that this design adventure must present a bird's perspective.

One of the strong inspirations for this thematic positioning and distinguishing the brand came from joining a few dots between this Palladian estate and the Les Bijoux distraits ou la cantatrice sauve. Yes figure it out! 😄 That would be our story for another day.

Narrative and story development

Well, prima donnas love the high life! Blue Maggie loves the sterling service that comes along in this aristocratic residence. And what’s more, Naukuchia House hosts the most amazing garden tea parties, boasts of fabled restaurants, a private boat house, rooms and suites that bring in the hills and curated accessories that make one go weak in the knees. There are nine shades of happiness for Blue Maggie in this little Eden.

Let’s say Naukuchia House makes itself easy to fall in love with.

Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.
Positioning a destination with a Magpie's infatuation.

When you are at the Naukuchia House, you would probably meet the territorial Blue Maggie and her chatterati friends. Tweeting away the day. Word since then has spread, and today Naukuchia House brings in many admirers, from all over. But probably the heart still beats faster and surer in the scarlet Magpie.

You will recognise her presence by the high-pitched warble and of course the giveaway. Its white crown and the delicately raised, long blue tail lest it touch the earthly ground – the telltale signs you might say of a discerning customer.

Branding and Identity development

A thematic positioning determines a path for the brand. A path that makes the brand walk the story across its experiences, services, brand touchpoints, look, see and feel.

Positioning becomes the determinant of everything design and all things desirable. Visualising and manifesting itself in a manner that it builds a unique and ownable position in the customer's mind.

For us blue Maggie and her obsessive love, almost competing with paying guests for affection, defined the charms of this destination. The brand essence and the narrative was infused in each and every touchpoint along the customer journey to remind you, the guest, that this is a collectible that many have their sights on. Be it visual graphics, iconography, identity, collaterals, spatial recommendations, or the language.

Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.

Positioning and the brand essence are like diffusers. They spread contagiously, interpretively across the customer journey and touchpoints.

Time to go to the market

The campaign design and development stayed in character. Something that the bird and its flock would have approved, giving glimpses of things that a bird's eye could spot and fall for.

Venture Design for places involves culture, design & community. They are central. NYUCT Design Labs over its decade of building destination brands, keeps learning with each new adventure.
Experiences designed as collectibles. Eminently stealable.

Experiences within the resort were curated and woven around what we would call "stealable" moments or collectible experiences. These are things that the Magpie would definitely stack in its closet.

Conversations around Naukuchia House dwelt on intimate and bespoke experiences that weren't grand to be memorable. They were curated and designed to present a story of love - love for nature, love for this sybaritic destination and love for everything uniquely local.

You get the picture. Well, the Magpie did!

Every venture, every adventure that carries a flight with design, comes with beautiful memories. Of things that were created, curated. Many things said and many unsaid.

Lest they spoil the story when you visit Naukuchiatal. Get there before Blue Maggie steals the 🗝 keys 🐦.

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Have an adventure in mind? Something beautiful to build and design to market? Venture Design and Design led Innovation help you bring your most cherished ventures and concepts to life with method and imagination. And with a makers' community working by your side, as your team B. Or leading for you as a team A. Let's say Venture Design loves getting out of the box to surprise you. Read more on www.nyuct.com.

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