nn studio

Bold, accessible, and memorable brands & visuals with creative precision

NN studio a creative duo made up of Nelly and Nikolas, combining design and branding expertise with strategic project management to deliver impactful visual solutions.

Nelly Lindström holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and works across both print and digital media. With experience in visual storytelling, layout design, illustration, posters, infographics, animation, and video editing, she brings versatile creativity to every project. Passionate about exploring AI in design, Nelly constantly seeks new ways to expand her creative boundaries and challenge conventional approaches.

Nikolas Kristovič is a Brand Strategist with a Master’s degree in International Business Design Management and a background in Visual Communication. His skills span logo design, brand & visual identity development, posters and animation. With a strong focus on organization, efficiency, and timely delivery, Nikolas ensures projects are executed smoothly without compromising on quality.

Vera spirits

Vera spirits is a distillery specializing in non-alcoholic spirits. They sensed a need to elevate their brand concept and communication. The main tasks entailed destigmatizing the non-alcoholic movement to the general public and creating the company’s unique voice in a rapidly growing up-and-coming industry.

Scope: Brand strategy, packaging design, social media strategy, design of social media materials

Brand concept

Better social interactions

To better understand Vera and its function in the world, we conducted various types of research. In the first phase, we organized a discovery workshop with the company’s team using different design thinking tools. We also carried out desktop market research, where we focused on current consumer trends in the non-alcoholic spirits category and what value other brands were emphasizing and how that would impact Vera’s own communication and positioning. Finally, we compiled all the gathered information using the CBIM (Corporate Brand Identity Matrix) approach to brand definition, which gave us vital insight into its final identity.

We devised a concept of a thought leader and unconventional research scientist set on emphasizing the importance of better social interactions by offering high-quality alternatives, which would replace the need for alcohol’s daze and embrace honesty and presence in human relationships instead.

It’s about being søber

Many industry players were intensely communicating the absence of alcohol in their product variations with tags like non-alcoholic or 0.0% beer. Even though that allowed them to keep the product’s familiarity amongst consumers, it also provoked a direct comparison to the product’s original alcoholic version, causing dissatisfaction and contempt amongst the populace.

We did not want the absence of alcohol to be the driving force of Vera’s drinks and thus decided to shift the focus to the presence of soberness. We created a new product category: sober spirits. To maintain a slight connection with the rest of the industry, we incorporated the letter ø; a stylistic choice signaling zero alcohol.

Vera, the human scientist

Many industry players were intensely communicating the absence of alcohol in their product variations with tags like non-alcoholic or 0.0% beer. Even though that allowed them to keep the product’s familiarity amongst consumers, it also provoked a direct comparison to the product’s original alcoholic version, causing dissatisfaction and contempt amongst the populace.

We did not want the absence of alcohol to be the driving force of Vera’s drinks and thus decided to shift the focus to the presence of soberness. We created a new product category: sober spirits. To maintain a slight connection with the rest of the industry, we incorporated the letter ø; a stylistic choice signaling zero alcohol.

Human nature spirit

One of the things that the distillery had truly mastered was producing spirits of various complexities and tastes. To emphasize their variety, we developed a diagram presenting the five most common features of a spirit. Each feature would then be filled in based on its presence in the corresponding drink. Then we had a significant idea flash; characteristic-based diagrams were also commonly used in describing one’s personality. As a continuation of that thought, we translated each of the taste components to personality traits, thus forming the Human Nature Spirit formula. Doing so gave each of Vera’s Søber Spirits its very own personality, resembling many people whom Vera met through her research. Furthermore, it inspired customers to new social interactions and experiences, giving importance to who we truly are instead of hiding behind an alcoholic beverage.

Social media strategy & Packaging

Klubski maraton

Klubski maraton (translates to Club marathon) is a yearly music event organized by a student-run radio station Radio študent. They specialize in underground music by young artists and not shying away from various stances. The only thing that would fit their event was an equally progressive and provocative identity.

Scope: Visual identity design, UI design, design of social media materials

Visual concept

Fence off

The event’s format was a traveling tour, where a select few up and coming musicians performed in various alternative clubs all over Slovenia. We came up with a key identity element that tied many of the event’s aspects together - fences. They represented waiting for lines at clubs and running route protection that one can find at actual running marathons. But their main idea was inspired by current events - due to a problematic political climate, much of the Slovenian youth rallied in protest, the tipping point of which was a rise of fences around the main parliament building. By including them in the identity, we gave voice to the Klubski maraton’s core culture.

final_final.pdf

From April 16 to May 17, 2024, the graduating Visual Arts students presented their thesis projects at Campus Allegro in Pietarsaari. For the exhibition’s visual identity, we created a cohesive design concept under the title final_final.pdf—a name chosen to playfully reference the familiar cycle of endless file versions in a designer’s workflow. The identity leaned into this humor with bold graphics and witty, lighthearted copy, striking a balance between professionalism and playfulness. The result was a vibrant and approachable visual language that gave the exhibition a distinctive character and left a lasting impression.

Scope: Visual identity design, poster design, layout design, design of social media materials

Visual conept

Make it bold

The visual identity of the exhibition is built around a striking red-to-white gradient paired with bold, heavy black typography, delivering high contrast and immediate impact. This aesthetic flows consistently across all materials, creating a unified and modern look. Posters feature the gradient alongside a structured grid, incorporating crosses and digital references to draw attention in public spaces. The catalogue, a key element, prominently displays “2024” in large type on the cover, maintaining cohesion with previous years’ designs while using the gradient and a clean layout to showcase all participating works effectively.

Extending the identity further, QR-code stickers framed in red were deployed as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign across the city and school, linking directly to exhibition information and embedding the visual identity into the urban landscape. Simple captions placed beside each artwork provided visitors with clear context and details, enhancing engagement. Together, these elements created a cohesive, playful, and contemporary identity that not only unified the exhibition within the gallery but also amplified its presence beyond its walls, inviting broader interaction with the public.

Experimental design

This section presents a collection of experimental animations and posters, each exploring either 2D or 3D elements often alongside expressive typography. Created as personal projects to experiment with new techniques and develop design skills, the works play with textures, layered effects, and unconventional visual styles—such as pixelated patterns, paper-cut aesthetics, and tactile surfaces. By exploring different mediums and approaches, these designs push the boundaries of form and movement, offering a playful and inventive take on visual storytelling.

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