The power of play
I was catching up with Lander, an old and close friend. We chatted about all the usual stuff, family, and mutual friends, and I asked him how his new business venture was fairing. His reply was rather stark, 'It's really hard.’ I didn't know what to say so we moved on.
I was reflecting on our conversation. Should Lander be feeling like that about something I know he was pouring his heart and soul into? He was working two jobs to fund and believed in so much. I offered him and his co-founder Kelvin a coffee & Zoom (popular in the post-pandemic era) with David and me, which they accepted. We had a wide-ranging conversation discussing martial arts (through which Kelvin and Lander met), the post-pandemic business landscape, the state of education for non-English speaking students and a shared love of gaming. We listened to the successes and challenges that the fledgling business was experiencing. We felt a distinct connection with L&K and their business purpose. So we asked if we could come back to them with some thoughts should they occur.
A fortnight later, we re-convened and put up three slides. A definition of Kinjugo's Why, a logo concept and four words, The Power of Play. All of this was instinctive. There was no benchmark, focus group or extensive sector research. We listened to the client and heard what they were saying and to our gut. We trusted our instincts and reacted quickly to capture the energy inherent in the solution. We had no expectations, but it resonated. As Lander says in his testimonial, it was at that point that they nearly fell off their chairs.
A website quickly followed. Kinjugo now had a platform, a new voice and renewed energy. Twelve months later, Lander has used this renewed sense of purpose and belief in the product to build trust and authority within the education and EdTech ecosystem. He has travelled to the UAE with BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association) to attend GESS Dubai and present Kinjugo. He was at BETT UK, the world's biggest EdTech event, speaking about the power of play for learning. As a result, Kinjugo has grown its audience rapidly and is in promising conversations with education groups in both Asia and South America that would put the product in the hands of tens of thousands of students.
Why is all this happening? In a nutshell, because Kinjugo is a great product and always has been. And both Lander and Kelvin already have the skills to champion it. A lot has changed since changed since those three slides. The company and product have a presence in the world of EdTech. The founders are reinvigorated and have a new sense of purpose. There are great things ahead, all because of the power of play
Project deliverables
Brand & Design Strategy, Identity design, Website design & build, and Pitch materials.