A little update on this project - I actually purchased Lookout Fitness in March of 2020! The above is an image of the new space we designed for the business. Below is how things started.

Another thing on my bucket list in life was to help open and brand a CrossFit gym. I have been CrossFitting since 2012 and it is a passion of mine. I qualified for a competition called regionals one year and I had a close friend who helped coach me through that experience. Since that experience, she has been my coach and taught me so many things about CrossFit and general fitness. She was planning to open a facility and she asked for my support in creating a brand.

As we talked about what she wanted the business to evoke a few words kept coming up in conversations - accessible, sustainable, community, nutrition, and support. She wanted members of all ages and walks of life to be able to come to a facility that supported them at whatever physical level they were. She wanted the facility to be mainly branded as a fitness facility that offers CrossFit. When a business strictly uses the word CrossFit it tends to isolate itself to a select group of people. For years it was seen as a very intense method of training. The idea of CrossFit has become a bit less intimidating as CrossFit as an organization has shifted its marketing focus to be more on general population fitness.

A Name

Probably the hardest part. She knew she didn’t want something too hard or cliche and we also had to find a name that was not already taken by a CrossFit Affiliate - that alone is a huge eliminator. Late one night my husband actually said, ‘Why not Lookout?” From the gym you can see a mountain in Chattanooga called Lookout Mountain. Lookout could also infer other meanings on its own. I sent that over to her. She made sure there was not already a CrossFit affiliate called Lookout CrossFit and we had a name! Lookout Fitness housing Lookout CrossFit.

The Brand

We researched the other fitness facilities in town and knew we had to stay away from red, black, corporate blue, anything with stars or military reference, and no mountain in the logo. Yes, it is named after a mountain but it looks more like a big hill. The final logo brought in a clear typeface all in uppercase with a forward slant. It feels as though it was moving forward. The typeface has a soft edge around the corners that makes it feel a little friendlier and more inviting versus if we had stayed with something sharp on the corners. We developed a color palette that is true to Chattanooga’s outdoor roots. Vibrant, fun, and welcoming - we could have lots of variation and fun with the palette. We were working on a super tight budget so we were able to have fun and paint the logo inside the facility.