Padel is the fastest growing sport in the world. Launched in the 1960s in Mexico, it’s a cross between tennis and squash, played by four players. In more recent times, the accessibility and social nature of the sport has led to huge growth in Spain and Italy, and the game now has over 25 million players globally.

With the UK lagging being it’s European racquet-sport counterparts, Padel Social Club worked with Thisaway to create a brand which brings the sport to a UK audience.

A recent surge of interest in Padel brought a number of brands into the market, with most feeling quite functional and aiming for mass appeal.

Thisaway worked with the founders of the Padel Social Club to find a positioning that would differentiate their brand from the competition. By building on the social aspect of the game, Thisaway looked to develop a premium brand that goes beyond the sport and offers locations with a clear customer experience. One where, for a certain price-point, you can play in a high quality environment, but also enjoy food, drinks and other social activities with friends before and after the game.

By choosing to develop a premium proposition at a subsequent price-point, Thisaway built the brand for an audience that would be attracted to this offer. To understand the target market Thisaway built customer archetypes and looked at their associated psychographics. Discovering that the audience enjoys being fit and active, they are socially outgoing and want unique experiences that avoid the mainstream.

Using these insights Thisaway developed the brand idea, ‘Play Original’

The brand idea taps into the mindset of a certain demographic — whether informed Padel lovers or open-minded fun lovers — the idea speaks to people who want to do things differently and take pride in originality and authenticity. ‘Play Original’ also helps distinguish the business itself from the competition, acting as a promise to innovate in the world of Padel and not follow any blueprint.

To give the brand the required premium feel, Thisaway created an understated and elegant identity that is inspired by the shapes and forms found in the sport.
The logo was evolved from a previous symbol used by the founders, which was adapted to create a padel racket / location pin icon. The icon was then balanced with the word mark within a holding device that references the shape of the court.

The visual language of the court was carried through into art directed photography. Working with photographer Matt Davis, Thisaway created a suite of unique imagery that balances a feeling of still life, sport and fashion photography.

To support the photography and further enhance the ‘Play Original’ idea, Thisaway used a quirky typeface with a mix of sharp angles and alternate characters that all align perfectly with the wider visual language.

Padel Social Club’s first courts opened at Soho House’s Babington House, and they now have their debut Padel centre at Empress Space in Earls Court, London. This will be followed by exciting plans to launch their next location at the O2 in London.