Seek & Hide
Holiday Homes
Seek & Hide started as a passion project in Brașov's old town. Csilla had transformed four historic flats into holiday homes, but each apartment operated under its own identity. Spread across different platform listings, they couldn't benefit from shared positive reviews or encourage repeat bookings. This fragmentation kept them dependent on costly platform commissions.
Working closely with Csilla, I led the design while collaborating with Cristiana Stanciu on strategy, Orsolya Bálint on photography, and MRZ Design on web development. We discovered that guests wanted both adventure and comfort - explore the city and its surrounding nature by day, retreat to a cozy sanctuary by night.
“Before starting to work together, not only did we not have a brand identity, but we didn’t have any idea what our brand should look like. We only knew that it should represent our ideas, but we weren’t aware what it exactly was. I didn’t have any specific outline, just some scattered ideas and feelings.”
This duality inspired the name Seek & Hide and the entire visual identity. I crafted a handwritten script logo with a playful squirrel ampersand as mascot. The color palette draws from Brașov itself: Seek Red echoes the city's ceramic roof tiles, while Hide Green reflects the calming natural surroundings.
Charming red squirrel characters add whimsy throughout the brand, each with distinct personalities guests can connect with. With Orsolya, we created photography that told stories: cozy blankets on sofas, families sharing moments, glimpses into the experiences Seek & Hide promised.
The website was designed to capture direct bookings and reduce platform dependency. While it wasn't ultimately launched, the complete brand system gave Seek & Hide the foundation to build recognition and create the memorable experiences Csilla always envisioned.
“I never realized how important branding is in representing a business until I had it. With the brand created by Maya, my business — Seek and Hide Holiday Homes — is now one in a million. I wholeheartedly recommend her services for creating your brand identity, thanks to the smooth, easygoing, yet very professional collaboration.”
Project Management, Visual Identity Design, Illustration: Maya Ciubotaru
Brand Strategy: Cristiana Stanciu
Photography: Orsolya Bálint
Website Design & Development: MRZ Design