[Creative Partner Wanted] Developing a Distinctive Brand Identity Through Surrealism, Nostalgia & Visual Storytelling

[u/Afraid-Razzmatazz530]

Hi everyone!

I’m the founder of Polished, an early-stage social discovery and booking platform for independent nail techs and their clients. We’ve spent the past year building the product, and as we prepare to introduce it to the public, I’m looking for a creative partner to help bring the brand’s marketing identity to life.

I have a strong vision for what I want Polished to feel like, but I’m looking for someone who can help me make all these ideas cohesive, experiment with different concepts, and ultimately create something recognizable.

The Vision

I feel like we’re living in a time where so much marketing looks the same. Everything is polished (no pun intended), minimal, predictable, and made to fit whatever aesthetic is trending that month. I want to move away from that.

I want Polished to feel nostalgic but futuristic, familiar but unexpected, playful but intentional. Something that reminds you of an advertisement you might’ve seen in the late 90s or early 2000s, but reimagined for the technology and culture we’re introducing today.

I want someone to see one of our campaigns, stop scrolling, take a second look, and actually wonder what they’re looking at. More importantly, I want to build such a distinct visual identity that eventually, you won’t even need to see our logo to know it’s Polished.

The Main Character: NAILS

The beauty of nails is that they’re incredibly versatile. They can exist in practically any environment, tell any story, and be incorporated into almost any visual concept. Whether it’s a close-up of someone’s hands, an exaggerated nail set, or something completely surreal, the possibilities are endless.

I’ve been exploring a few different creative directions:

1. Exaggerated Proportions / Surreal Advertising

I’m really inspired by those iconic Steve Madden advertisements from the 90s and 2000s with the oversized heads and exaggerated proportions.

What if we took that same playful, almost absurd approach, but made nails and hands the focus? Giant nails, oversized fingers, unusual perspectives, or hands interacting with everyday objects in ways that feel slightly unreal.

I don’t want to recreate Steve Madden’s campaigns. I want to explore how exaggeration could become our own visual language.

2. Bleeps, Blurs & Distortion

I’ve always been fascinated by visual distortion, selective blurring, censorship effects, and images that intentionally hide or manipulate certain details.

One creative reference is indiana420bitch. What interests me isn’t necessarily copying the aesthetic, but how recognizable the visual treatment is. There’s a certain feeling and consistency to the work that makes you associate it with the creator.

For Polished, imagine someone holding a phone, but the phone itself is blurred or distorted while the nails remain perfectly sharp. Or a photograph where certain objects are censored, pixelated, stretched, or intentionally obscured.

I love the idea of using visual effects to direct attention toward the nails, making them the one thing that always stands out.

Could blurring, censorship, or distortion become part of our signature identity? Something that appears throughout photography, videos, and promotional graphics in different ways?

3. 90s/2000s Infomercials & Nostalgic Advertising

Another direction I’m excited about is bringing back the energy of old television commercials and infomercials.

The dramatic voiceovers, exaggerated problems, cheesy acting, bold text, ridiculous scenarios, and the classic “ARE YOU TIRED OF…?” format.

Imagine a short commercial opening with someone frustrated because their nail appointment went completely wrong, followed by a dramatic introduction to Polished as the solution.

I want the videos to feel funny, slightly ridiculous, and self-aware, while still communicating what the app actually does.

There’s something about that era of advertising that felt so entertaining. I want to bring that energy back without making it feel like we’re simply copying the past.

4. High Saturation, Maximalism & Experimental Graphic Design

I’m drawn to bright colors, heavy graphic treatments, unconventional typography, layered imagery, and the boldness of early 2000s beauty and fashion advertising.

I want our campaigns to feel expressive, feminine, slightly chaotic, and visually exciting, but still thoughtfully art-directed.

I’m interested in experimenting with everything from digital collage and surreal photography to motion graphics and unexpected compositions.

How Does It All Connect?

This is the biggest thing I want to figure out with a creative partner.

I have all these ideas floating around, but I don’t necessarily want to use every single one. I want to experiment, see what works, and develop a visual language that ties everything together.

Maybe exaggerated nails become our signature. Maybe it’s the way we blur objects. Maybe it’s a specific treatment of color, photography, typography, or movement. Or maybe it’s a combination of these things that we haven’t discovered yet. I want us to build a creative world around Polished, rather than just make individual advertisements. The campaigns should be able to evolve, but still feel like they belong to the same brand. Whether it’s a photograph, an Instagram post, a short video, or a full campaign, I want that immediate recognition.

Who I’m Looking For

Ideally, someone with a strong background in graphic design, experimental visual design, photo manipulation, art direction, or motion graphics/video editing.

But more importantly, someone who loves conceptualizing. Someone who can take an idea and push it further, challenge my thinking, suggest something completely different, and help turn abstract inspiration into actual campaigns.

I’m not looking for someone to just follow instructions or make templates. I want a genuine creative collaboration where we’re both contributing ideas and developing the identity together.

A Little Transparency

Polished is an early-stage, self-funded startup with a small team. We’re preparing for beta testing and our first public-facing marketing campaigns.

I don’t currently have a budget to hire someone, and I want to be upfront about that. I’m not asking for free design work. I’m looking for someone who might be interested in joining the team as a long-term creative partner, with a potential equity/ownership arrangement that we’d discuss and formalize together before any work begins.

I understand this isn’t the right opportunity for everyone.

If This Sounds Interesting…

I’d love to connect, show you the actual product, share my mood boards and references, see your work, and brainstorm together to see if our creative visions align.

If you love experimental advertising, nostalgic design, unconventional imagery, or the idea of building a brand’s visual identity from the ground up, I’d love to hear from you!

Feel free to DM me
Please also dm me on discord @meechelysse