New concept, new image, new products... But the very same passion for design and for enabling your Self-Care.
Ostrichpillow has changed. Or, to be more precise, it has evolved. Explorers, adventurers, and curious, we haven't stopped experimenting and growing since we created our first pillow in 2012, imagining unique –and always comfy– ways to help people sleep and rest better. Now, our purpose has become broader: to facilitate contemporary Self-Care from a holistic point of view, creating the necessary tools that help people to be the best version of themselves. An exciting new era that our CEO, Pablo Carrascal, explains below.
This new phase is defined by a concept: Self-Care. How would you explain it?
Self-Care has many definitions, and we realized that each person had a different idea of what it is, but they all shared things in common. We understand Self-Care as a long-term goal that is made up of countless micro-moments; rituals and habits that make taking one’s own wellbeing and happiness into one’s own hands second nature. We are focused on three different pillars: physical Self-Care, mental Self-Care, and emotional Self-Care.
Is Self-Care for everyone?
Of course, if you are not well yourself, everything around you will not be well. And that's why you have to stop, look inside and think: “What do I need? How am I going to get it?”. It is important to note that everyone has their own needs, there is no secret formula that works for everyone, but we do believe that everyone needs to keep bodies, minds, and spirit happy and healthy.
Why has Ostrichpillow evolved towards that idea and why now?
Self-Care has been an important part of the Ostrichpillow core since the beginning. When we launched our first product, we wanted people to sleep and rest more. We called it the “Napping Revolution” because we were aware the lack of sleep was affecting the wellbeing of many people around the world.
That was the initial step, and it is true that was clearly focused on two of our current three pillars: mental and physical. But also, all of our products have an emotional side linked to the materials, to the shape, to the moments we conceived them for. The following products we made followed the same path, offering wellbeing for traveling, meditation, etc.
After 8 years we realized we could expand our learnings and capabilities if we had our users at the core of everything we do. Then we realized the concept we were looking for was Self-Care as that collection of micro-moments I explained before. As soon as we understood that, we knew we had something important and valuable in our hands that could allow us to continue developing a wider collection of products for more specific uses.
How challenging has it been to start designing products other than pillows?
Our process has not changed much. The way to always face a problem begins with a journey where we identify our users and imagine their life and pain points. From there the next question is always the same: How can we facilitate a solution to this situation? And from there the creative process begins in the same way as before. What has been a challenge has been looking for new manufacturing techniques, exploring materials, collaborating with new experts, but we were also very clear that our evolution was not a break and in some products, it has been.
And how do the pillows fit into the new Ostrichpillow?
They fit perfectly. The previous products were more focused on the sleep and rest field, which are still part of our new pillars. We still want people to sleep to feel better, to meditate to have better mental health, to rest to feel more active afterward… All of them will continue part of the portfolio and will help us to work on our mission to enable contemporary Self-Care.
The new concept brings together a new visual identity. What influenced the design of the new logo?
The logo was designed to represent contemporary Self-Care. It tries to capture the essence and offer fresh new air and gives a new color to the brand. It gives us a modern, urban, and optimistic color. The hint of color, that we name 'the stamp”, is an imperfect circle representing the practice of Self-Care. Assuming we are not going to achieve perfection, but definitely much better than not doing nothing and staying still. It also represents that Self-Care will never be the same for any of us.
We wanted something light, uplifting that comes from two Japanese concepts: ensō, where mental, emotional, and physical aspects of the human being are aligned to create, and wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection.
The font, Sharp Sans, is totally aligned with our values: it is sleek, minimalist but at the same time warm. We were looking for a good balance between a long word as Ostrichpillow with the “stamp”. We changed from Helvetica, a more solid font, to a more sophisticated and light one close to the new narrative. Also, there is a change from capital letters to low-case to give a softer and friendly approach.
What does the future hold for the brand?
We are optimistic by nature, so we see a bright future for the brand. With this evolution, we are going to become more explorers, we want to involve our community more, enrich it and make it grow, and to make just what we consider necessary, for our customers and our environment, following one of our values: less is enough. We are very good at observing, paying attention to people's needs, and identifying different problems that if solved are going to improve their wellbeing.
We know there are endless possibilities to create Self-Care, so there will be products covering the three pillars we are focused on: mental, physical, and emotional.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out in the Self-Care for the first time?
Be kind to yourself. You would never expect anyone to climb Mount Everest without training. This is the same. Personal care is not about quantity, nor about achieving perfection, but about rhythm. Self-Care is closely related to habits, and small habits are the best way to start and make Self-Care second nature.
Could you share a habit of Self-Care that you practice on a regular basis?
Breathing. It's an easy thing, but when I realized that my anxiety and stress were being relieved by such a simple action that can be done anytime, anywhere, it was revealing. It takes some practice and consistency, but once you get your mind focused on the breath and only the breath, there is no better way to free the mind and get a different perspective on things. When I realized I was in control of the technique, the next step was to make it a habit every night before bed. It's amazing how something so simple has such an impact the next day.
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