Revery Rebrands with 13-Minute Ode to Our Collective Human Experience

Understanding love is understanding humanity. And understanding humanity helps connect us all.

Revery, a creative studio based in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, is helping brands understand humanity and it’s doing so through an unconventional method: a 13-minute film on how love is a unifier of people.

Revery’s manifesto, 'A Love Story,' is an original film, a cinematic series of snapshots of real people telling their stories of love in all its forms. It was born from the agency’s reverence for ‘People, Love, and Story’ - an exploration and ode to our collective human experience. As an entry-point to Revery, it serves as a reminder of what storytelling makes possible.

A new brand

The film is part of Revery’s new brand identity, mission and purpose at a time when humanity needs it most. As people and brands look for meaning and belonging, Revery offers a perspective rooted in love.

“This rebrand is a call to action that centres people, love, and story in everything we do. We believe these principles lead to extraordinary opportunities, ones that don’t just add to the noise, but ignite a sense of belonging and move culture forward,” said Davis Priestley, founder and president of Revery.

'A Love Story' is not a brand ad, but a love letter to humanity through storytelling. It’s a non-traditional way for an agency to announce itself to the world, but Revery believes it’s a story that unites us all - every human, no matter their viewpoint or station in the world, wants love.

That timeless message is one that directly relates to brands and storytelling. And while storytelling isn’t new in advertising, sometimes the industry needs to be reminded of its narrative power. “A Love Story” helps bring brands to story, a bridge between human truths and brand stories.

“We bring a brand to the stories that already exist, the ones that are timeless and the ones that are especially timely right now with what's going on in culture. We find that's a much better way to build an authentic sense of brand and connection,” said Chrissy Lucas, managing partner at Revery.

The craft of the film

'A Love Story' features 25 people from communities across Los Angeles and Portland, exploring the fundamental concept of love. As a testament to the power of storytelling, the film reveals a simple truth: when we get to tell our own stories - and when we share them with each other - we can create a world where we belong. 

The stories come from all places on the broad spectrum of love: new love, cisgender and transgender love, love under the stress of tragedy, parental love, and the fear of never falling in love. As film participant Iva Gueorguieva reflects, “When you have so many roles - an artist, a mother, a partner, a daughter, a citizen, a dog lover - when you love so many things you have to hold it together. Sometimes love, and that fear of losing something you love, becomes overwhelming.”

People, love and stories are what makes us feel seen. 'A Love Story' invites a moment of deep reflection on our relationship to ourselves, communities, and the broader narratives of the world.

LA natives Zak Marx and Alexander Gilbert, co-directors and creative leads at Revery, set out to tell the stories of people from the heart of their own communities - both past and present. The film weaves together narratives from those closest to the directors while also drawing from the broader community.

A rebrand and focus on storytelling

Revery’s new website states up front that the studio brings brand to story through narrative storytelling, brand development and design, and creative production.

The new brand identity, led by executive creative director Dustin Edward Arnold, reflects the studio’s commitment to design-led storytelling. With a refined logo, a dynamic visual system, and a website that showcases Revery’s expanded capabilities, the rebrand highlights the studio’s ability to shape brands from strategy to execution.

Dustin, who recently joined Revery from AKQA, specialises in design and art direction for technology, beauty, lifestyle, and prestige brands, and has led campaigns for Shiseido, Thom Browne, Bang & Olufsen, Nike, Apple, Issey Miyake and Prada.

"The entire graphic system was designed to amplify the vision and emotion that define our approach to storytelling," says Dustin. "Every element - from the GT Cinetype typeface, inspired by classic cinema subtitling machines, to the modernised 19th-century Almoneda lettering - feels like an organic extension of our craft.”

The identity needed to match the scope of work that Revery is doing, which reaches beyond production. The studio partners with agencies and brands like Nike, Google and Delta to bring visions to life through brand development and design, narrative storytelling and creative production - all within tight budgets and timelines.

With 'A Love Story,' Revery hopes to ignite brand passion and tell stories that matter.

"As people navigate impossible pressures in their lives and work - searching for meaning in a deeply conflicted world - brands that show up with humanity are the ones cutting through the noise and creating meaning," said Davis.