Brand Strategy & Cultural Narrative for a Chinese EV Pioneer Entering the Western Imagination

Client:

Client:

Client:

Horwin

Horwin

Horwin

Service:

Service:

Service:

Brand Transformation

Brand Transformation

Brand Transformation

Field:

Field:

Field:

Electric Vehicles + Automobiles

Electric Vehicles + Automobiles

Electric Vehicles + Automobiles

THE IDENTITY

QUESTION

QUESTION

QUESTION

How might I help a futuristic Chinese EV brand become a global cultural force - without diluting its originality or aesthetic ambition?

THE CHALLENGE

Horwin wasn’t just launching a new bike - they were making a leap: from tech-led EV company to cultural force. With Tron-like designs and global potential, the product impressed. But the brand lacked cohesion, emotional pull, and cultural fluency - especially entering Western markets without a clear sense of what “cool” truly required.

THE APPROACH


I reframed the challenge as cultural, not cosmetic. Horwin didn’t need another campaign - they needed a belief system.

We began by decoding the gap between East–West brand expectations, and grounding the work in deep audience research across multiple buyer archetypes. From there, I repositioned the brand as a philosophical futurist: not just selling bikes, but shaping a worldview.

I developed a 60+ page Brand Bible - codifying everything from mission to sonic identity. We created a narrative hierarchy, designed aesthetic direction rooted in vaporwave and brutalism, and crafted campaign concepts designed to scale - from an AI-generated feature film to a virtual mascot. Everything was built to feel cinematic, conceptual, and ready for global rollout.

THE INSIGHT

EV and automotive brands often market features. But future-facing brands need mythologies. Horwin’s real power wasn’t in the specs. It was in the feeling their bikes created - the sense that you weren’t just buying transport, but joining a different kind of future.

THE INSIGHT

EV and automotive brands often market features. But future-facing brands need mythologies. Horwin’s real power wasn’t in the specs. It was in the feeling their bikes created - the sense that you weren’t just buying transport, but joining a different kind of future.

THE OUTCOMES

Deliverables and External Results

  • Delivered a 60+ page Horwin Brand Bible to anchor global strategy and design via strategy, narrative, aesthetic, product frameworks, and more

  • Repositioned Horwin from EV manufacturer to cultural futurist

  • Refined messaging across digital, social, CES, and launch platforms

  • Developed visual and sonic identity frameworks

  • Built naming conventions, influencer playbooks, and content hierarchy

  • Crafted scalable creative concepts, including a virtual mascot and AI short film

Internal Shifts

  • The founder saw his vision externalised for the first time

  • Team language shifted from technical to conceptual and strategic

  • Agencies previously struggling to interpret the brand adopted the Brand Bible as their foundation

  • Buy-in increased across departments as every decision could now anchor to a shared system

“I spent four hours on his deck yesterday. Jack’s work is the best thing I’ve been involved with in five years. Indescribably amazing.”

Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate

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Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate

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Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate

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