Tomo / How a bouldering club for all levels carved out a lane between playground-cute and gym-bro-exclusive, with a brand so loved that 8% of revenue now comes from merch.
Project Information
Stage
Pre-Launch
Industry
Health & Wellness
Services
Brand Sprint
Impact Points
Community & Belonging
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As a B Corp, Odd Notion only partners with founders building products that benefit people and planet. We sort that commitment into three tiers:
Measured impact — brands with verified, certified outcomes, like a fellow B Corp.
Unmeasured impact — brands doing real good that haven't yet quantified it.
Do no harm — brands we're proud to build because of how they operate.
Tomo sits in our unmeasured-impact tier. Built on accessibility, diversity, play, and progress, it makes climbing welcoming to all levels and uses its space to build real community — a place to grow, not just train. The good is woven into how Tomo operates; it simply hasn't been formally measured.
Situation
Tomo is a bouldering club for climbers of all kinds — a place where the journey matters more than the finish line and growth always outweighs skill. Built on accessibility, diversity, play, and progress, its mission is to welcome and challenge climbers at every level, from total rookies to dedicated veterans, and to turn a climbing gym into a genuine community. To do that, Tomo needed a brand and voice as distinctive as the experience on its walls.
Problem
Climbing brands tend to fall into two camps: family-friendly and playground-cute on one side, gym-bro and exclusive on the other. Neither fit Tomo. The challenge was to carve out the space in between — welcoming enough that a first-timer feels invited, credible enough that a seasoned climber knows they won't outgrow it. Tomo needed to sound fun without being soft, and serious about growth without being intimidating, all in a category where it's easy to alienate one audience while courting the other.
Solution
We built Tomo's voice and messaging strategy around a Jester/Hero hybrid — bold, playful, and serious about growth, but never about itself. We gave the brand a voice that's gritty, quick-witted, emboldening, and saucy: the friend who gives tough love because they believe in you. We defined three message pillars — Challenge, Empowerment, and Community — to keep the brand's motivating, growth-minded attitude consistent across every touchpoint, and landed it all in a tagline that says exactly what Tomo offers: Embrace the challenge, find your people.
Credits
Strategy: Eleazar Ruiz
Creative Direction: Eleazar Ruiz
Graphic Design: Eleazar Ruiz, Sam Stember
Illustrations: Sam Stember
Tone & Voice: Diana Taggart
3D: Matt Gilbert
Motion Design: Greg Stewart