Company
Role
Timeframe
The Vegan Copacker
Creative Director, Researcher, Visual Designer
Aug - Nov 2023
Create a visual brand identity from the ground up for a new vegan copacking company that will be launching in the spring of 2024.
Brief
I completed this project independently, and worked with a Project Manager from The Vegan Copacker.
Team
Challenge 1
Research was challenging for this project. Copacking companies tend to have very little focus on branding or visual identity and are typically outdated and stuffy looking. Their websites also don't tend to offer very much information.
Challenge 2
The client had a lot of ideas and requests, including specific things they wanted to avoid, like plants or leaves in the logo. On the points where I disagreed, I used my research and design skills to demonstrate how things could be pushed or incorporated to further the brand in a positive direction.
Challenge 3
I discovered early on in the process that some of the people reviewing the logo options on the client side had a hard time seeing a vision for the brand from just the logos, so I brought the brand to life using mockups of the logos on buildings, uniforms, and packaging, and that helped immensely.
Research
At the beginning of the project, the client provided a large amount of information including a completed Brand Questionnaire that covered the brand basics, the story behind the brand, the vision for the brand, and the competitive landscape. They also provided a Brand Strategy Brief that included a beginning idea for the Purpose, Vision, Mission, and Values, as well as the Voice for the brand.
Logos of some of The Vegan Copacker competitors
The client also provided a rough idea for their logomark as well as a preferred color palette.
Process
With plenty of information to start with, I dove in and got started on paper with a mindmap made up of primary branches from the brand strategy information the client had provided, and sketching. I also utilized ChatGPT to further expand on the mindmap and brainstorm visual ideas to go along with the map to aid in my sketching.
I worked up a little over 15 options digitally, and narrowed those down to 3 primary options to present to the client, with 2 bonus options included.
I felt that their preferred color palette would hold their brand back, it seemed too conservative and safe for the types of companies they are targeting. Vegan companies tend to be fairly new companies and are typically run by enthusiastic, younger people that wouldn't resonate with a muted palette. So, for each logo option, I presented one palette in their preferred muted tones, one that included a couple of muted tones along with some brighter pops of color, and one bright and modern palette option.
I created a presentation that included mockups and explanations to help make each option come to life a bit for the team reviewing them.
Following this round, the team selected the logo I had created from the initial sketch idea they provided at the beginning of the process. They also really loved a couple of the additional color options I provided. So, the next round included some further iteration on that idea.
Initially, they had said they didn't think they wanted a leaf anywhere in the logo because it was too generic and expected for a vegan company. They also mentioned they didn't care to use green for the same reason. However, for this round, I demonstrated what a well-placed, cleverly designed leaf or two could do to boost up their initial idea. They. LOVED. It.
In fact, they loved the leaf so much that we created a couple of brand patterns utilizing it.
Finally, I put everything together into a set of brand guidelines.
After we had the brand guidelines fully put together, the second stage of the project was to create a landing page so the company could start gathering interest from potential customers. The website is simple and bright, with small interactions spread throughout to keep users interested.
Visit The Vegan Copacker website
A brand that takes pride in it's vegan values
Because this copacking facility is the first of it's kind, 100% vegan, I felt it was important to make the vegan shine through in the brand through the use of greens in the color palette and clever leaves in the logo.
Key Features
A well-converting landing page to drive toward a successful launch
As the facilities for The Vegan Copacker are being built out, the landing page has started driving interested traffic. They had over 280 unique visitors in the first week of launching the page.
A look and feel that will attract young vegan entrepreneurs
We pushed past some initial resistance to get to a bright and modern brand that will attract The Vegan Copacker's primary target clients to their doorstep.