Building an entire brand

The Waterfront Botanical Garden is interested in spreading knowledge of the environment to all. The brand was designed to be family-friendly to help this mission. A flower, poplar leaf, butterfly, and bird can all be found within the logo.

The marketing materials use the signature colors and patterns. The envelope includes the pattern inside as a memorable surprise. The business card features a leaf design behind the logo. The brand’s rounded corners complete the leaf-like feel of the card.

Brochures for the garden initially look square and straightforward. However, when opened, they spring to life with the brand’s round corners and bold colors. The inside is best used for listing events and talking about the garden and its hours. The back includes their web address.

Billboard advertisements incorporate friendly imagery and a short headline. These elements quickly catch the attention of someone driving by. The logo is placed in the lower left corner so the viewer knows what the advertisement is for.

The design of the trucks lets them function as moving advertisements. They are colorful and have a short phrase and the logo to catch attention.

The brand’s patterns detracted from the desired feel of employee uniforms so it is left off. It does work well on aprons that would be provided for children doing activities in the dirt.

The wayfinding system uses the rounded corners of the brand. Signs are stacked for internal wayfinding and paths throughout the gardens. Building labels have images of the area in use to create a welcoming feel. Signs sit upon a white pedestal for a sense of elegance and stability while feeling fresh and friendly.

The gift shop features a variety of items to promote the brand. Each item features the colors, patterns, and imagery of the garden. Shopping bags are designed so that the consumer can reuse them as gift bags, reducing waste and advertising the gardens.

The website homepage features a rotating headline of the latest stories and events from the garden. Scrolling down the page brings the user to the more headlines, as well as quick links to the support page. There is a live feed of the latest social media posts related to the garden. Other pages include an about page and events page.

The plant survey is an interactive element near the bottom of the about page. It tells about local plants found in the area before construction of the gardens began. There is a calendar on the news page that highlights events in the garden.

In the mobile website, the social media feed scrolls horizontally rather than vertically. The calendar of events is condensed to where each highlighted day must be clicked to see what is happening. These changes create more legibility for the user on a smaller platform.

Once the brand was complete, a manual was made. This manual shows off each item and contains the overall rules of the brand. This includes color, pattern, type, imagery and other elements. It also uses these rules in its own design.