Branding - Avila Herbals
Since Avila Herbals are based in Virginia, USA, we conducted a series of workshops online. In these sessions we discussed their vision and direction for the brand, learning more about their product and service, as well as their audience and customer journey. Not to forget the all important ‘why’ message. These virtual workshops gave our designers a starting point for brand development.
We designed three stylescapes in response to what we learnt in the workshops. During the review, Tess felt the best direction was to challenge the current market status quo, and go for something fresh and bold, choosing our ‘fruity’ stylescape. Although we went with the ‘fruity’ visual style, there were copy elements and touch points from the other stylescapes which they wanted us to incorporate into the brand.
We produced a final stylescape based on the feedback we received from Tess and Rik. This is where the brand really came together, establishing elements such as logo design, colour palette and typography rules.
We created the brand document based on the stylescape. This is a comprehensive document that provides detailed guidelines on numerous aspects of the brand, from logo usage, to tone of voice, to layout rules.
Because we have a retainer agreement in place with Avila, we have had scope to implement the new branding across a wide range of touchpoints such as packaging design and brochures - it’s been great to see this brand come to life!
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Chris
He / him. Chris is a co-founder of Rusty Monkey. Chris would like to think of himself as a branding philosopher but in reality it means that he can sit in his hammock and come up with great ideas around business and branding problems. He’s also a BBC-trained camera operator and has worked on many large scale TV events. A technophile. Loves the outdoors and will often head into the countryside with his wife, daughter and camera drone. Really interested in ethical thinking and business.
Mel
She / her; red / blue. Mel is a writer, editor and designer. Equally happy hiking a muddy trail as playing tabletop roleplay games by candlelight. Will seize any opportunity for a party, as long as said party features copious food, prosecco and hits from the 1980s. Her true passion lies in words. A student of literature, she is fascinated by enduring myths, etymology and science fiction. Kurt Vonnegut is her hero. “We are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
Zoe
She / her; green / blue. Zoe is a designer, daydreamer and self-anointed snack queen. Once described as “so awkward she’s charming” by a friend, there isn’t a day that goes by without her accidentally slipping in an innuendo. In winter, she hibernates in a blanket of books and netflix, but by late spring emerges with her trusty birkenstocks, ready to go on photography adventures and socialise with the neighbourhood cats. If she were a pokemon she would without a doubt be Pikachu, but a buzzfeed quiz has determined her to be a Magikarp. She’s a firm believer that buzzfeed quizzes cannot be trusted, under any circumstances.
Matt
He / him; yellow. Creative jack-of-all-trades, Matt is "dangerously knowledgeable" in almost every facet of marketing. His favourite field is branding, and he loves developing inspiring, daring brand identities for organisations who are ready to do something different. But he's equally talented at front end web development and developing digital strategies. He's also the front man and guitarist in local parody heavy metal outfit Evil Scarecrow, plus a huge fan of music, eating in nice restaurants, and going on holiday.
THE CLIENT
Avila Herbals is a hemp farm based in Virginia, US, with a focus on producing therapeutic products to help those struggling with chronic pain, stress, anxiety - or simply those who want something to help them relax.
THE GOAL
The therapeutic CBD market is saturated with nondescript branding and ubiquitous hemp leaves. We wanted to do something different, something that would set Avila Herbals apart from traditional stereotypes of hemp product users and challenge the market status quo.
THE SOLUTION
We decided to create a brand that felt fresh and bold by using a vibrant colour palette inspired by the natural fruit flavours used in many of Avila’s products. Alongside this we used uplifting imagery, strong typography with a beautiful new logo to grab attention. We also focused on small touch points, to ensure we created an experience that Avila’s customers will remember.
THE TEAM
Our creative guild, led by our brand gurus, Matt and Chris.
THEY SAID
"Rusty Monkey do work for both my companies, Whitebarrel and Avila Scientific. They are responsive, professional and most of all innovative! Our branding has won awards, and we can't recommend them more highly."
-- Tess Obiso, Avila Herbals
THE OUTCOME
It would be impossible to mistake Avila Herbals for any other brand in the CBD industry. For their customers, this means a remarkable experience that feels like something new and exciting is happening in an otherwise uninspiring market.
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