Shipping Container Produce
When this agtech startup told us about their plans to grow hyper-local produce in shipping containers, we were in. Inspired by the 24-hour LED growing system of blue and red lights – which appear purple – (yay for the color theory nerds!) – we named the brand Purple Sunshine and worked to develop the hip and happy sprout character for the logo. Bright colors match the enthusiasm and hype we have for this new offering.
Overview
Client: Growterra
Delivered: Brand Strategy, Naming, Logo Design, Brand Messaging, Brand Mascot Development, Brand Guidelines
Naming out of the box
The project goal was to develop a compelling & energetic brand name and logo for a new microgreens, salad and herbs brand—both the B-to-C brand that will be sold in grocery stores and the B-to-B brand of the franchise ‘farm business in a box’.
The competitive set (both greens brands in grocery and agtech farming businesses) had very strong naming conventions – so we knew that this brand had a great chance at being meaningfully different. Naming generation stayed away from ‘farm’ or evoking a place and ‘tech’ because that’s what everyone else was doing. Because this was produce grown under a different kind of ‘sun’, we went with Purple Sunshine.
Designing Cool
The tech and innovation going into this startup was deserving of a truly cool logo. But what did cool mean to the potential franchisees and grocery store shoppers? We wanted something that people would be stoked to badge themselves with – and that business owners wouldn’t mind having on the side of the shipping container in their parking lot. None of the other competitors had a mascot – that’s our cue to explore more there. A brand mascot can soften the techy-ness of the business to the produce consumer and bring some punk attitude that the franchise owner can get excited about.
Character Development
The spout character went through many iterations and the cool laid back nature really came through the traveling sprout. Exploring different shapes, line weights, facial expressions, movements, and accessories, we found the walking sprout as a great energetic expression of the mobile farm. It’s a farm in a shipping container afterall!
From branded apparel to the parking lot
To make a brand that works across multiple applications, we made sure to design multiple logo iterations, brand colors and fonts. The mascot was drawn in multiple positions so that the brand team had many ways to use it. The bright poppy color palette continued the positive energy of the brand.
