Forest & Beyond is a small retail business specializing in supplying local families with camping, hunting, fishing, and general outdoor provisions. I connected with them and after a discovery call, I learned that they needed some visual clarity for their business. They wanted their business to feel inviting, positive and encouraging to their customer. I worked closely with them to develop a brand that they love and that helped bring more customers to their new store.

We broke their project into two phases: phase 1 was brand identity and a logo with additional visuals and phase 2 consisted of a store sign, and marketing collateral to help with brand awareness.

The Visual Mood Board

After working with Forest & Beyond to create a mood board, I put together a quick video to help them enjoy each piece of the board as it builds to their logo.

I love doing this for clients as I complete a project because it feels like a wonderful summary of their brand and it acts as a visual guidepost for them.

Logo Alternative & Style Guide

Often times one logo just isn't enough! Having a system in place to support the other needs of the brand as it grows is so important. I created some alternative logos that the client plans to use on polo shirts for their staff as well as their clothing tag design. I also utilized some of these alt logos in the social media work (see below) that I did for Forest & Beyond.

While working on the branding for Forest & Beyond, the store owners shared their vision and inspiration for their business. They expressed a deep love of hiking, specifically in Yosemite National Park. As I was developing the mood board, I made sure to include some Yosemite images. I did an image search and discovered this amazing guidepost at one of the overlooks in Yosemite (featured in the visual mood board earlier in this case study). I loved the simplicity of the font on that sign and remembered seeing it on all kinds of park signs and highway signs indicating a park ahead. To outdoor enthusiasts, that sign and font means "adventure ahead".

I connected with Forest & Beyond and we knew that the "adventure ahead" spirit is a feeling they get and many of their customers feel too. We knew that feeling needed to be a part of the brand strategy. Including that feeling of curiosity and love of adventure became a top priority for me.

Developing the Logo

I got to work researching and drawing out the letter forms on old-school park signs. I eventually discovered "National Parks Bold", a wonderful typeface project that came out of Kansas (https://nationalparktypeface.com/). I downloaded the font and began playing with the weights and characters until I created a framework for the lettering portion of the Forest & Beyond logo.

The client knew that they wanted to include an icon in their logo as well. I got to work developing an icon to match the typeface, mood board, and brand strategy. This process was a bit different than most of the logo work I do. I typically start sketching out entire concepts and find fonts to match the icons I make, but I was so inspired by the National Parks font, I knew I needed to include it in the logo for Forest & Beyond.

Pairing the rest of the fonts was simple. I chose Bebas Neue as a headliner because the hard lines and sporty feel offset the curves of the decorative "National Parks" while still feeling at home next to it. The sporty feel also speaks to some of the more sporty outdoor activities. I chose Avenir as a supporting body font. It is a very friendly font that is easy to read on mobile, but still feels at home in print.

Supporting Visuals

With the visuals and brand identity established, it was time to implement them! Per my conversation with Forest & Beyond, I knew they wanted to show the city all they have to offer and also launch on social media. We opted for some eye-catching billboards, built around their play-on-words slogan: "you provide the forest". A series of billboards and local social media ads were created on this theme.

The second type of brand awareness I suggested was doing some organic social media posts with location tagging and relevant hashtags for both their products and the community. I created their first six posts and helped them develop a content calendar full of ideas to build their brand. This brand building was done through a series of valuable content for their customers including checklists, virtual hiking competitions, and product reviews.

The Conclusion

It was a joy to work with Forest & Beyond! After launching their brand and new store they saw an increase in new customers, a growth on their social media follower base, and an influx of repeat customers who come back to get more gear for new adventures.