Rootly
Summary
Rootly is a direct-to-consumer vegan subscription service. Once subscribed, you will receive monthly boxes of hand-picked, high-quality vegan products. Rootly set out to move the world forward with sustainable, ethical, vegan food for their subscribers.
Problem
Rootly was a brand new start-up that needed creative direction so that they could prove their business model and their brand could succeed in a post-pandemic market. To help with this, I delivered a brand system, marketing templates, and a minimum viable product (MVP) for Rootly so they could get their concept off of the ground.
Role
Creative Direction, Visual Identity, Web Design
Contributors
Yawo Echitey assisted with webflow development
Creative Kickoff
Rootly didn't want the brand to come off as a members-only club. It was important for me to establish strong brand pillars that were warm, inviting, fun and inclusive. The language used in our kickoff call inspired three potential directions for the brand.
The first direction was rooted in an abstract representation of fruits and vegetables with vibrant colors. The objective was to keep the tone lighthearted and flexible.
The second direction was inspired by the practice of scrapbooking. I lasered in on their desire for the brand to feel "homely".
The final direction was a minimal approach contrasted with very loud colors and layered typography.
Visual Identity
Development
My goal with Rootlys visual identity was to provide concepts that the Rootly team could build on. Since they were a new start up, I made sure to keep everything grounded and accessible so the founders could be successful with their new brand.
Ultimately the team decided to go with the second direction. After much experimentation with the elements, I developed a visual language that delivered on the client goals. Once the guides where approved, I created all of the templates they needed for performance channels.
The color system I used was inspired by the color spectrum of fruits and vegetables.
I licensed dust and film textures from a third party to use as filters. This paired with paper rips to split layouts went very nicely with the concept of this brand direction.
The MVP
We decided to go with Webflow for the MVP of the site. With Webflow, we could build quickly, make adjustments on the fly, and integrate all of the services needed to get subscribers in the door.
This was my favorite part of the project. Once the designs were approved, I collaborated with Yawo Echitey, to complete the development of the website.
A Success
Story
After collaborating with the founders, a marketing agency, a Webflow developer, and after launching this project mid-pandemic, Rootly was up and running with great success. The founders were offered over half a million dollars from multiple early stage investors, approached by Shark Tank, vegan industry leaders, and vegan brands. Rootly was a great success and I am thankful to have provide value to such awesome founders.