Tag: Content

Cookma

“Mama” is a nearly universal word.
Our primal instincts to love and need nurturing require no explanation.

But modern cultures don’t recognize the importance of caring for birth-parents after childbirth the way we have in the past. Which is why Lisa Chatham founded Cookma — a meal delivery service and product line for growing families that aims to inspire a cycle of deeper self care, rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom. Bridging a crucial gap in the parenting experience, Cookma’s approach focuses on the void that is left when the baby leaves the body and fills this space with nourishment and comfort.

Landscape worked closely with Lisa to develop a distinct brand identity and experience that captures her desire to provide holistic nutrition to families during this foundational time in life.

The comprehensive engagement included packaging and design for an expansive line of food and bath products, robust educational materials that accompany the food delivery program, an ecommerce website, and an extensive library of photography. The new identity does not just articulate the vitality of Cookma’s service, but celebrates the unique postpartum period through warm, uplifting design.

Radix

For scientists, less time managing lab equipment means more time for discovery. But today’s inefficient methods of running experiments drain time and energy. Radix makes complex biology lab work radically simple, giving time back to scientists to do better science.

Backed by MIT’s tough-tech incubator, The Engine, Radix approached us to help define their strategy, brand, and website. An innovative system software, Radix runs and tracks lab experiments, managing the process from start to finish. We worked with the founding team to distill this advanced technology into a compelling narrative, for both established life science companies and leading academic institutions.

Transforming the way we experiment enables faster discoveries and greater scientific progress, ultimately leading to better health for all. The new brand language combines pragmatic graphics with abstract fluid animations, illustrating the functionality and impact of this largely invisible system software.

We’re excited to see Radix’s powerful platform improve the lives of scientists everywhere, so they can do more of what they do best.

Visit radix.bio

West Coast Industries

How does one of America’s most established furniture manufacturers position themselves for growth in the digital age?

Designed and made in California, West Coast Industries (WCI) is a respected maker of premium contract furniture. Industry experts in manufacturing custom tables and seating, they boast a client list that includes Hilton, Hyatt, W Hotels, Conde Nast, Twitter, Cisco, SF MoMA, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

As part of an ambitious growth strategy, WCI entrusted Landscape to reexamine and reimagine the West Coast Industries’ brand. Over the course 
of a year, we designed a net-new experience to more clearly convey their offering within an increasingly competitive market.

Working closely with their leadership team, we redefined their brand position, messaging, and digital experience. Updated brandmarks, palette, and typography allowed the company to signal their role as a contemporary design partner to a new generation of designers. Bespoke photography, a deep illustration library, and process-focused video expanded the company’s reach across mediums.

Online, we streamlined 
a complex product portfolio into an intuitive information architecture, presenting a simple and confident arrangement supported by warm, custom content that improved the emotional connection with 
their customers. Additionally, the site offers a range of unique functionality to expedite the specification and ordering process for both designers and WCI’s customer service team.

As a result, WCI registered a double-digit percentage increase in critical sales shortly 
after the launch, while remaining true to the values that have shaped 
its legacy.

Visit westcoastindustries.com

The Kelsey

Building Opportunity Through Inclusivity

The Kelsey is a pioneering non-profit that centers on the lived experience of people with disabilities and the creation of inclusive and affordable multifamily housing.

Garnering the attention and support of organizations such as Google Ventures and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the organization is currently advancing a housing pipeline worth over $180 million, beginning with the building of more than 240 affordable, accessible homes in one of the nation’s most challenging housing markets, California. Through the application of design thinking related to social change and in partnership with community leaders, investors, developers, and policymakers, the team has created a nationally scalable blueprint for success.

To signal the organization’s highly inclusive approach and strong partnerships, showcase progress, and engage new partners emotionally and beautifully, The Kelsey’s CEO, Micaela Connery, approached Landscape to rethink the organization’s brand and key touchpoints.

Continue reading “The Kelsey”

Atoms

Propelled by the belief that great design inspires you to be and do better, Atoms set out to create the ideal shoes for everyday wear. Building upon rave reviews from early customers and a growing waitlist, Atoms’ founders came to us looking to better articulate their brand and scale their business.

Working in partnership, we codified a concise brand expression and translated it into a thoughtful, premium, end-to-end customer journey. The engagement included rethinking a new e-commerce website, rich content creation, a bespoke packaging experience, and a comprehensive collateral system. The evolved brand positions Atoms as a highly versatile tool for curiosity, creativity, experimentation, and new experiences.

More to come as the brand continues to roll out.

Google Ara

Google ATAP (Advanced Technologies & Products) approached Landscape to help further define the brand language for Project Ara (Google’s modular phone). The ongoing collaboration spanned a diverse set of activities. Most prominently, ATAP’s Ara presentation at Google I/O, their annual developer-focused conference held in San Francisco, and a 100+ page, narrative-driven brand book.

A glimpse into the future of the product experience was highlighted via a short film. The piece was shown on-stage at I/O and featured online on the Google Ara website. The video highlights a variety of ways in which Ara adapts to and enriches the lives of its community.

Viewed over two million times in the first 48 hours the video now has over four million views and was featured by: Engadget, The Verge, Wired, Hypebeast, USA Today, Gizmodo, CNN, Forbes, Tech Crunch, Mashable, Venture Beat, Business Insider, Buzzfeed, and many more.

Vicarious

Intelligent Robotics for the Next Age

In a not so distant memory, intelligent robots were the whimsical avatars of fantasy. The stuff of Star Wars and The Jetsons. Today, thanks to AI and machine learning, robots are becoming more versatile and affordable than ever. This progress is due largely in part to Vicarious, an intelligent robotics startup backed by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. After 10 years of advanced AI research, Vicarious has evolved its offering to become the world’s first provider of Robots-as-a-Service.

We worked with Vicarious to overhaul their brand strategy as they evolved from research leader to automation expert. Because automation is not the same for small businesses as it is for large enterprises, Vicarious needed a design solution that could signal different benefits to different audiences. To articulate this effectively, we updated the positioning and messaging sitewide, in tandem with a new design direction, and a new site architecture. We produced a full content library of visual assets, including animations, still photography, and video that showcase the advanced robotic applications in action.

Vicarious’ unique business model allows access to AI-powered robotics for immediate use, with end-to-end support, at no upfront investment. In the midst of the digital revolution it can be difficult to notice the next big thing when it arrives, but Vicarious will be impossible to ignore.

More about this project coming soon.

Punch List

Punch List makes home remodeling easy.

Built for both homeowners and contractors, Punch List helps teams communicate, track timelines and budgets, and manage payments — all through an intuitive app.

To bring Punch List to market, we established a brand system that could communicate this ease and utility across every touchpoint. We worked closely with Punch List’s founders to develop the brand story, introduce a flexible visual design language, and content library — connecting it all through a compelling web experience.

Beyond the marketing experience, we helped re-architect the product itself. After stripping the app to its key functionality, we explored multiple interaction paradigms, created delightful branded moments throughout, and supported the development process through launch.

To communicate Punch List’s value-add, we needed to reach two distinct audiences simultaneously. Through photography, motion design, and thoughtful messaging, we created a brand story that was simple and specific for homeowners and contractors alike.

Home remodeling might be messy, but it doesn’t have to be hard.

Afresh

Leaving $18B on the Table

Afresh is reinventing the fresh food supply chain with human-centered artificial intelligence — making fresher, healthier food wildly efficient and accessible to all.

We worked with the Afresh team to articulate a clear promise: fresher food, happier customers, healthier business. Together, we explored thought-provoking ways to illustrate the unacceptable magnitude of global food waste and highlight the importance of their modern solution across a beautiful web experience.

To maximize business relevance, the resulting brand identity system balanced an ownable and comprehensive visual language with understandable grocery vernacular. A custom wordmark and symbol express an advanced solution, while industry-specific messaging communicates the benefits and value for grocers and prospective talent, for this rapidly growing company.

The Sedona Bag

The Sedona Bag, inspired by our trip to the Southwest in search of sun, solitude, and transformation.

Limited Run
Made from Heavy-Weight 65% Recycled Canvas
Printed in San Francisco
Designed with Love
$45 + Shipping

Buy Now

Plethora

Incredibly forward looking, Plethora aims to redefine the process of design for manufacturing, and ultimately the manufacturing process itself. Plethora’s offering is both tangible and abstract, creating physical components, and catalyzing ambitious problem solving by enabling more free-flowing ideation and iteration.

Landscape worked with Plethora to redefine their entire identity system and website, positioning them as a visionary leader within the on-demand manufacturing ecosystem.

Mission Critical

Essential Gear for Extraordinary Dads™

Young dads want to play a more active role in raising their kids. They deeply value tools that let them explore new outdoors experiences while sharing unique bonding moments with their loved ones. However, within the parenting marketplace, there are very few brands that offer high-quality products designed specifically for dads. One of the few brands that has recognized this need is Mission Critical, maker of modular, rugged baby carriers designed specifically for men.

After three years of rapid, organic growth as a direct to consumer brand, their team aimed to expand the brand’s customer base with a new product line and enlisted Landscape to help connect more dads more deeply to their kids.

In-depth customer research and refined strategic positioning enabled our team to craft a brand identity system rooted in essentialism and an appreciation for exploring the unknown (both in nature and in life). The updated identity system allowed the brand to transcend its’ successful but polarizing tactical image, becoming a more inclusive and progressive articulation of fatherhood.

Included in the engagement was a complete overhaul of the brand’s messaging platform and taxonomy for its expanding portfolio of products. We positioned the product lines as complementary systems with precise value propositions, clarified accessory bundling, and renamed their expanded product line.

Every aspect of the evolved brand experience was shaped to support the updated strategy, including: an adaptive Shopify e-commerce website, a full lineup of new marketing materials, packaging, and a deep content library to support ongoing digital growth marketing.

Samovar

Already positioned as an authority within the tea community, Samovar approached Landscape to more clearly articulate their brand vision and craft an extensible platform upon which they could further grow their business.

The in-depth identity update shifted Samovar away from the stereotypical visions of traditional tea culture, towards a more purposeful, utilitarian, and approachable experience. The strategy focused on communicating the quality of their tea without pretense or affect, thereby broadening Samovar’s appeal to those less familiar with drinking tea.

The partnership included the redefinition of virtually all of Samovar’s touchpoints — brand identity and guidelines, packaging, collateral, service design, and interior design in collaboration with their architectural team.

The work has been featured by Dwell, Wallpaper*, San Francisco Chronicle, California Home & Design, and Fast Company.

Samovar has since grown their business to include three new locations in San Francisco, including the international terminal at SFO and highly desirable locations on Valencia Street and Fillmore Street.

Mirra

Mirra is a SaaS 3D content creation platform. The platform’s systematic approach to design allows for the simple creation and distribution of beautiful, resonant, and immersive VR / AR / XR experiences. Design in your browser, export to almost any headset, no code required.

With the aim to foster a vibrant community centered around immersive media, Kevin Farnham, founder of the renowned innovation design studio Method, approached Landscape to help shepherd his newest venture into reality.

The project began with the definition of a taxonomy for describing interactions in 3D space, included naming and identity design, and culminated in a product that likely represents a first look at a class of tools that will become fundamental (and perhaps shape) the design profession.

Minus-8

As though derived from an unknown point in the future, Minus-8 embodies the confluence of tradition and disruption. Pairing proven technologies such as Japanese movement and PVD coatings with space age details, Minus-8 subverts trends and defies categorization.

Landscape worked with the Minus-8 team to refine the brand’s identity as well as design their flagship touchpoints.

To develop a digital showcase worthy of its watches, Landscape designed a responsive e-commerce experience that provokes boundaries both technically, and aesthetically. By pushing the Magento platform into an experimental realm, we created an interface that facilitates a compelling shopping experience, and a futuristic brand story.

With pristine details and confident styling, each timepiece is an engineered work of art. By creating a catalog with the same characteristics, Landscape extended the Minus-8 design language into a hermetically sealed expression of the brand. Utilizing a unique combination of substrates and processes, each catalog is intended to create a personal and multi-sensory experience for the viewer.

Much like the watches themselves, each Minus-8 experience appears to have been created in some sort of future laboratory. Equal parts elegant, industrial, and architectural, the results are focused experiences, each truly in a class by itself.

Van Acker

Van Acker Construction Associates, one of the most sought after private construction companies on the west coast, represents the intersection of design, development and execution. Since 1987, the practice has successfully taken on ambitious and complex projects, delivering the highest level of general contracting and construction management services for over 20 years.

The complete identity update included all formal identity elements, printed collateral, physical site signage, and a redesigned marketing website. A clearly differentiated design strategy communicates the equally distinct service offering Van Acker provides. Additionally, the brand experience reflects the level of consideration, sophistication, and rigor that Van Acker maintains across every facet of their business.

To protect the privacy of its clientele, Van Acker’s digital portfolio focuses on architectural details. This approach circumvented the challenge of divulging too much information about the locations of the buildings and also offered the opportunity to showcase Van Acker’s craftsmanship.

The Big Lift

The Big Lift is a bold social venture supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation that aims to transform early learning. It combines high-quality and connected learning experiences from preschool to third grade, with a focus on increasing reading proficiency, reducing chronic absence and summer learning loss, and engaging families to support learning in school and at home.

In 2015 Landscape began working with The Big Lift to help their team define a captivating and flexible brand narrative and graphic system to support the ongoing and highly variable efforts of their fundraising and marketing teams. The identity has proven to resonate equally with funders, parents, and very young students — fostering a community of evangelists and driving fundraising at scale.

The Big Lift identity conveys a progressive and deliberate non-profit in an effort to dissuade any doubt regarding the focused trajectory of the initiative. This was particularly critical to convey to a Silicon Valley business-centric audience — frequently approached by less structured non-profit efforts.

The digital presence features emotive photography and video, in addition to an unexpected palette and assertive typography to promote The Big Lift’s story. Bold, clear infographics support a validated effort. The approach is reductive of clutter, speaking to The Big Lift’s efficient and organized way of operating, necessary for taking on a challenge of this magnitude. Unexpected perspectives allude to a transformative way of looking at the issues, and an opportunity to be part of something big.

As part of our team’s ongoing partnership we produced a fundraising video to capture both the momentum and the impact of the program to date. The video engages its audience at an emotional level, conveying the challenges their students face daily, the joys of childhood, and the hope the program offers. To date, the video has helped raise over $1.5 million dollars for the program.

Hopelab

Hopelab is a social innovation lab focused on designing science-based technologies to improve the health and well-being of teens and young adults, a demographic underserved by the traditional healthcare system. Their current projects include interventions related to cancer, mental health, and parenting.

Landscape was approached by Hopelab to help clarify their communications wholistically. The engagement began with a comprehensive rebrand and the launch of a newly architected website to more clearly convey their mission and structure as an less-traditional organization.

Today, we are honored to continue to work closely with their team to support their inspirational endeavours across a variety of mediums.

Intel x Olympics

Intel is reimagining the future of the Olympic Games with leading-edge technologies like virtual reality, 5G, and drone light shows. For the 2018 Olympic games in PyeongChang, Landscape collaborated with the brand team at Intel to create the visual identity system and guidelines for all touchpoints of the Intel Olympics worldwide partnership.

Brian Longe

Painter Brian Longe returned after a twenty-year hiatus from exhibiting, during which time he lived in the Sierras, intensely studying the mountain topography and raising a family. “The Source” a solo exhibition at The Luggage Store in San Francisco, marked the culmination of his research in the form of mural-size geographic abstractions.

Landscape worked with Brian to produce photography, video, and show collateral, as well as an editioned, 84-page catalog.

The design of the catalog is structured into two distinct sections, denoted by a shift in both material and layout. The initial section places Brian’s work within the context of his peers and art history, including work by Picasso, Joan Miro, Ana Mendieta, and Jackson Pollock. The layout, bespoke on a page-by-page basis, embraces the fluidity and spontaneity of Brian’s own work. The latter section of the book presents Brian’s work to the viewer at a scale that embraces the boundaries of the printed piece and acknowledges the massive scale of the work. A gallery-like layout and a gesture that invites the reader to view the work as large as possible, though still a fraction of actual size.