When I'm not immersed in the world of design, I find joy in a range of creative activities. From painting and pottery to engaging in epic D&D adventures, these outlets fuel my imagination and allow me to express myself. Nature serves as a constant source of inspiration for me, reminding me of the vastness of the world and our place within it. A nature walk is my favorite passtime. Coming from a Fine Art background, I also have a deep appreciation for museums, where I get to travel back in time and explore the wonders of art and culture.
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Elliott Bay Book Company
Client Background
Located in Capitol Hill, Seattle, Elliott Bay Book Company is a full-service bookstore, a home to over 150,000 book titles, and it hosts over 500 author readings a year. It was founded by Walter Carr in 1973 and in 2010, the store relocated, but it kept all the cedar shelves from the original location. The bookstore serves a wide range of audiences, the main customers are millennials, people who are either local or tourists, but they all identify as a part of the community.
Goals
Build a new identity for Elliott Bay Book Company that can capture the brand’s voice, that is modern, friendly, and approachable.
PROJECT TIMELINE
10 weeks
MY ROLE
Visual Design
Brand Identity
PARTNER
Joey Bae
TOOLS
Adobe Illustrator
Photoshop
InDesign
Opportunities
The current identity system of the bookstore is outdated, it does not represent the brand accurately anymore. The color palette is really muted, and the designs are not consistent. The bookstore is located in a fast-growing neighborhood, so it would be appropriate to have a new visual system that sits well with the modern culture.
Solution
After doing the research and looking into their current brand, we realized that most of the customers go there to explore and find new gems, and they always get lost in the immersive world of literature, so we decided to take the approach that is 20% inviting, 35% immersive, and 45% exploratory.
Elliott Bay Book Company is where the community comes together to connect, grow, and get lost in the wonders of knowledge. We want the bookstore to be a fun place that stands out amongst the other buildings, we want to encourage people to come inside and explore.
Mood Board
We started the design audit by gathering images, defining tonal territories and what it looks like to design a brand that is 20% inviting, 35% immersive and 45% exploratory, and finally, we distilled the concept to “deep dive into curiosity” and finalized the mood board.
Typography
Logo & headline: it is slightly customized based on Quincy CF, a serif typeface that has tall x-height which helps the brand look more friendly and approachable, its warm letterforms and medium contrast give the text a smooth, flowing motion. It helps add human touches to the brand.
Body: Gotham is a geometric sans-serif designed by Tobias Frere-Jones, it has tall x-height and wide apertures, which help improve legibility.
Icons & Shapes
As a locally owned business, Elliott Bay Book Company has been around for many years providing services. The color palette and the illustrations are inspired by three elements: the sun, the bay, and the books.
By using the combination of warm and soft letterforms and colorful shapes, our goal was to capture the essence of the brand: playful, yet grounded and honest.
Brand Guideline
Application of Brand Guideline
TOTE BAGS
WEBSITE: DESKTOP AND MOBILE VIEW
SOCIAL MEDIA