Chicamod
Chicamod is an up-and-coming platform where African artisans can sell and distribute their crafts. The company needed a brand guide to fall back on as they set sail in developing their website and marketing materials.
The goal of a brand guide is to help streamline a recognizable brand image, by outlining what style elements – such as fonts, colors, and graphics – should be used, and how they should be used, in all materials produced by the brand. Starting with a brand guide before embarking on any other projects is the surest way to ensure a smooth process and consistent outcome.
Chicamod's logo was already in place, so the challenge was deciding what design elements could match it and simultaneously take their brand image to the next level, beyond just the logo. The look and feel had to be distinctly African, while avoiding clichés that would hinder Chicamod from reaching a broad audience. In addition, the brand image had to work in both print and digital form.
I stuck to earthy palettes that would match the orange and green of the logo, and created pattern brushes from elements of the logo itself that could be used as backgrounds and decorative elements. After a few rounds of trial and error, we decided on fonts that echoed the softness of the logo while introducing a more elegant, serif font pairing. The result speaks to the high-end nature of Chicamod's products without losing the authenticity of African heritage.
