Branding is important for any business and we help a lot of business owners in Eugene, OR establish a brand identity. The process isn’t easy or immediate by any means, but we believe our process has proven to work time and time again. How you may ask? Well, get comfortable as we take you through a case study of the branding we did for our favorite local grocery store and deli, Friendly Street Market.

The Design Dilemma

Like a lot of our other clients, we started out as customers who genuinely appreciated the product. After a lot of small talk over egg sandwiches, a business partnership was born and we wasted no time getting to work! Before Friendly St. Market came under new ownership in 2014, they didn’t have much of a logo, let alone a brand identity. When a business doesn’t have an established brand, a few problems occur. 1) It can be challenging for customers to identify it and easily understand the company’s purpose and mission. 2) It makes it difficult for a business to advertise or establish an online presence. Both of which, are important factors to building a business’s customer base and increasing sales.

The Task

Friendly Street Market has been in Eugene, OR for a while. They’ve always had quality products, a loyal customer base, a passionate business mission, but what was lacking was an established brand. As you may notice, local natural grocery stores aren’t too few and far between here in Eugene. Although each one has their own unique quirk, like any business, it’s import to have an established brand to set you apart from your competition. How does one brand? Output customized design that is consistent and accurately presents the mission of the business. We’ll get to that next! 

The Process

Establishing a brand identity takes time. It certainly doesn’t happen over night. It takes consistency, recognition, a mission, and a graphic design with a “voice” that reflects the company. We began creating posters and flyers for Friendly St. Market to use in their store and around town. The designs were created with their business model in mind. Artisanal, local, specialty, hand-made. Each graphic design was careful to maintain this brand identity, but also provided a fresh design that was new and exciting to viewers. Because they have a lot of different events that target various demographics, their posters can be diverse and creative, with an over-lying theme. Take a look for yourself!

The Takeaway

In our eyes, branding is never “complete.” Once you have an established brand identity, it’s apart of your business and evolves alongside with it. What can we learn from this case study? Be consistent. Be true to your brand. And invest in design!