Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese
Flying Squirrel Plant-based Cheese
Flying Squirrel are a range of delicious, plant-based cheese alternatives, new to the market. The brand packaging and identity is fun, happy and vibrant; showcasing a quality, sophisticated product.
The artisan producer, Colm Farrell, grew up in the Irish countryside where he where he first fell in love with nature and animals and gained an appreciation for the environment. He went vegan in 2014 and one food he really missed was cheese. He noticed a gap in the market for plant-based cheese that tasted good and began attending cookery schools in the UK and Germany, studying traditional, centuries old techniques of the craft such as culturing, fermentation, coagulation and ageing and developed a real passion for food and cooking. His hand-made artisan range is carefully crafted in his Dublin kitchen with love and passion, using traditional techniques. All Flying Squirrel products are dairy and lactose-free and are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those making a conscious decision to change their eating habits for health, ethical or environmental reasons.
We worked together in the naming process to define the name ‘Flying Squirrel’. It is inspired by the free-spirited energy of animals such as the flying squirrel, left to roam happy and freely in nature. This ‘cheese from trees’ is made mainly from nuts, and as squirrels are known to gather nuts, this is a further connection with the name to the cheese brand.
In the packaging, the illustration created depicts a flying squirrel character soaring over the natural outdoor landscape, connecting with how the cheese is made using 100 per cent natural ingredients and is naturally kind to the planet. We worked with Farrell to create a visual brand and packaging identity which best represents this philosophy. Although one of the key aims of Flying Squirrel is to provide a solution for consumers looking for a delicious alternative to dairy cheese, all cheese lovers can enjoy it. For this reason, the ‘v’ to signify it’s vegan appeal, is highlighted in a subtle manner within the ‘y’ in the brandmark typography. A small Irish shamrock symbol is included on the front of the packaging to signify its origin for consumers who like to buy local.
There are three flavours – Original (camembert) 150g, Almond 110g and Almond & Cheese 110g. Each have been separated visually using the brand’s colour palette and featuring illustrative taste cues. Each product has it’s own unique barcode, incorporating the squirrel character and nuts. Originally, we had mocked up plastic jars for two of the flavours. However, we then moved to glass jars, to become more environmentally friendly so that the packaging can all be recycled and have a lower carbon footprint. We art-directed the photoshoot with photographer Brendan Ryan, bringing out the bright, fun and vibrant essence of the brand, with colour paper backgrounds, linking with each flavour and the ingredients each flavour contains and taste cues, displayed around the packs playfully.
The combination of the elegant and clean typography with the vibrant and natural illustrations come together to create a fresh, memorable, and essentially, unique brand that consumers can align with. The results have proved successful, with market research showing that those purchasing Flying Squirrel in supermarkets are a mix of vegan and non-vegan consumers. Demand is high since its launch and it has already been requested for select health food stores and cafes.
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain addresses a key consumer need: trust, offering blockchain-enabled software solutions to problems of real world asset authentication / proof-of-origin in export markets. In a distributed trust system this info-flow is called the value chain.
Origin Chain needed a brand identity created as they entered a more public phase of their company, where they would be business networking at events such as Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Innovation Arena’ at the National Ploughing Championships and tech summit event ‘Uprise’.
Not everyone understands areas such as blockchain, therefore they wanted the brand to be so well communicated that even a child could understand it, with the viewpoint that children are often quicker to absorb new technologies and communicate them to adults.
They have two sub-brands that sit under Origin Chain (Volunteer Passport and Verify by O.C.), and needed brandmarks for these in order for all three to work together as a family.
On reviewing Origin Chain’s needs and values, they wanted to be perceived as trustworthy, new-tech and user-friendly. Their software allows direct online transactions along a secure blockchain. These transactions are transparent and can be viewed by anyone.
A good way to envision this is to picture a value chain of a food item. E.g.; a banana you purchase with a barcode. On scanning the barcode, you can view the trail of where it has originally come from – from the farmer who picked it, to each input along the way, up until to the store delivery. It provides a sense of reassurance of knowing the root source of an item along the chain and be able to openly view it’s journey. With Volunteer Passport, it enables people in the volunteer sector to track and share their voluntary work. It enables a verification system, which allows one easy authorized and verified passport for all workplaces.
Factors considered were as follows:
Representing the links of a block chain as a strong, graphic symbol. The links also representing trust and security, a key value of Origin Chain.
The feeling of movement within the chain, emphasizing the interactive process of the blockchain technology.
Overlays of colours within the logo represent the transparency within Origin Chain’s software – the trust of anyone being able to see everything within the process.
Subtle hidden circles within the links represent eyes – the observing eye of the open visibility features of blockchain.
Closed links locked in to each-other to show solidarity of how when data is entered into a blockchain, it cannot be removed and is there forever.
Use of blue as the link colour, to further denote trust, the green tones signify the verification of the green light signaling approval.
For ‘Verify by O.C.’, the same brand style is used to create a tick of approval of the verification process.
The client was very happy with how the end result met the brief requirements, her feedback was as follows:
“I’m very pleased with how they look together. It’s been a real pleasure to work with you. As well as being a wonderful talent, you’re sort of unflappable too. The very best kind of designer in my book.”
*This work received a graphic design award in the International Design Awards with an Honorable Mention for brand identity.
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide
This is a guide to Inishbofin, a small island off the coast of Ireland. Inishbofin has a population of 180 people and relies heavily on tourism. This project explored a way of attracting more tourists to the island. The concept behind it is to create a series of landmarks around the island, which honour Inishbofin’s history and culture. As Inishbofin is an eco-friendly island, they seek to achieve sustainable tourism that does not negatively impact upon the island’s natural environment, while at the same time benefits and supports the local community. Therefore, the concept was each sculpture would be created with eco-friendly, sustainable materials such as wood, bog oak, stone and earthy materials which would be in harmony with the local landscape and for each one to be clever and creatively designed. Some of the landmarks/highlights I thought of were the famous Grace O’Malley, the Cleggan Disaster, the island’s Flora & Fauna wildlife, the Patron Saint of Bofin, Cromwell’s Barracks, the White Cow (the island’s name) and Cockles & Mussels. I explored different ways in which these sculptures would be created. The idea being that visitors can interact with the sculptures and will want to find each one, to take photographs with them and tick them off their list of cultural things to see on the island. Beside each sculpture would be a small plaque which also naturally blends in with the local environment, which tells the story behind the sculpture.
Taking visual cues from the Camino de Santiago, where there is the a subtle shell with an arrow showing the direction to walk, I designed an icon which would work in the same way for Inishbofin’s sculptures. It is a simple boat shape, where the sail is an arrow – the direction of the arrow indicates which way to walk to each attraction. These would be set subtly in stone around the island, to ensure not to impact the island’s beautiful and natural landscape.
The main piece was an A5, side-stitched booklet with a fold-out A3 map showing the location of each sculpture around the island in the centre-fold. It was riso-printed using a rigorous 7-colour process, with some lovely ‘happy accidents’ of colour offsets in the finished booklet. The cover was then debossed with the shape of the map. Each page uses modern typography and layouts. On researching the island, many people said how Inishbofin was a place that people come to get lost and find themselves in, enjoying the slower pace of life and the fresh sea air and nature. The expression ‘There’s plenty of time on the island’ is a commonly used expression. This inspired the name for this booklet, with the play of words ‘A Guide to Getting Lost’. I created an icon for each sculpture, which visitors can easily find on the map, and used some expressions throughout which represent the essence of life on Bofin.
At this stage of the project, I created a 3D wooden stylised map of the island, with laser etchings of the icons, and also created 3D-printed icons to represent each sculpture (although not aimed to be the finished sculpture design). For the numbers on the map, I tailored an old Irish Celtic font to create individual, unique numbers which still embody the Celtic feel, but with a modern twist. I then laser printed these personally-designed numbers on to wood, to have as physical items to display as part of the overall proposed exhibition display. The use of wood for the display stand added to the sustainability, eco-friendly culture with which Inishbofin is proud of.
Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese
Flying Squirrel Plant-based Cheese
Flying Squirrel are a range of delicious, plant-based cheese alternatives, new to the market. The brand packaging and identity is fun, happy and vibrant; showcasing a quality, sophisticated product.
The artisan producer, Colm Farrell, grew up in the Irish countryside where he where he first fell in love with nature and animals and gained an appreciation for the environment. He went vegan in 2014 and one food he really missed was cheese. He noticed a gap in the market for plant-based cheese that tasted good and began attending cookery schools in the UK and Germany, studying traditional, centuries old techniques of the craft such as culturing, fermentation, coagulation and ageing and developed a real passion for food and cooking. His hand-made artisan range is carefully crafted in his Dublin kitchen with love and passion, using traditional techniques. All Flying Squirrel products are dairy and lactose-free and are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those making a conscious decision to change their eating habits for health, ethical or environmental reasons.
We worked together in the naming process to define the name ‘Flying Squirrel’. It is inspired by the free-spirited energy of animals such as the flying squirrel, left to roam happy and freely in nature. This ‘cheese from trees’ is made mainly from nuts, and as squirrels are known to gather nuts, this is a further connection with the name to the cheese brand.
In the packaging, the illustration created depicts a flying squirrel character soaring over the natural outdoor landscape, connecting with how the cheese is made using 100 per cent natural ingredients and is naturally kind to the planet. We worked with Farrell to create a visual brand and packaging identity which best represents this philosophy. Although one of the key aims of Flying Squirrel is to provide a solution for consumers looking for a delicious alternative to dairy cheese, all cheese lovers can enjoy it. For this reason, the ‘v’ to signify it’s vegan appeal, is highlighted in a subtle manner within the ‘y’ in the brandmark typography. A small Irish shamrock symbol is included on the front of the packaging to signify its origin for consumers who like to buy local.
There are three flavours – Original (camembert) 150g, Almond 110g and Almond & Cheese 110g. Each have been separated visually using the brand’s colour palette and featuring illustrative taste cues. Each product has it’s own unique barcode, incorporating the squirrel character and nuts. Originally, we had mocked up plastic jars for two of the flavours. However, we then moved to glass jars, to become more environmentally friendly so that the packaging can all be recycled and have a lower carbon footprint. We art-directed the photoshoot with photographer Brendan Ryan, bringing out the bright, fun and vibrant essence of the brand, with colour paper backgrounds, linking with each flavour and the ingredients each flavour contains and taste cues, displayed around the packs playfully.
The combination of the elegant and clean typography with the vibrant and natural illustrations come together to create a fresh, memorable, and essentially, unique brand that consumers can align with. The results have proved successful, with market research showing that those purchasing Flying Squirrel in supermarkets are a mix of vegan and non-vegan consumers. Demand is high since its launch and it has already been requested for select health food stores and cafes.
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain addresses a key consumer need: trust, offering blockchain-enabled software solutions to problems of real world asset authentication / proof-of-origin in export markets. In a distributed trust system this info-flow is called the value chain.
Origin Chain needed a brand identity created as they entered a more public phase of their company, where they would be business networking at events such as Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Innovation Arena’ at the National Ploughing Championships and tech summit event ‘Uprise’.
Not everyone understands areas such as blockchain, therefore they wanted the brand to be so well communicated that even a child could understand it, with the viewpoint that children are often quicker to absorb new technologies and communicate them to adults.
They have two sub-brands that sit under Origin Chain (Volunteer Passport and Verify by O.C.), and needed brandmarks for these in order for all three to work together as a family.
On reviewing Origin Chain’s needs and values, they wanted to be perceived as trustworthy, new-tech and user-friendly. Their software allows direct online transactions along a secure blockchain. These transactions are transparent and can be viewed by anyone.
A good way to envision this is to picture a value chain of a food item. E.g.; a banana you purchase with a barcode. On scanning the barcode, you can view the trail of where it has originally come from – from the farmer who picked it, to each input along the way, up until to the store delivery. It provides a sense of reassurance of knowing the root source of an item along the chain and be able to openly view it’s journey. With Volunteer Passport, it enables people in the volunteer sector to track and share their voluntary work. It enables a verification system, which allows one easy authorized and verified passport for all workplaces.
Factors considered were as follows:
Representing the links of a block chain as a strong, graphic symbol. The links also representing trust and security, a key value of Origin Chain.
The feeling of movement within the chain, emphasizing the interactive process of the blockchain technology.
Overlays of colours within the logo represent the transparency within Origin Chain’s software – the trust of anyone being able to see everything within the process.
Subtle hidden circles within the links represent eyes – the observing eye of the open visibility features of blockchain.
Closed links locked in to each-other to show solidarity of how when data is entered into a blockchain, it cannot be removed and is there forever.
Use of blue as the link colour, to further denote trust, the green tones signify the verification of the green light signaling approval.
For ‘Verify by O.C.’, the same brand style is used to create a tick of approval of the verification process.
The client was very happy with how the end result met the brief requirements, her feedback was as follows:
“I’m very pleased with how they look together. It’s been a real pleasure to work with you. As well as being a wonderful talent, you’re sort of unflappable too. The very best kind of designer in my book.”
*This work received a graphic design award in the International Design Awards with an Honorable Mention for brand identity.
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide
This is a guide to Inishbofin, a small island off the coast of Ireland. Inishbofin has a population of 180 people and relies heavily on tourism. This project explored a way of attracting more tourists to the island. The concept behind it is to create a series of landmarks around the island, which honour Inishbofin’s history and culture. As Inishbofin is an eco-friendly island, they seek to achieve sustainable tourism that does not negatively impact upon the island’s natural environment, while at the same time benefits and supports the local community. Therefore, the concept was each sculpture would be created with eco-friendly, sustainable materials such as wood, bog oak, stone and earthy materials which would be in harmony with the local landscape and for each one to be clever and creatively designed. Some of the landmarks/highlights I thought of were the famous Grace O’Malley, the Cleggan Disaster, the island’s Flora & Fauna wildlife, the Patron Saint of Bofin, Cromwell’s Barracks, the White Cow (the island’s name) and Cockles & Mussels. I explored different ways in which these sculptures would be created. The idea being that visitors can interact with the sculptures and will want to find each one, to take photographs with them and tick them off their list of cultural things to see on the island. Beside each sculpture would be a small plaque which also naturally blends in with the local environment, which tells the story behind the sculpture.
Taking visual cues from the Camino de Santiago, where there is the a subtle shell with an arrow showing the direction to walk, I designed an icon which would work in the same way for Inishbofin’s sculptures. It is a simple boat shape, where the sail is an arrow – the direction of the arrow indicates which way to walk to each attraction. These would be set subtly in stone around the island, to ensure not to impact the island’s beautiful and natural landscape.
The main piece was an A5, side-stitched booklet with a fold-out A3 map showing the location of each sculpture around the island in the centre-fold. It was riso-printed using a rigorous 7-colour process, with some lovely ‘happy accidents’ of colour offsets in the finished booklet. The cover was then debossed with the shape of the map. Each page uses modern typography and layouts. On researching the island, many people said how Inishbofin was a place that people come to get lost and find themselves in, enjoying the slower pace of life and the fresh sea air and nature. The expression ‘There’s plenty of time on the island’ is a commonly used expression. This inspired the name for this booklet, with the play of words ‘A Guide to Getting Lost’. I created an icon for each sculpture, which visitors can easily find on the map, and used some expressions throughout which represent the essence of life on Bofin.
At this stage of the project, I created a 3D wooden stylised map of the island, with laser etchings of the icons, and also created 3D-printed icons to represent each sculpture (although not aimed to be the finished sculpture design). For the numbers on the map, I tailored an old Irish Celtic font to create individual, unique numbers which still embody the Celtic feel, but with a modern twist. I then laser printed these personally-designed numbers on to wood, to have as physical items to display as part of the overall proposed exhibition display. The use of wood for the display stand added to the sustainability, eco-friendly culture with which Inishbofin is proud of.
Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese
Flying Squirrel Plant-based Cheese
Flying Squirrel are a range of delicious, plant-based cheese alternatives, new to the market. The brand packaging and identity is fun, happy and vibrant; showcasing a quality, sophisticated product.
The artisan producer, Colm Farrell, grew up in the Irish countryside where he where he first fell in love with nature and animals and gained an appreciation for the environment. He went vegan in 2014 and one food he really missed was cheese. He noticed a gap in the market for plant-based cheese that tasted good and began attending cookery schools in the UK and Germany, studying traditional, centuries old techniques of the craft such as culturing, fermentation, coagulation and ageing and developed a real passion for food and cooking. His hand-made artisan range is carefully crafted in his Dublin kitchen with love and passion, using traditional techniques. All Flying Squirrel products are dairy and lactose-free and are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those making a conscious decision to change their eating habits for health, ethical or environmental reasons.
We worked together in the naming process to define the name ‘Flying Squirrel’. It is inspired by the free-spirited energy of animals such as the flying squirrel, left to roam happy and freely in nature. This ‘cheese from trees’ is made mainly from nuts, and as squirrels are known to gather nuts, this is a further connection with the name to the cheese brand.
In the packaging, the illustration created depicts a flying squirrel character soaring over the natural outdoor landscape, connecting with how the cheese is made using 100 per cent natural ingredients and is naturally kind to the planet. We worked with Farrell to create a visual brand and packaging identity which best represents this philosophy. Although one of the key aims of Flying Squirrel is to provide a solution for consumers looking for a delicious alternative to dairy cheese, all cheese lovers can enjoy it. For this reason, the ‘v’ to signify it’s vegan appeal, is highlighted in a subtle manner within the ‘y’ in the brandmark typography. A small Irish shamrock symbol is included on the front of the packaging to signify its origin for consumers who like to buy local.
There are three flavours – Original (camembert) 150g, Almond 110g and Almond & Cheese 110g. Each have been separated visually using the brand’s colour palette and featuring illustrative taste cues. Each product has it’s own unique barcode, incorporating the squirrel character and nuts. Originally, we had mocked up plastic jars for two of the flavours. However, we then moved to glass jars, to become more environmentally friendly so that the packaging can all be recycled and have a lower carbon footprint. We art-directed the photoshoot with photographer Brendan Ryan, bringing out the bright, fun and vibrant essence of the brand, with colour paper backgrounds, linking with each flavour and the ingredients each flavour contains and taste cues, displayed around the packs playfully.
The combination of the elegant and clean typography with the vibrant and natural illustrations come together to create a fresh, memorable, and essentially, unique brand that consumers can align with. The results have proved successful, with market research showing that those purchasing Flying Squirrel in supermarkets are a mix of vegan and non-vegan consumers. Demand is high since its launch and it has already been requested for select health food stores and cafes.
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain addresses a key consumer need: trust, offering blockchain-enabled software solutions to problems of real world asset authentication / proof-of-origin in export markets. In a distributed trust system this info-flow is called the value chain.
Origin Chain needed a brand identity created as they entered a more public phase of their company, where they would be business networking at events such as Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Innovation Arena’ at the National Ploughing Championships and tech summit event ‘Uprise’.
Not everyone understands areas such as blockchain, therefore they wanted the brand to be so well communicated that even a child could understand it, with the viewpoint that children are often quicker to absorb new technologies and communicate them to adults.
They have two sub-brands that sit under Origin Chain (Volunteer Passport and Verify by O.C.), and needed brandmarks for these in order for all three to work together as a family.
On reviewing Origin Chain’s needs and values, they wanted to be perceived as trustworthy, new-tech and user-friendly. Their software allows direct online transactions along a secure blockchain. These transactions are transparent and can be viewed by anyone.
A good way to envision this is to picture a value chain of a food item. E.g.; a banana you purchase with a barcode. On scanning the barcode, you can view the trail of where it has originally come from – from the farmer who picked it, to each input along the way, up until to the store delivery. It provides a sense of reassurance of knowing the root source of an item along the chain and be able to openly view it’s journey. With Volunteer Passport, it enables people in the volunteer sector to track and share their voluntary work. It enables a verification system, which allows one easy authorized and verified passport for all workplaces.
Factors considered were as follows:
Representing the links of a block chain as a strong, graphic symbol. The links also representing trust and security, a key value of Origin Chain.
The feeling of movement within the chain, emphasizing the interactive process of the blockchain technology.
Overlays of colours within the logo represent the transparency within Origin Chain’s software – the trust of anyone being able to see everything within the process.
Subtle hidden circles within the links represent eyes – the observing eye of the open visibility features of blockchain.
Closed links locked in to each-other to show solidarity of how when data is entered into a blockchain, it cannot be removed and is there forever.
Use of blue as the link colour, to further denote trust, the green tones signify the verification of the green light signaling approval.
For ‘Verify by O.C.’, the same brand style is used to create a tick of approval of the verification process.
The client was very happy with how the end result met the brief requirements, her feedback was as follows:
“I’m very pleased with how they look together. It’s been a real pleasure to work with you. As well as being a wonderful talent, you’re sort of unflappable too. The very best kind of designer in my book.”
*This work received a graphic design award in the International Design Awards with an Honorable Mention for brand identity.
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide
This is a guide to Inishbofin, a small island off the coast of Ireland. Inishbofin has a population of 180 people and relies heavily on tourism. This project explored a way of attracting more tourists to the island. The concept behind it is to create a series of landmarks around the island, which honour Inishbofin’s history and culture. As Inishbofin is an eco-friendly island, they seek to achieve sustainable tourism that does not negatively impact upon the island’s natural environment, while at the same time benefits and supports the local community. Therefore, the concept was each sculpture would be created with eco-friendly, sustainable materials such as wood, bog oak, stone and earthy materials which would be in harmony with the local landscape and for each one to be clever and creatively designed. Some of the landmarks/highlights I thought of were the famous Grace O’Malley, the Cleggan Disaster, the island’s Flora & Fauna wildlife, the Patron Saint of Bofin, Cromwell’s Barracks, the White Cow (the island’s name) and Cockles & Mussels. I explored different ways in which these sculptures would be created. The idea being that visitors can interact with the sculptures and will want to find each one, to take photographs with them and tick them off their list of cultural things to see on the island. Beside each sculpture would be a small plaque which also naturally blends in with the local environment, which tells the story behind the sculpture.
Taking visual cues from the Camino de Santiago, where there is the a subtle shell with an arrow showing the direction to walk, I designed an icon which would work in the same way for Inishbofin’s sculptures. It is a simple boat shape, where the sail is an arrow – the direction of the arrow indicates which way to walk to each attraction. These would be set subtly in stone around the island, to ensure not to impact the island’s beautiful and natural landscape.
The main piece was an A5, side-stitched booklet with a fold-out A3 map showing the location of each sculpture around the island in the centre-fold. It was riso-printed using a rigorous 7-colour process, with some lovely ‘happy accidents’ of colour offsets in the finished booklet. The cover was then debossed with the shape of the map. Each page uses modern typography and layouts. On researching the island, many people said how Inishbofin was a place that people come to get lost and find themselves in, enjoying the slower pace of life and the fresh sea air and nature. The expression ‘There’s plenty of time on the island’ is a commonly used expression. This inspired the name for this booklet, with the play of words ‘A Guide to Getting Lost’. I created an icon for each sculpture, which visitors can easily find on the map, and used some expressions throughout which represent the essence of life on Bofin.
At this stage of the project, I created a 3D wooden stylised map of the island, with laser etchings of the icons, and also created 3D-printed icons to represent each sculpture (although not aimed to be the finished sculpture design). For the numbers on the map, I tailored an old Irish Celtic font to create individual, unique numbers which still embody the Celtic feel, but with a modern twist. I then laser printed these personally-designed numbers on to wood, to have as physical items to display as part of the overall proposed exhibition display. The use of wood for the display stand added to the sustainability, eco-friendly culture with which Inishbofin is proud of.
Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese
Flying Squirrel Plant-based Cheese
Flying Squirrel are a range of delicious, plant-based cheese alternatives, new to the market. The brand packaging and identity is fun, happy and vibrant; showcasing a quality, sophisticated product.
The artisan producer, Colm Farrell, grew up in the Irish countryside where he where he first fell in love with nature and animals and gained an appreciation for the environment. He went vegan in 2014 and one food he really missed was cheese. He noticed a gap in the market for plant-based cheese that tasted good and began attending cookery schools in the UK and Germany, studying traditional, centuries old techniques of the craft such as culturing, fermentation, coagulation and ageing and developed a real passion for food and cooking. His hand-made artisan range is carefully crafted in his Dublin kitchen with love and passion, using traditional techniques. All Flying Squirrel products are dairy and lactose-free and are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those making a conscious decision to change their eating habits for health, ethical or environmental reasons.
We worked together in the naming process to define the name ‘Flying Squirrel’. It is inspired by the free-spirited energy of animals such as the flying squirrel, left to roam happy and freely in nature. This ‘cheese from trees’ is made mainly from nuts, and as squirrels are known to gather nuts, this is a further connection with the name to the cheese brand.
In the packaging, the illustration created depicts a flying squirrel character soaring over the natural outdoor landscape, connecting with how the cheese is made using 100 per cent natural ingredients and is naturally kind to the planet. We worked with Farrell to create a visual brand and packaging identity which best represents this philosophy. Although one of the key aims of Flying Squirrel is to provide a solution for consumers looking for a delicious alternative to dairy cheese, all cheese lovers can enjoy it. For this reason, the ‘v’ to signify it’s vegan appeal, is highlighted in a subtle manner within the ‘y’ in the brandmark typography. A small Irish shamrock symbol is included on the front of the packaging to signify its origin for consumers who like to buy local.
There are three flavours – Original (camembert) 150g, Almond 110g and Almond & Cheese 110g. Each have been separated visually using the brand’s colour palette and featuring illustrative taste cues. Each product has it’s own unique barcode, incorporating the squirrel character and nuts. Originally, we had mocked up plastic jars for two of the flavours. However, we then moved to glass jars, to become more environmentally friendly so that the packaging can all be recycled and have a lower carbon footprint. We art-directed the photoshoot with photographer Brendan Ryan, bringing out the bright, fun and vibrant essence of the brand, with colour paper backgrounds, linking with each flavour and the ingredients each flavour contains and taste cues, displayed around the packs playfully.
The combination of the elegant and clean typography with the vibrant and natural illustrations come together to create a fresh, memorable, and essentially, unique brand that consumers can align with. The results have proved successful, with market research showing that those purchasing Flying Squirrel in supermarkets are a mix of vegan and non-vegan consumers. Demand is high since its launch and it has already been requested for select health food stores and cafes.
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain Brand Identity
Origin Chain addresses a key consumer need: trust, offering blockchain-enabled software solutions to problems of real world asset authentication / proof-of-origin in export markets. In a distributed trust system this info-flow is called the value chain.
Origin Chain needed a brand identity created as they entered a more public phase of their company, where they would be business networking at events such as Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Innovation Arena’ at the National Ploughing Championships and tech summit event ‘Uprise’.
Not everyone understands areas such as blockchain, therefore they wanted the brand to be so well communicated that even a child could understand it, with the viewpoint that children are often quicker to absorb new technologies and communicate them to adults.
They have two sub-brands that sit under Origin Chain (Volunteer Passport and Verify by O.C.), and needed brandmarks for these in order for all three to work together as a family.
On reviewing Origin Chain’s needs and values, they wanted to be perceived as trustworthy, new-tech and user-friendly. Their software allows direct online transactions along a secure blockchain. These transactions are transparent and can be viewed by anyone.
A good way to envision this is to picture a value chain of a food item. E.g.; a banana you purchase with a barcode. On scanning the barcode, you can view the trail of where it has originally come from – from the farmer who picked it, to each input along the way, up until to the store delivery. It provides a sense of reassurance of knowing the root source of an item along the chain and be able to openly view it’s journey. With Volunteer Passport, it enables people in the volunteer sector to track and share their voluntary work. It enables a verification system, which allows one easy authorized and verified passport for all workplaces.
Factors considered were as follows:
Representing the links of a block chain as a strong, graphic symbol. The links also representing trust and security, a key value of Origin Chain.
The feeling of movement within the chain, emphasizing the interactive process of the blockchain technology.
Overlays of colours within the logo represent the transparency within Origin Chain’s software – the trust of anyone being able to see everything within the process.
Subtle hidden circles within the links represent eyes – the observing eye of the open visibility features of blockchain.
Closed links locked in to each-other to show solidarity of how when data is entered into a blockchain, it cannot be removed and is there forever.
Use of blue as the link colour, to further denote trust, the green tones signify the verification of the green light signaling approval.
For ‘Verify by O.C.’, the same brand style is used to create a tick of approval of the verification process.
The client was very happy with how the end result met the brief requirements, her feedback was as follows:
“I’m very pleased with how they look together. It’s been a real pleasure to work with you. As well as being a wonderful talent, you’re sort of unflappable too. The very best kind of designer in my book.”
*This work received a graphic design award in the International Design Awards with an Honorable Mention for brand identity.
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide Book
Inishbofin Guide
This is a guide to Inishbofin, a small island off the coast of Ireland. Inishbofin has a population of 180 people and relies heavily on tourism. This project explored a way of attracting more tourists to the island. The concept behind it is to create a series of landmarks around the island, which honour Inishbofin’s history and culture. As Inishbofin is an eco-friendly island, they seek to achieve sustainable tourism that does not negatively impact upon the island’s natural environment, while at the same time benefits and supports the local community. Therefore, the concept was each sculpture would be created with eco-friendly, sustainable materials such as wood, bog oak, stone and earthy materials which would be in harmony with the local landscape and for each one to be clever and creatively designed. Some of the landmarks/highlights I thought of were the famous Grace O’Malley, the Cleggan Disaster, the island’s Flora & Fauna wildlife, the Patron Saint of Bofin, Cromwell’s Barracks, the White Cow (the island’s name) and Cockles & Mussels. I explored different ways in which these sculptures would be created. The idea being that visitors can interact with the sculptures and will want to find each one, to take photographs with them and tick them off their list of cultural things to see on the island. Beside each sculpture would be a small plaque which also naturally blends in with the local environment, which tells the story behind the sculpture.
Taking visual cues from the Camino de Santiago, where there is the a subtle shell with an arrow showing the direction to walk, I designed an icon which would work in the same way for Inishbofin’s sculptures. It is a simple boat shape, where the sail is an arrow – the direction of the arrow indicates which way to walk to each attraction. These would be set subtly in stone around the island, to ensure not to impact the island’s beautiful and natural landscape.
The main piece was an A5, side-stitched booklet with a fold-out A3 map showing the location of each sculpture around the island in the centre-fold. It was riso-printed using a rigorous 7-colour process, with some lovely ‘happy accidents’ of colour offsets in the finished booklet. The cover was then debossed with the shape of the map. Each page uses modern typography and layouts. On researching the island, many people said how Inishbofin was a place that people come to get lost and find themselves in, enjoying the slower pace of life and the fresh sea air and nature. The expression ‘There’s plenty of time on the island’ is a commonly used expression. This inspired the name for this booklet, with the play of words ‘A Guide to Getting Lost’. I created an icon for each sculpture, which visitors can easily find on the map, and used some expressions throughout which represent the essence of life on Bofin.
At this stage of the project, I created a 3D wooden stylised map of the island, with laser etchings of the icons, and also created 3D-printed icons to represent each sculpture (although not aimed to be the finished sculpture design). For the numbers on the map, I tailored an old Irish Celtic font to create individual, unique numbers which still embody the Celtic feel, but with a modern twist. I then laser printed these personally-designed numbers on to wood, to have as physical items to display as part of the overall proposed exhibition display. The use of wood for the display stand added to the sustainability, eco-friendly culture with which Inishbofin is proud of.