While working in house for DEN’s parent company - a Bay Area startup - I created the entirety of DEN’s identity from the ground up with just one (wonderful) designer working alongside me. Everything you see on this page, from the art direction of the photographs to the logo itself, has been researched, iterated, and mocked up by yours truly. In addition to being stocked in hundreds of boutique plant stores across the country, DEN was the first soil carried by Anthropologie.

We conducted initial market research in order to understand DEN’s two customer typologies: wholesalers and consumers. After many interviews we identified a market opportunity for sustainable and aesthetic plant care products for city dwellers aged 18-35. We also conducted research on strategies for bulk shipping and packaging durability throughout this project.

I created a user flow mapping the journey of four mini-personas with different goals, different relationships with DEN, and different entry points to the site. For example, Persona A is a new user who landed on a product page after clicking on an Instagram ad. Persona B is interested in buying a product. Persona C is a loyal customer who enjoys scrolling through the site’s blog in their free time. This ensures that the site supports various wayfinding behaviors and user goals, whether it be to locate a specific piece of work, browse with the intent to purchase, or to just explore and learn.

Packaging typologies were researched, prototyped, tested and iterated all to meet DEN’s plastic-free commitment. the resulting products are either 100% recyclable (paper) or 100% biodegradable.

Branding development for DEN began with a series of interviews conducted with plant lovers, soil experts and plant boutique owners. One of the insights gleaned in this process was that customers are often city dwellers, young, and live in very small spaces. By designing a clean packaging graphic strategy customers in major cities (and with limited storage) can keep their plant products out and in view as part of their decor.

The brand identity for DEN is built on fundamental outline of the beauty industry. The color palette is rich but neutral, the packaging clean but bold, and the copy speaks to consumers like the educated adults they are, with a self aware edge.

When you close your eyes and imagine indoor plants, soil and fertilizers aren’t usually what you see. We set the stage for DEN’s brand identity by launching a campaign educating plant lovers on the efficacy and impact of the mini plant biomes that populate their homes. Often miscommunicated, the soil - not the plant - is what actually filters the air in your space, and one of the most common ingredients in commercial potting soil is peat moss, which is a more substantial carbon sink for our planet than trees, until we harvest it …for our mini monsteras.

The creative direction strategy was built to reinforce the brand identity. Imagery was selected to highlight the beauty of the all natural ingredients that comprise the product, and art direction for packaging shoots was focused on immersing the exterior in these materials.