Flower Power
Year:
2023
Deliverables:
Brand Strategy
Visual Identity
Packaging Concepts
Art Direction
Industry:
Floristry
Location:
Johannesburg, South Africa
Flower Power is a conceptual florist brand built from a name and a single insight about personalised care. With minimal direction, the challenge was to define who this brand speaks to, why it matters, and how its visual identity could support a human-centred service in a competitive category.
The resulting identity system balances approachability with clarity, giving the brand a visual language that supports both emotional engagement and functional use across packaging, touchpoints, and visual expression.
The identity was developed with a clear understanding of who Flower Power serves and how that audience needs to feel seen. Because the category is crowded and often leans on florid clichés, the visual system needed to:
Communicate care without losing structure,
Express craft clearly across both packaging and brand touchpoints,
Be distinct without relying on predictable floral tropes.
To achieve this, we grounded visual decisions in functional clarity:
A palette of deep greens, clay, lavender, and soft neutrals was chosen to signal natural authenticity while maintaining contrast and legibility across materials.
Serif typography was used sparingly to provide refinement without stiffness, balancing warmth with readability.
Illustrative elements were designed to communicate the idea of nurture and growth without leaning on cliché motifs.
The primary mark blends a tulip form with a hand-shaped vase — an identity cue that reinforces personalised care while remaining recognisable and adaptable. Paper textures and subtle tactile finishes were introduced not for decoration, but to support tangible, trustworthy application across packaging and environmental materials.
01. Strategic grounding from scratch
Challenge:
Only a name and a short ethos were provided, which meant the project needed a strategic foundation before any visual work could begin.
Solution:
Because there was no client brief, the first step was to define a working audience and brand premise that could guide meaningful decisions. I articulated a clear brand position that balanced emotional resonance with functional clarity, giving every subsequent visual choice a strategic foundation rather than aesthetic whim.
02. Name vs. intended feel
Challenge:
The name “Flower Power” carries retro cultural associations that could feel out of step with a refined, contemporary floristry brand.
Solution:
I tested two visual directions — one leaning into retro expression and another towards contemporary refinement — and compared how each supported the brand’s intended audience and use cases. The final direction was chosen not because it was prettier, but because it communicated craft and care without ambiguity. It balanced nostalgia with modern clarity, helping the brand feel approachable yet credible.
03. Designing for real-world use
Challenge:
The identity needed to work across multiple formats — packaging, tags, aprons, signage, and printed collateral, without losing coherence.
Solution:
I built a visual system with clear hierarchy and flexible components so it could adapt without losing intent across formats of very different scales. Colour and typography were selected for contrast and legibility, not trend alone, ensuring clarity on small format tags and expressive cohesion on larger applications. Flower care cards and labels were crafted to deliver useful information with a reassuring tone, reinforcing both functional guidance and brand personality without overwhelming the user.
