Organic
Authentic
Mediterranean
Art Direction, Identity & Branding, Packaging Design, Illustration, Copywriting
Rebranding, packaging, & identity for Smyrna Farms, a brand that provides locally-grown products like olives, olive oil, wine, soap, honey, and more. Reverent of Smyrna, Turkey's history and heritage, Smyrna Farms provides quality products made with quality ingredients.
Smyrna Farms is passionate about authentic Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine, as well as preserving the legacy of ancient Smyrna-- now called İzmir, one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean. Visited by many Roman emperors, it was a celebrated city rich in culture, literature, wealth, and tradition.
Logo
The primary logo depicts olive branches, which are the products that Smyrna Farms is best known for: their olive oil and olives. Incorporating the olive branch into Smyrna Farms' logo not only reflects the brand's commitment to producing high-quality olives, but also serves as a reminder of the roots in the rich history of olive farming— a tradition passed down through generations. The secondary/product mark, lettermark, wordmark, and pictorial mark all stem from elements in the primary logo.
Brand Style
When redesigning this brand, my goal when concepting was to pair tradition and modernity. Smyrna Farms respects İzmir's legacy, as well as the long line of ancestry within it, but remains relevant among its newer and more modern competitors without compromising its history. I utilized the sophisticated, yet rough-around-the-edges typefaces LTC Nicholas Cochin Pro, Texas Hero, and Brother 1816 Printed to create this marriage of past and present.
The brand colors are inspired by the farmland, vineyards, and agriculture in Turkey. Balanced, warm, and welcoming, the palette is reminiscent of the earth and the harvest that is brought straight to your kitchen table. Rooted in legacy, yet refreshingly contemporary.
Brand Copy
The tone of the brand aims to be professional and sincere— this is a brand that you should be able to trust, as they've had over 200 years to perfect and cultivate their products. In addition, conveying the authenticity of this small business' products, farming practices, and desire for genuine connection with their customers is of the utmost importance. Smyrna Farms establishes itself as a trustworthy source for organic products that you can easily cook with, while continuing to educate its consumers about the rich history of Smyrna.
Packaging
In continuation with the theme of combining tradition/artisinal with modernity, I utilized rustic and scrawled illustrations to pair with the neat, clean layout of the typography on the packaging. Throughout this process, I had a lot of fun not only designing and illustrating each package, but also doing research to make sure I could create and design an accurate product. The main script is what the product is, but in Turkish! In this way, I was able to learn a little Turkish in the process!
Smyrna Farms is renowned for its olive oil and olives, which are their bestsellers. They sell memeli olives and two different types of olive oil, labeled BIR and IKI (ONE and TWO in Turkish) to communicate that they can be purchased as a duo, and have subtly different notes/flavors that could be used for various dishes. In this way, the greens are inverted depending on which olive oil you get, to represent the individual product yet subtle tasting differences.
Though olive oil and olives are Smyrna Farms' primary products, the brand also has authentic olive oil soap, chestnut and pine honey, black tea leaves, and two different kinds of rare wines for sale— all grown, harvested, and made in İzmir, Turkey.
Notably, the Foça and Urla Karası wines are made from two types of grapes that were nearly extinct for a while, and championed only by a couple wineries in Turkey. These, as well as the olive oils, can be purchased as a pair or separately.
For any business, merchandise is important to spread brand awareness. Because Smyrna Farms' products are primarily used in the kitchen and in cooking, a select number of branded kitchenware is available: aprons, cutting boards, napkin holders, and utensil bags.
Social Media
Everyone knows social media is one of the most important marketing tools for a business to get its name out there. Utilizing the brand aesthetic and posting not only the products but lifestyle photography, testimonials, giveaways, recipes, informational graphics, and more is a way that Smyrna Farms is able to branch out and connect with their audience, both locally and internationally. Social media gives the brand opportunities to expand on their mission: to sell natural and delicious farm products, but also to educate the public on Turkish culture and İzmir's heritage.
Thank you!
This passion project means the whole world to me, and I've worked so hard on it. Thank you so much for taking the time to look through it, and I hope you enjoyed seeing what I've created as much as I've loved designing it!
