Roots & Shoots
Beginning as a bootstrap landscaping company operating out of the owner’s Subaru Outback, Roots & Shoots Nursery is a flourishing staple of it’s community – a haven for native plans, fresh Southern produce, and a culture of inclusive support. The nursery, located in the heart of Charleston, operates under a simple mission: to make sustainable gardening accessible for all and free from any barriers of knowledge. The team wanted to develop a system that was just as approachable and playful as they are, with colors & critters that draw you in with their charm.
ROLES
Branding
Logo Design
Illustration
Asset Library
Design Process
Inspired by the passion of the Roots & Shoots team, we got to work crafting a mark that exudes warmth and a love for the flora and fauna that make the region special. Knowing how deeply personal this brand is to those who love it, we prioritised variety in this process – supplying a breadth of styles and wildlife motifs to make sure we consider all possible solutions.
After a lot of exploration, we landed on a depiction of The Carolina Wren, an homage to their original mark with a modern twist that pairs well with the style of the expanded system. The playful sincerity of the mark is a great primer for the space itself, full of passionate folks ready to take you under their wing!
Icon Library
Next, using the Wren logo and vibrant color palette as a guiding light, we developed a system of local flora and fauna icons that speak to the significance of biodiversity and a native-first approach to gardening. Created with use cases in mind, these icons are scalable and pairable – with variants depicting three levels of complexity for each icon for ultimate flexibility.
This variable system comfortably flexes to a broad number of deliverables, from complex merch designs to stripped down patterns. Like the Roots & Shoots team, these icons are adaptable and able to meet any challenge with a sense of play.
In application, this system of logos and icons is unified with graphic color pairings, a modern type system, and playful copy. The undercurrent of delight is present throughout the brand, rooted by a strong mission that speaks boldly.
One of the values that make Roots & Shoots such a staple in Charleston is their commitment to education and community engagement. From free events teaching the public about pollinator-safe gardens to pairing with local foragers and educators, the team’s intentional engagement with their neighbors is ever-present. Our work with them is a continuation of that promise, deeply considering the “what” and “why” to create a system that can support this mission.
Miscellany
As this brand came to life, we began to discover new ways to infuse play and engagement into the world of Roots & Shoots. Infinite possibilities for animation, cheeky bumper stickers, and patterned printed materials make this still deeply meaningful system all the more multifaceted. Roots & Shoots is expansive and ever-evolving, finding new facets for their vision to come to life each day, and now they have a system that can evolve along with them – one bird, flower, and bumblebee at a time.
