A freshly baked brand for our competition winner

You might remember back in September we ran a competition for a fledgling business to have a bit of help from us in the design and branding department.

Over the summer we gave our own website a bit of TLC and to celebrate its relaunch, we wanted to do something a bit different. One of the best things about being a smaller agency is we’re agile and able to give back in a personal, meaningful way. We know what a difference it can make to a new business to have a distinct look and feel they can call their own, to set themselves apart from the competition.

Speaking of competition, we made entering ours very easy. All we asked of entrants was to tell us what they’d love us to design for them and why, share a bit about their business (and themselves too, of course!), how it started and any hopes they have for the future. This helped us really think about how our designs and communications could take them to the next level.

We received some fantastic proposals, from a range of different brands in totally different fields. However, we were bowled over by Claire, AKA The Botanical Baker. With her level of craftsmanship and the fresh, unique view she brought to the cake world, we knew we’d be able to create a really special brand for her so she could attract new customers.

Claire and her beautiful creations

Although acquired under very different circumstances, Claire had the full tickety boo treatment just like any other brand we help. We always begin with a ‘deep dive’ with our clients - discovering more about their aspirations, things they like, things they’re not so keen on, elements of their current branding they might want to keep, or if they want to start completely from scratch.

A sneak peek at an early moodboard we created for Claire

While we pride ourselves on our flexible, remote ethos, it’s lovely to meet a client face to face when we can, which is why Founder, Jude, and Design Director, Pam, (who was on an extended visit from LA at the time) got together with Claire to flesh out the plan of action. Claire even sent us a few fabulous bakes to try and apart from looking amazing, they tasted out of this world. As far as perks of the job go, this one is certainly up there!

We loved the samples Claire sent us!

Brimming with inspiration and information, it was over to Pam and Jude to brief to the team. We researched the world of cakes (tough job!) but also the core customer, who formed a huge part of Claire’s existing business, and what might appeal to them.

From here, we developed three creative routes while crafting the brand principles, strapline and purpose.

We initiated the rebrand with a new logo and colour scheme. Click through for the full case study!

Once we shared our work with Claire, it’s safe to say she was over the moon:

“OMG – I am literally lost for words! You have completely understood my brand and what it is about. I LOVE the brand mission and strapline - it is PERFECT!!!  It is as if you have taken what is in my mind, that I have not been able to articulate properly and turned it into something amazing - I cannot believe the talent and work that has gone into this! This is going to mean so much to my business, to feel as if I am being taken seriously and can play with the big boys! Beyond excited to see the website!”

Of course, as with most creative work, some things from alternate routes become too good not to use. In this instance, Claire chose the majority of elements (logo, typefaces, illustration/ iconography style) from one route and the colour palette from another. We love the mix.

Next, it was time to apply all our creative thinking to The Botanical Baker website. No stone was left unturned, from the interface to the content and customer journey as we considered how best to merchandise Claire’s offering. The logo is animated to give even more dimension to the homepage, but it’s subtle enough to allow the real stars of the show to shine - the beautiful cakes.

Some mobile screens from the new website

“From my very first meeting with Tickety Boo, I was blown away by the professionalism coupled with creative flair they displayed. Considering I am a very visual and creative person, I find it really difficult to explain what I want and the vision I have in my head for the business.

The ideas and visual direction that were presented back to me, literally blew me away, not just because they were amazing, but because they were exactly what I wanted, I still have no idea how they did that from my rambling outlines and instructions - that takes true genius! For my business, I felt I lacked the confidence to approach big business as my building blocks were not right, didn’t portray the business I was or indeed want to be, that has all changed now and I feel that I can hold my brands head high and waltz into any of the big businesses I dream of targeting and hold my own! They had the ability to look at what I was doing and take it to a place that was simplified for both the B2C and B2B market and I really am so grateful for that.”

We always love to hear how our work has transformed a client’s business, so we can’t wait to see what happens next for Claire and The Botanical Baker. Try her cakes for yourself, they really are incredible!

You can take a look at the full case study here.