VTOPIAN CHEESES

BRAND & PACKAGING

Vtopian is a local purveyor of vegan artisan cheeses who recently opened a retail shop in southeast Portland. Vtopian approached me to update their brand identity and create a new labeling system for their collection of over 25 unique cheeses, cream cheeses, and flavored butters.

Britt and Ryan were looking for a bold, eye catching approach that would help them stand out on store shelves and gain more wholesale business. We also sought to emphasize the organic and natural ingredients of their cheeses, as well as highlight the beauty of the products themselves. The final identity includes gentle curves and naïve botanical illustrations that nod to the hand-drawn elements found in their previous packaging design. Their team can also use the illustration system flexibly to add interest to flyers, social media posts, and store materials.

I noted that their previous packaging had issues with legibility, so I took special care to address readability in the redesign. I selected legible and condensed typefaces, used a clear visual hierarchy, and printed multiple proofs to ensure text was adequately spaced and sized.

Photos courtesy of Vtopian.

Because I wanted the illustrations to feel very organic, I gravitated to hand-rendered techniques during my exploration. I vectorized artwork generated from cut paper, ink painting, blind contour techniques, and scanned plants and flowers. Britt and Ryan were drawn to the shapes generated by the cut paper, but felt they were too sharp and angular, so I digitally rounded the corners and added additional details to create the friendly, playful collection of shapes in the final design.