For Willow Biosciences, science is everything. It's the essence of their business. It also needed to become the core of their brand. We helped them reimagine the way their branding conveys their story, persona, values, and mission. And we did it in a modern way. Not in a static PDF, but through a dynamic, digitally appropriate guide. Including, a digital brand book and style guide, an easy to use website, in-depth customer research and insight, and more. We created a differentiated, authentic brand identity in an entirely modern, digital-first way.
DNA is at the heart of Willow, and it was from this idea that Willow's new identity was born. We translated the double helix to represent Willow's new look—a forward-thinking biosynthesis company making a huge impact on the products we use. From there, we transformed their DNA into their actual product—new molecules. And these molecules apply throughout Willow's new identity.
The new logo we designed is based on the double helix, simplified to embody the quest for openness and possibility, as well as Willow's bold, innovative spirit. We used a predominantly black and white color palette, but allow color to be reintroduced through illustration and photography. In that way, bright, active photography of nature, science, people, and products fills the focused, dark space—invention and innovation arising from what had once been the unknown. Crisp, geometric illustrations and iconography pervade our aesthetic, and using an altered version of Reader by the renowned type foundry Colophon, we developed a completely customized typeface.
We likewise developed voice and tone principles that caught the spirit and ambition of Willow. The building blocks of a message not lost in scientific detail, but rather realized as wonder, potential, and high-minded ambition: bringing forth "the next generation of nature." The branding comes to life in an online brand book and style guide; a website design and plan; customer research and insights; and social strategy, measurement strategy and search strategy. Each execution represents complex science in a simple manner, while maintaining scientific credibility.