Year
2023 – 2024
Client
University of Southern California (In-house)
ROLE
Senior Graphic Designer, Art Director
Scope of work
Illustration, Art direction, Brand design, Interior design, Social media & Advertising, UX/UI design
Background
About
Conveniently situated near USC's central Hahn Plaza, Seeds Marketplace's easily accessible location makes it an easy choice for university students and staff looking for a generous selection of snacks, meals, and beverages. Seeds differentiates itself through its outstanding selection of freshly-made offerings, ranging from its hearty breakfast sandwiches and organic poke bowls, to comfort foods like crispy chicken wings and delectable pastries.
Project
Seeds Marketplace underwent a refresh of its menus at the start of the 2023 fall semester to incorporate more organic and vegan alternatives for its customers. Auxiliary Services' design team was then tasked to conceptualize and renew Seeds Marketplaces' branding, interior, and signage to better reflect their eventual pivot into health-conscious alternatives.
From Grounded Beginnings
The dark palette of Seeds' previous interior was intended to reflect its connection to natural ingredients: Deep shades of mahogany and cherrywood found on the interior flooring and wood panelings were contrasted by light, marble countertops at each checkout section. Black chalkboards were found lining each wall to display featured items and weekly menus. And although the beige-coated walls and ceiling helped to further cement this homely look, the liberal use of earthy tones on most surfaces and fixtures resulted in an overall dull-looking interior, unfit for the fresh and healthy solutions Seeds was planning to offer.
Branding
A Fresh new Look
A modern, sensible approach in providing sustainable and healthy meals necessitated that Seeds' updated branding properly reflects its mission. We took advantage of the clean lines found in the sans-serif typeface Trade Gothic Next LT Pro and softened the corners of its uppercase letters to give it a friendlier demeanor. Familiarizing oneself in Seeds' new selection of meals should be an easy and straightforward task.
Typography
While a singular weight from one typeface is enough to establish a brand, it may not have the flexibility required to account for all possible applications. As such, several secondary and tertiary weights and typefaces were employed to develop a branding system robust enough for used in almost all media, with each typeface carefully considered to provide enough contrast and improved legibility at all levels.
Color
Seeds' transition into a lighter and more vibrant palette retains its connection to nature through the use of two vibrant shades of green (Seeds Green, Forest Green), with Seedling White being added to provide a much needed contrast to its saturated counterparts. Four additional colors (Mint Leaf, Cake Sprinkle, Chicken Crisp, Runny Yolk) were later introduced to represent items found in Seeds' other menus.
Mood boards & Ideation
Seeds's photography collection aims to highlight the colorful foods and high-quality ingredients offered by the brand. Prior to our collaboration with a food photographer, the Auxiliary Services design team embarked on their own competitor research, mood board creation, and composition sketches. Being able to show our inspirations and describe our priorities in detail allowed for quick set turnovers during the three-day photoshoot session.
Photography
The imagery used across Seeds' branding campaigns were aimed to communicate two major tenets: (1) to show the possibilities of a healthy lifestyle through high-quality, yet affordable, ingredients and (2) that experiences created while sharing meals can foster a sense of community and growth.
Interior Design
Murals
One of the major challenges encountered by the design team was finding a way to incorporate and highlight the ingredients used in Seeds' menus. Hand-drawn murals, posters, and hanging signs were among some of the proposed solutions, but a more pragmatic approach came through the use of vinyl artwork decorating the upper sections of the walls. In addition, the large range of sturdy, cost-effective materials, paired with its quick turnaround time, made vinyl a beneficial solution as we raced against encroaching deadlines and an increasingly constrained budget.
Menus & Signage
As Seeds' menus were often in constant revision, we shifted towards a lightweight cardboard material to keep printing costs low and ensure a seamless replacement procedure. Each menu was affixed to large metal boards using three small round tacks on either side. These boards, in turn, were attached to durable metal rods connected to the surrounding walls or surfaces.
Additional signage was also needed to distinguish the various food sections found within Seeds Marketplace; hanging signs were also required to designate certain areas for mobile pickup. The lightweight nature of these smaller signs allowed us to use thin cables instead of the thicker metal rods necessary for the menus.
Accessories
Pins
Small Seeds-themed accessories can be used to introduce unique flairs to employee aprons and uniforms. Several pins were made in the shape of the official logo and secondary marks, with their color profiles taken from Seeds' brand palette. A variety of colorful fruit and vegetable pins were added to complete this collection of pin accessories.
Marketing & Advertisements
Walkway Signage
Exterior signage positioned along Child's Way, the main route running across the USC campus, helps advertise Seeds's fall semester opening. Photography covers a large portion of the signage's surface area to help entice potential customers.
Posters & Flyers
Supplemental posters and handouts can also be distributed throughout the university to expand the total advertisement perimeter. Variations inspired by the exterior signage provides a convenient way of creating alternative layouts, while utilizing the same call to action.
Digital Outreach
Taking advantage of social media allows Seeds to deliver campaigns and advertisement outreach to a broader audience. Creating an account dedicated to the brand allows Seeds to communicate with interested parties through posts and stories; online users can also use these social media accounts to view current promotions, ongoing events, and other pertinent information.
Online Orders
Mobile Pickups
The Mobile Order app is the primary way university staff and students can purchase meals at their favorite restaurants without participating in long queues. Discovering new ways to advertise the Mobile Order app brings benefits to both the customers and the university: while students and staff receive a better customer experience through reduced wait times and digital coupons, the university can expect increases in profits through larger amounts of online orders.
Furthermore, the Auxiliary Services design team applied Seeds' updated graphics and imagery to reflect the brand's renewed mission to providing the fresh, high-quality meals throughout the school year. In addition, an updated user experience and mobile app interface were proposed to expedite the online ordering process, eliminating redundancies in payment options, highlighting available promotions and discounts, and reducing the steps needed to purchase meals.
Final Thoughts
For the Future
Although the start of 2024 brought about the conclusion of an extensive and exciting rebrand of one of USC's most popular destinations, Seeds will remain steadfast in its mission to provide fresh and modern takes to the healthy lifestyle.
Lessons learned
Being involved through the Seeds campaign has given me a broader understanding of the connections between all invested parties, from senior leaders, department personnel, to third-party vendors. As a designer, I've learned to anticipate the varying timelines set by each party, and how to manage our workflows to reach certain milestones together. In addition, contributing to a rebrand that spanned across many print and digital platforms helped me practice using existing brand assets to create additional collateral, ultimately learning new ways to reduce inefficiencies in my workflow. The knowledge I've acquired throughout this campaign will help strengthen the foundations of my design process in the years to come.
