GOODLAND has grown. Founders Craig and Kendra started with a vision for creating a design studio and brand that brought design, quality, and the human experience to outdoor living products. Beginning first with the Wood Burning Hot Tub, GOODLAND has expanded into what’s now a wide collection of outdoor tools and objects. Over these years, the ethos has always stayed the same: helping people find a sense of pause and connection with nature.
As GOODLAND has evolved, we wanted to create a more expanded and expressive visual identity that represented our inspiration from nature, our experiences, and the world around us. We decided to work with the talented team at design agency Nature to update our visual brand and create something that felt aligned with where we are today, while opening the door for everything that comes next.
Instead of a simple update to our colour palette or changing fonts, Ellen and Michelle of Nature worked closely alongside GOODLAND’s founders Craig and Kendra to create an expanded visual identity inspired by nature, research, and our ethos of helping people find pause and a slower way of living.
There were so many fascinating insights in the process that we wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look.
The Creative Process
“We were so flattered when they reached out because we were already fans,” says Ellen from design agency Nature. “Since GOODLAND has so much recognition and is so known, it was more about expanding the ecosystem, rather than burning it down and starting from scratch.”
The process began with brainstorming, and diving into every part of GOODLAND. The team took it in a range of directions to show the full possibilities, to help find the ones that felt genuine and right. Then, it was a process of creative ideation and iteration to come up with a visual look that felt cohesive, authentic, and effortlessly GOODLAND.
“It’s already such a trusted and loved brand, that we wanted to keep the logo and parts of the typography, and make some adjustments and inject some artistry with hand-drawn and other thoughtful elements,” explains Michelle.
The Inspiration
Universal
“The moon symbol rose to the top during our brainstorming process. As we think about how everyone around the world is experiencing GOODLAND and what connects us all, we all look up at the same moon,” explains Michelle.
We have a community around the world at GOODLAND, of people who value slow living and connecting with nature, from our corner of North America to Australia to Europe and beyond. The sense of something connecting everyone around the world was a strong draw, making the moon symbol the right fit.
Nature
Our goal at GOODLAND is to encourage more time spent outdoors and engaging with the world around us. We’re all about small, everyday moments: watching a bird fly by, noticing how a plant has grown, getting dirt under our fingernails. It’s about connecting us with the world, not our phones. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that nature was a main inspiration in our branding.
The new visual look includes little illustrations all hand-drawn by the team at Nature, creating playful symbols that could be sprinkled throughout the brand. “We pulled inspiration from found nature photos, the idea of ritual, and vintage infographics.” says Ellen.
Canadian Roots
As much as having a macro view matters, we’re also a Canadian brand, and wanted to infuse a sense of place into the design. Ellen and Michelle worked closely with Craig and Kendra, who live in Canada’s Pacific Northwest, to understand the details that felt fundamentally Canadian.
Take our new set of imagery, intended to be sprinkled throughout. Instead of a generic little tree, a specific Canadian tree was chosen, alongside a field mouse, and other little details that were felt fundamental to Canada. “We worked closely with Craig and Kendra on that. It was really fun to chat with them, and have them say, this tree feels more Canadian,” explains Michelle.
The Result
We’re happy to unveil our new website, now more expressive with our updated look. The result pays homage to the beauty of paying attention to the little things in life through thoughtful details, while also highlighting both our ethos of modern design and connecting to nature.
The new branding shows up in the experience online of GOODLAND, but also in the real world. Look for small doodads and other signs of our new look on upcoming launches, like the lettering and moon image that you’ll spot on our newest batch of Wall-Mounted Hose Hangers.
You’ll also find it on our new packaging. While packaging may seem like a small detail, but we wanted to create an experience that extends into receiving your GOODLAND goods and unboxing. “There’s so much care throughout GOODLAND, from the materiality to the people designing these things, so we wanted to make every touchpoint feel like a continuation of the experience,” says Ellen.
