Huckberry
A new brand identity sparks growth
Huckberry
A new brand identity sparks growth
Challenge
Huckberry’s original logo had gone untouched since the company was founded — outliving its original intent. The men’s retailer wanted to modernize their identity and create comprehensive guidelines to bring continuity to their aesthetic and voice — setting up the next chapter of the brand.
Guiding mantra and vintage inspiration
Adventure, in any form, begins and ends in the serene moments of twilight known as the Blue Hour. This became the driving mantra behind the new identity and brand voice. Visually, the inspiration came from outdoor ephemera of the 1950s through the 1970s—classic and familiar, yet without the forced nostalgia of faux-heritage.
The Blue Hour
Typography and iconography references
Typography and iconography references
See you out there
The decision to refresh Huckberry’s original tree icon rather than a totally new approach was strategic — leveraging the equity built over the brand’s first decade in business.
The new tree icon is sturdy — one set of branches for each of the brand's founders, who built the company without outside investment, and a small shadow detail to telegraph movement and life outside. The bottom of the tree trunk uses a small curved serif, borrowed from the wordmark, which built from bits and pieces of several classic typefaces.
Extensive brand guidelines
Storytelling is the core of Huckberry’s business, and the brand guidelines document is in service of building Huckberry’s world. Franklin Gothic Condensed became the brand’s primary typeface due to its editorial history and legibility — its subtle irregularities make it complementary to the new hand-drawn wordmark. Each swatch in the color palette connects to outdoor culture, and e-commerce photography conveys authenticity.
20% Growth
The new Huckberry mark has come to life in every facet of the brand, from digital to print — as well as physical, with the brand’s first popup in New York City.
A revamped e-commerce experience and Huckberry’s own line of branded soft goods have followed the refresh, boosting sales by 20% company-wide.
Working with Strange Practice on the Huckberry rebrand was a dream. In addition to being wildly creative, Jordan has no ego, is a great listener and highly strategic, and works his ass off... Strange Practice has become my go-to creative agency.”
Andy Forch
Co-founder, Huckberry
E-commerce experience by Bondfire, Inc.
Photography by Jeff Masamori for Huckberry