Introduction
Inspiring and purpose-led, Fresh City Farms is an award-winning urban farm and omnichannel retailer, founded by Ran Goel in 2011, with a clear mission: creating a better life through food. Since then, Fresh City has grown strong, bringing to the team three other brands with parallel values to its portfolio: Healthy Butcher, Mabel’s, and recently Mama Earth Organics, becoming the largest organic retailer in Ontario.
Role
With each of Fresh City’s brands carrying its own story and uniqueness, my role was to design the visual assets, campaigns and materials for each of the brands.
By my side on the Design team, I had three other talented creatives: Micah Norona (Jr. Designer), Michael MacVicar (Creative Director) and Mark Lyall (Sr. Designer).
Together we delivered +65 projects and made Fresh City as fresh as it could be for the 2022 Summer, and my I work spanned Print, Digital, Social Media, Iconography, Label and Packaging.
ICON DESIGN PROJECT
In my initial assignment with Fresh City Farms, I was tasked with creating personalized, branded icons for each member of our design team. This project served a dual purpose: to allow the marketing team to easily identify who was handling each project, and to strengthen the connection between the creatives and the brands they were designing for.
This initiative was particularly impactful following Fresh City's recent merger with Mama Earth, as it fostered a renewed sense of belonging within the company. The task culminated in the development of four unique icons, each reflecting the individuality of the design team members while synergizing with the overarching brand ethos.
Mama Victor
Fresh Michael
Healthy Mark
Mabel's Micah
thematic project management workspace
branded design team Profile icon
SEEDLING LABELS DESIGN
For the second project, I embarked on creating versatile seedling labels for Fresh City Farms' budding plants, set to be retailed at physical locations and online via Mama Earth Organics. The challenge here was to design a label template that was not only appealing and consistent with our brand identity but also highly adaptable to accommodate +10 different types of seedlings, some with enormous names.
COLLECTION OF Seedling labels - MEO WEBSITE
Bell Pepper Seedling Label
Genovese Basil Seedling Label
SHOPPING EXPERIENCE ASSETS
Working closely with the Senior Designer, I played a key role in designing a diverse range of assets to elevate the shopping experience across all Fresh City brands. This extensive project spanned various elements, from crafting special occasion tent cards and store hour signages to developing shopper alert notifications.
An integral part of our collaborative effort also included designing the weekly newsletters for Mama Earth Organics' subscribers. This involved extending the brand's touchpoints and consistently reinforcing its presence throughout the customer's journey. Each asset was thoughtfully designed to align with the individual brand aesthetic while embodying the overall ethos of Fresh City Farms, thereby fostering a unified and engaging retail experience.
MEO Weekly Subscriber Newsletter
Alert Tent Card - Store Closed
Grilling Season - Tent Card
Store Hours Signage
ACQUIRING NEW SHOPPERS
In collaboration with Michael Ly, the Digital Marketing and Growth Manager, I was primarily responsible for designing a strategic digital campaign targeted at gaining new shoppers for Mama Earth Organics. This campaign launched on Instagram and Facebook, offered a compelling incentive – a 25% discount on the first three orders.
We brought this promotion to life through an animated ad, using a captivating hero image as the opening and type in motion to introduce the call to action after the headline.
The campaign tapped into Mama Earth Organics' significant Instagram following of 26k, effectively extending its reach to potential customers. The final designs were reviewed and approved by Mark Lyall and Sabrina Santer, ensuring the highest quality and effectiveness of the campaign.
Customer acquisition Summer campaign for Facebook and Instagram
MANAGING INVENTORY
My role also extended to a project focused on inventory management for Fresh City Farms. Collaborating with Michael Ly, we developed a flash sale campaign for products nearing their expiration date. I designed the campaign visuals, creating an engaging hero image followed by product shots featuring their discounted prices. This strategic campaign was disseminated to Fresh City Farms' substantial Instagram base of 22k followers
Carousel template for flash discounts.
WINDOW CLINGS DESIGN
Simultaneously, I was tasked with designing window clings for the Fresh City Farms store, taking the project from concept development through to mid-execution. These clings served a dual-purpose: they acted as a vibrant marketing asset, drawing attention and encouraging customers to enter the store or visit online, and they also helped maintain product quality by blocking sunlight from reaching certain products. Mark resumed control during the final stage, leveraging his precise knowledge of the store's window measurements and his direct contact with the printing partner to ensure the final designs were perfectly executed and ready for deployment.
Window Clings - For Fresh City Farms at The Livmore.
PACKAGING DESIGN
In collaboration with Mark Lyall, I was given a significant role in the packaging design project for Fresh City Farms' salads and jars. My responsibilities included typographical adjustments, design execution, and carrying out pre-flight checks before sending the designs for printing. Working within the brand's ethos, I ensured each packaging design stood out on store shelves. To capture the appeal of these items, I shot two enticing photos of the packaged salads and jars just before they were devoured.
packaging - salads and jars
TEAM APPRECIATION and harvest
As I look back at my time at Fresh City Farms, I feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented group of individuals.
My key takeaway from this experience is that design truly is a team sport. In the business of branding, we are essentially in the business of people, and that, I believe, is the most fulfilling place to be.
I can't help but look forward to the chance to collaborate with such incredible people again in the future. The memories and lessons I gained from this chapter of my journey are something I will always cherish.
