The Cotswold Pie Co approached us with one intention: to create branding that was fun. They wanted bright colours and a festival feel, with branding that stood out.
We started by designing a coherent set of patterns and a vibrant colour palette which we could then use as our base. These elements gave the brand its initial feel, which we then escalated into the logo and across both print and digital design, with more illustrations.
The logo is structured over three lines, with the letters aligned to give each edge a flush finish. The words are sized to create a simple hierarchy and emphasise the elements of the logo that the client wanted to get across – these are pies created in the Cotswolds.
The design is both busy and yet simple. We kept each letter to one bright colour, paired with black for the shadow and to incorporate elements of the pattern. Enabling the pattern to come through this way makes this logo stand out. It is easily recognisable; on its own it exudes a joyous feel, and with the illustrations and patterns, it works harmoniously, continuing this excitement through all different mediums.
The bold personality of the brand was continued into the packaging. With the bright colours and illustrations all brought together, the labels became so striking – making this pie packaging that would definitely stand out on shelf. Each flavour of pie was given a main colour and the packaging followed a general layout without, with the colours and illustrations taking representing the delicious flavours and origins within it.
Cotswold Pie Co were after a cost-effective label that would go on the box, preferably not covering the whole window. We came up with the solution of doing one long label that allowed you to see into the box, whilst simultaneously acting as a fastening to close the box more securely. This saved costs too as each box only needed one label rather than a separate one for the top and the bottom. As well as this, the label going across the side of the box, allows for these boxes to be displayed on-shelf, on top of one another in a way that means the pie can lie flat and the flavour can still be clearly seen to the consumer.
The pie boxes themselves are recyclable so it was important to us, and The Cotswold Pie Co, that we choose a label that can be fully recycled too – this is something that can cause an issue with a lot of packaging. As these are pies that you cook at home, there is also the option to buy in bulk, therefore we also chose a material that would survive the freezer – and the results were beautiful. Not only have these ticked all our happy aesthetic boxes, these tick all our eco-friendly and durable boxes too. These labels are a real representation of how great the brand and the pies inside the boxes are!
We designed the website to be straight forward, we wanted to leave the busyness to the illustrations and make the customer experience as simple as possible. All key information is in the dropdown menu laid out across the top, and all further information is in the footer. The process of ordering is simple, and both the pies and company are clearly described through words and imagery (both illustrative and photographic). The illustrations continue to be seen throughout the website, but are stripped back slightly in most places, to further keep the simplicity. Alongside the bright colours from the colour palette, the brand’s energetic feel and vibrancy is clearly portrayed without it being overpowering.
We also helped The Cotswold Pie Co with their SEO and the copywriting for this website. Through the SEO we have optimised this website to appear in searches and have recognition. We have given the brand a voice to match their look, and in the copywriting throughout the website, we have let this voice be heard and made the brand even stronger through words and a personality that is welcoming and fun to the customer.
