Identity System
When I began the creative process, I knew I wanted my brand to portray boldness and empowerment, since a main contributor to the underrepresentation of women in the outdoors is a lack of confidence. A name that was bold and badass was needed to match the message my brand was trying to say. Thus, Hellcat Outfitters was chosen. The term hellcat means “a spiteful woman,” which is appropriate for a brand aiming to tear down the patriarchy and reclaim the outdoors.
When considering the target audience, the logo needed to be more modern in order to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z. Therefore, a bold, sans-serif typeface was implemented. For the secondary type, a bold script typeface was chosen in order to bring a sense of femininity to the logo.
Hellcat Outfitters uses three colors in its branding. The first being red, which is the most evocative color on the spectrum. Red elicits feelings of energy, strength, power, determination, passion, and desire. The second color, pink, represents femininity and elicits feelings of optimism, gentleness, and vulnerability. And lastly, brown represents nature and is associated with the traits of dependability, safety, and resilience. All of these colors work together to communicate the idea of strength and empowerment as well as the softness and femininity of women in the outdoors.
Packaging
Hellcat Outfitters sends an array of merchandise in welcome boxes. These welcome boxes are sent out once the individual signs up for a trip. They serve to promote the brand and to prepare the individual for the trip they signed up for. Upon research, I found that Millennials and Gen Z prefer packaging with bold colors and minimalistic designs, which have been implemented throughout the different forms of packaging. All of the packaging and boxes themselves include some sort of message on it (ex: “Give ‘Em Hell”) that ties in with the brand but also takes the bold, badass idea of the brand into consideration. These messages also serve a purpose as to excite and empower the individual when opening the box.
Survival Guides
The purpose of the survival guides is to provide the needed information for women who do not know where to start or what to do when they are alone. These guides, however, are universal as they can be used by beginners, but also by seasoned outdoorswomen who just need reminders. The guides are important because one of the reasons women are underrepresented in the outdoors is a lack of knowledge and lack of confidence, and they serve as a direct solution for this. The brand elements are carried out through the guides with the colors, imagery, and textures, as well as quotes to reinforce the idea of an empowering brand. The guides also allow for the individuals to make their own notes of things they have learned or have found helpful.
Advertising
For my advertising, I chose to do social media ads, specifically Instagram ads, as market research has consistently found Instagram to have the highest level of brand engagement compared with all other social platforms. Also when doing research, I found that many outdoor advertisements portray women as inactive participants and imply a need of escape from responsibility and to-do lists, and this is a growing issue. This is why I chose imagery of women actively participating in outdoor activities and images that illustrate victory and adventure.
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