Sweet Briar College Farm
Sweet Briar College Farms, nestled in the rolling hills of Virginia, approached our team with a unique challenge — to redesign their brand identity in a way that bridged the gap between two deeply connected but visually separate entities: their historic liberal arts college and the working farm on its grounds. The goal was to craft a unified brand that reflected both tradition and progress, resonating not just with students and faculty, but with the broader community and Sweet Briar’s powerful alumni network.
Client
Sweet Briar
Category
Art Direction
At the heart of our concept was the idea of "cultivated legacy." We aimed to preserve the heritage and academic prestige of the college while also celebrating the farm’s role in sustainability, innovation, and hands-on education. The branding needed to feel both established and fresh — capable of holding its own in an academic setting, while still being versatile enough to live on packaging, produce signage, and community outreach materials. This dual-purpose identity became our North Star throughout the creative process.
As the art director, I led the visual direction of the rebrand — from moodboarding and typography selection to logo design and application across brand touchpoints. I also stepped beyond the creative role to join strategy and feedback sessions with Sweet Briar’s marketing department and alumni representatives. These conversations helped shape the brand not just visually, but emotionally, as we uncovered shared values like resilience, stewardship, and community pride. The design system we delivered included a refreshed logo, brand guidelines, collateral templates, and a tone of voice that felt authentically Sweet Briar.
Sweet Briar’s existing branding was fragmented, with the farm and college operating under separate visual identities that often felt disconnected — to the point of confusing some stakeholders about whether the farm was even affiliated with the college. The absence of a unified brand narrative limited their ability to communicate their full impact and vision. There was also the challenge of honoring tradition without feeling outdated, and creating something new without losing their roots.
Our solution was to create a cohesive identity system that united the academic and agricultural branches of Sweet Briar under one visual and conceptual umbrella. Through careful use of typography, color, and symbolism, we introduced a brand that respected its past but felt built for the future. The final logo combined modern serif letterforms with organic elements subtly referencing the land and legacy. It now lives confidently across both farm goods and institutional materials — a visual handshake between campus and countryside.
