Fae Forest Fungi
ServicesBrand Identity, Web Design & Development
PlatformSquarespace 7.1
Note: The client has continued to build on the foundation I created, so the live site may look different from the original design.
About the ProjectFae Forest Fungi (now Mighty Spore) is a family-run mushroom farm in Aurora, IL selling tinctures and other shelf-stable products online, as well as fresh mushrooms at local farmer’s markets. They had tried to create their own website but it wasn’t close to capturing the whimsical and fun personality they wanted for their brand. I worked with them to create a comprehensive brand identity, product labels, and custom designed website.
My ApproachAfter working through a brand exploration exercise with the client, the vision I had for the brand was whimsical, colorful, natural and organic. I made the decision to have no straight lines anywhere, because nowhere in nature are there perfectly straight lines. I created custom svgs of blob shapes to use as the section dividers for the website, and masked images into custom blob shapes as well.
The client already had a logo that was illustrated by another designer, and they loved the idea of incorporating more illustrative elements into their brand, so I sourced a mushroom illustration pack from Creative Marketplace and also used photos of their own mushrooms with the backgrounds removed to decorate the website.
To create the color palette, I pulled colors from photos of their beautifully vibrant mushrooms. For typography, I looked for fonts that felt like a farmer’s market – friendly and handmade, like a hand-painted sign at a market stall.
There were several custom-coded features added to this website to make it feel unique. I combined many different plugins, altering and adding to the code in some cases to achieve the look I was going for. One example is with the hamburger main menu complete with toggle headers – a feature that is not available out of the box in Squarespace.
The ResultIn the end I delivered a brand identity that surpassed their expectations, as well as a whole slew of graphics and Canva templates that could be used for future brand collateral. I also created product labels for the few product types they had available at the time, which they were able to then reuse for future product releases.
The website is fun and whimsical while still feeling professional, giving this small family farm the presence of an established, trustworthy business. Aside from the typical home, about, shop and contact pages that introduce visitors to the brand and communicate their core values and what they have to offer, the website also features a mushroom guide that provides some educational information about some of their mushrooms.
Client FeedbackI truly appreciate all the hard work and creativity you put into this project. You made the process so easy and enjoyable, and the final result exceeded my expectations. I’m so grateful to have worked with you and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again in the future!
– Matthew, Fae Forest Fungi