THE APPROACH

This wasn’t just a different environment for us, it was another planet. (We’re all about food and drink – it’s what gets us excited). But, scratch beneath the surface and it’s more than just what’s on the plate. It’s the people, passion, culture and community. All of which are key pillars of St.Terre, a kick-ass new high-end hiking brand that is going places. When they approached us and shared their vision, we knew we had the right connection to create something we’re both proud of. The product? Think functional high-quality hiking clothing, meets high-end fashion with a deep-rooted sense of connection to the earth and wider community. We were determined to do the brand justice and hatch an identity that had wings.

BUILT ON LEGEND

Bird migration was discovered in the 1800s with the phenomena of Pfeilstorch – which translates as arrow stork – whereby birds in Europe were seen with arrows in their necks, sustained while flying over Africa. Pretty cool stuff (and, no, we didn’t know that either before researching.) We took inspiration from the resilience of these birds to develop the brand message. It’s all about digging deep, not giving up in the face of adversity and striving to reach your goals – the perfect ethos for a hiking brand, we thought. Just as these equally gruesome and awesome birds expanded the horizons and understanding of life in the 1800s, we used them as inspiration to raise the horizons in the 21^st with our brand vision. St.Terre will educate, inform and enrichen the understanding of those who wear it and engage in the community. The idea had wings, but we needed to execute it.

THE OUTPUT

We wanted the output to have a real salt of the earth look and feel, that had depth, quality and hidden messages. We constructed the logo around the Arrow Stalks. The whole feel and vibe was intended to look like old medieval etching stories that are passed down through generations. The design of the branding has an arrow pointing North West (to represent the NW England, where the company is based) but when you rotate the logo 45 degrees clockwise it evolves into a mountain and flag.

After overseeing the design, we were asked to develop a creative video that encapsulates the brand essence and reason for being – from high peak to high street. This activity then naturally migrated into a whole new world for us, as we were asked to support with illustration, brand visions, videography and photography for fashion shoots; we are even attempting our largest crowdfunding campaign to date with them for a casual £1m – watch this space! A million miles away from what we do usually, but couldn’t be closer to what we love doing now. A 360 brand design, that led to a love for an adjacent industry. Mint!

THE RESULTS

• A brand that will stand the test of time
• Colour palette inspired by the Pfeilstoch; Slate / Feather / Gold Spear / Orange Beak
• Working on revolutionary packaging for the clothing to be delivered in, so that the experience end-to-end is totally on brand (check out the images below)
• This is the very start of this journey, watch this space

BEHIND THE SCENES

What a project to be involved in. From visualising the initial branding to holding it in our hands on the heavyweight jackets – this really is why we are in this game, it’s always so rewarding to see our creative in the flesh.

From the branding (led by our head of design Oli) to illustration (from the hand of Natural Selections newest member, Harry) all the photography (by the super talented Adam) and video production (by the head video honcho George) – there wasn’t a member of the Natural Selection team that didn’t get touch this campaign. We are super buzzing for future creative collaboration with St.Terre team.