Happy Valley | Brianna Beck 1

HAPPY VALLEY GRAPHIC DESIGN PROJECT

CASE STUDY

DURATION

12 Weeks

PROBLEM

Happy Valley, a locally grown organic produce farm in Northern California, is committed to providing their community with fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables while promoting sustainability and a healthy lifestyle. As they seek to expand their services throughout California, the new branding of Happy Valley is crucial in their overall goals along with the new services that comes along with it.

MY ROLE

As the designer, my main roles during this project included being responsible for delivering cohesive, adaptable, and impactful designs to better the development of Happy Valley as a company overall. During the project I had the roles of:

Crafting a memorable and effective logo
Maintaining a consistent visual identity
Developing an application
Creating a user-centric UI/UX design
Designing social media marketing material

SOLUTION

This project showcases a completed and comprehensive design for Happy Valley, a local organic produce farm in Northern California. My work included crafting a memorable logo, developing a style guide and brand elements, and designing a user-centric delivery application. The achieved goals emphasized maintaining a consistent visual identity and creating an engaging and user friendly interface, reinforcing Happy Valley's commitment to supplying fresh, delicious produce while promoting a sustainable and healthy lifestyle across communities.

The logo design was carefully crafted to align with the company's values. The 'V' in 'Valley' symbolizes a familiar farm vegetable - the carrot, while the 'Happy' features two leaf motifs, highlighting their sustainability commitment and connection to the earth and their farm.

From the natural and fun color pallet, to the bold typography and colorful photos of fruits and vegetables, Happy Valley's design appeals to anyone seeking a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

RESEARCH

The research conducted while creating the mood board played a crucial role in shaping the overall design of the company.

It provided a structured approach to curating a specific aesthetic, which was later translated into the final design of the logo, assets, and application.

LOGO DEVELOPEMENT

RESEARCH CONTINUED

By studying various farms and sustainable fruit and vegetable companies' advertising and delivery methods, I incorporated diverse design strategies and principles into my official designs.

During the development of the Happy Valley application, a series of usability testing was conducted with 5 different individuals.

The personas gave us insights into what a typical Happy Valley user may look like and what their needs may entail. I used the persona of Noah to identify certain goals, feelings, frustrations, and skills.

CHALLENGES

Throughout the semester, Happy Valley encountered and successfully navigated several challenges. One significant challenge involved finding the right balance for the company's brand design—merging modernity with sustainability while ensuring the logo remained visually clear without overcrowding. Additionally, the extensive time spent on designing the app posed another substantial challenge. Creating a fully user-friendly app required overcoming various obstacles, but through rigorous usability testing, I achieved a functional mock-up that accurately represents the Happy Valley App's user experience in a way that properly would address the target audience of young people.

LEARNINGS

Through this project, I learned invaluable lessons as a designer. I gained a deeper understanding of the delicate balance required in brand design, especially when merging modern aesthetics with sustainability principles. The challenges faced while creating the Happy Valley logo taught me the importance of clarity and simplicity in conveying complex messages effectively.

Designing the user-friendly app for Happy Valley was a significant learning experience. It highlighted the critical role of usability testing in refining and enhancing user experience. The process taught me to prioritize user needs and preferences, ensuring that functionality and aesthetics work harmoniously to deliver a seamless digital experience.

Overall, this project strengthened my design skills, particularly in branding, logo design, and user interface design. It emphasized the importance of iterative design processes, collaboration, and adaptability in meeting client goals and creating impactful design solutions.