Firstleaf

Brand experience

Uncorking a memorable brand experience

Challenge

Help Firstleaf, an American subscription-based wine club, refresh their brand identity to truly reflect who they are, what they stand for, and connect with their target audience.

Outcome

A modern and strong brand foundation that speaks volumes and clearly conveys Firstleaf’s values, beliefs, and personality. The refreshed brand is supported by an extensive brand guide and compass that help ensure consistency across touchpoints.

Impact

The refreshed brand was immediately applied to Firstleaf’s marketing materials like their box packaging and used in two TV commercials. The first responses have been positive, stay tuned for further updates!

Firstleaf an American subscription-based wine club

Solid

brand foundation

Strategy

Firstleaf takes the guesswork out of wine exploration and tailors world-class wines to personal taste with their AI algorithm. They were having challenges with brand resonance among the young wine enthusiasts they’re targeting, and felt that their brand was becoming outdated.

We kicked off the project by researching Firstleaf’s target audience, the market they operate in, and their competitors. This helped us position and differentiate the brand based on their brand values and personality.

From there two concepts were developed. One was to revolutionize the brand and give it a completely new look, the other to evolve the existing brand further. Firstleaf wanted to keep some of their iconic brand elements, so we went with the second idea: a brand evolution. This meant fine-tuning the existing brand and giving it a more contemporary look and feel that highlights Firstleaf’s curious, fun, and bold nature.

Creative

We needed to build a brand that resonates with young wine enthusiasts while maintaining certain iconic brand elements. Firstleaf's six-dot logomark represents their algorithm and grapes, and is an important part of their visual brand identity. We made it bigger to stand out, and show only half in branded assets to express Firstleaf's passionately curious nature. We swapped the original ornamental illustrations on the wine boxes with the logomark for a recognizable look.

Slight tweaks were made to Firstleaf's primary color palette to create more vibrant colors and connote playfulness. We also put together a font pairing for both digital and print assets. For the titles, we picked a sans-serif font that leaves a bold first impression, while the serif font of the body reinforces wisdom.

Photography is often used in Firstleaf’s marketing assets. Which is why color, composition, and lighting principles were included in the brand guide alongside the refreshed logo, color palette, typography guidelines, and examples of how to apply the new branding.

‘Execution is the only strategy that a consumer sees. DPDK demonstrated their ability to build equity in the Firstleaf name through emotive storytelling that seamlessly ties back to our brand benefits. The most effective advertising is steeped in how a brand makes you feel. We’re confident that our new campaign will leave people smiling while generating awareness of Firstleaf in a meaningful way.’
Patty Montagno
Head of Brand and Creative at Firstleaf

Highlights

Seeing the result of our hard work printed on Firstleaf’s wine boxes was very rewarding.
An inspiring collaboration with a wine brand as passionately curious as us.
Working with a client that uses disruptive technology to provide a unique customer experience.