Heavy Petal
Strategy, Interactive
WHERE
Heavy Petal is a blog written and curated by Andrea Bellamy which focuses on gardening from a west coast urban organic perspective. Established in 2005, the blog has a large and growing following and has been featured by Apartment Therapy, Design* Sponge, and Decor8. Andrea is also the author of a newly released book, “Sugar Snaps and Strawberries”, which offers guidance on growing gorgeous organic food in an urban, small space setting. Her successes have positioned her as a thought leader in the urban gardening community, and as such, her site needed a refresh to keep up with the quickly evolving tastes of this new generation of gardeners.
IDEAS
The new site needed to mature yet reflect the visually stunning and mouth watering content that it features. Using an organic, hand-designed approach to communicate the delicate yet quirky and inspiring personality of the site and its author, the design combines a modern and clean layout with classic elements. The aesthetic was influenced by vintage seed packaging and was designed to be equally appealing to both young and older gardeners.
To add the bit of whimsy that the site required, and impressed and enchanted by the work of Renee B. Gardener, we approached this illustrator about some ideas for the design. Her fresh, delicate style was aligned with our vision for Heavy Petal and she delivered an updated and embellished version of the wordmark and the nasturtium floral detailing—chosen for its femininity and edible nature.
The new elements were applied to the website, business cards, and the free downloadable material available on the site.
WORK
Just in time for the spring 2011 growing season, the new and improved Heavy Petal blog launched with the latest tips for urban gardeners. The feedback from her followers has been overwhelmingly positive, and with Andrea out on book tour, the updated site is proving to be an integral communication and publicity tool.
