A complete design and development process to help LeafWorks to build a better botanical world

Branding
Service design
Content production
UI/UX design
Development

LeafWorks San Francisco, CA

Testing and transparency: when and where everything started


It was 2015 when the New York Attorney General discovered that several products from the top herbal supplements on the market did not contain the plant ingredients written on their label. From that point, LeafWorks started to develop a useful solution: a DNA-based verification process of top herbs that could increase consumer confidence in what they were buying, selling or consuming.

LeafWorks' mission: boost user confidence and build a better botanical world

Being experts in herbal genetics, LeafWorks' mission is to improve brand security and consumer confidence in plant-based products. They believe that providing accurate DNA-based verification tools is the right way to maximize safety, promote sustainability and truly honor the herbal culture.

Design a process to provide a complex service through an easy access to the web platform


First things firstly: the discovery phase

The first phase was dedicated to market research: our aim was to understand better the business area in which LeafWorks operated. An immersion in the world of plants, herbs and genetics allowed us to have a deeper comprehension of LeafWorks, their mission, vision and keywords.

Furthermore, we focused on their business model to understand and then describe a customer journey, designing the service and the web platform as well as defining communication goals.

All the steps that every user had to go through to certify his/her product should be clear, simple and straightforward. Therefore, by studying every detail in depth, we dealt with the development of Leaf Works' entire service strategy.

Consistency as a key to create a strong brand identity


Each activity was designed and structured in a harmonious and consistent way. This was possible thanks to a full understanding of LeafWorks as a company, which we followed from its early stage. This was a great privilege that allowed us to define a brand identity that stood out in solidity and look. LeafWorks' image benefited from an unmistakable visual communication that played on the values and symbols of nature.

Vibes, style and details


Corporate image

Natural colors, organic paper, details of leaves repeated in different sections create a strong continuity in all aspects of communication. This led to a strong, clear and highly recognizable brand identity. Thanks to the style designed, LeafWorks can be inserted – even only through the visual communication - in the world of natural, biological, sustainable and ecological vibes.

Create emotions in the 3D world


Video

We believe that images are worth a thousand words. However, when the visual communication blends with music, the emotions felt are unique and no words can describe their beauty. This is why we designed a 3D video that would immerse users in the world of nature, research and botanical knowledge. In short, in the world of LeafWorks.

From storyboard to render

Every detail, every step, every word, every design was created to drive users to the limitless world of plant genetics.

The drafting of the storyboard required the selection of text, music and images to accompany the users from the primordial soup to the modern era.

UX & UI design

Discover Leafworks through a video divided into four chapters

The video is divided into four chapters and the user is brought to discover the mission, the services and the team of LeafWorks. Every CTA, organic and alive, is surrounded by some dots that, floating, create the form of the DNA string. To create further movement and dynamism, every time you move from one call to action to another one, the DNA turns on itself, creating a magnificent, almost magical, effect.

Once upon a time: the magical atmosphere created by the hand-drawn illustrations


Illustrations

Every plant, tested by LeafWorks, was included in an alphabetical dictionary in the "Species ID Test" section of the marketplace. In order to make this list special, we combined each description with a hand-drawn illustration,which was then digitised.

For each letter, all the available plants appear in a staggered, flowing and natural style: our aim was to simulate continuous movement on the website.

Resistant to the round trip: easy to go - easy to come


Packaging

LeafWorks needed to create a kit to fetch and ship the plants that the company analysed and people wanted to collect. We provided a concrete solution for this need by developing kits that not only comply with a matter of practicality and functionality, but also communicate the value of LeafWorks.

This is why we created a packaging characterized by organic materials, natural colors, a distinctive logo and some details of specifically designed plants. We were able to combine the right style with an eco-friendly choice: we said no to plastic and yes to recyclable materials.