Whispering Willow

Brand identity and website design for a natural apothecary line.

The Challenge

Whispering Willow is a handcrafted apothecary product line that prides itself on being sustainable, natural, and beautiful. Owners Julia and Wayne came to us in 2018 needing new branding that would help them stand out in a now crowded market. They wanted to ensure a simple, clean, and cohesive design that would be consistent throughout all their brand touchpoints. Overjoyed with the results, they returned to Aeolidia in 2021 for a full website redesign.

Our Approach

We worked with Whispering Willow to create a warm, kind, and approachable brand with a hint of whimsy. We developed a new hand-drawn logo, custom hand-lettered font, print materials, and packaging designs for their soaps, lip balm, and gift box. We drew from this brand aesthetic to build a refreshed website that balances the retail and wholesale sides of their business and encourages loyalty, while sharing their message of mindfulness and self-care.

Our Roles

Visit the website

Whispering Willow - scrolling video of about page design for a natural apothecary line. — Desktop view of About page website design.

60%

revenue increase

28%

mobile conversion rate increase

32%

email marketing revenue

For the apothecary logo, we were inspired to create a hand-drawn style tree and logotype that has an organic yet clean quality. For the brand mark, we created a simplified version of a weeping willow that felt warm and inviting but also clean and modern. The hand-drawn willow icon is symmetrical and beautiful, with the leaves surrounding the trunk evoking the feeling of a warm embrace. The thin line style is delicate and has a “whisper” feel in its gentle curves and little leaves.

Brand guide.

Mobile product page design - website design for a natural apothecary line. — Product page design.

Whispering Willow - mobile website design for a natural apothecary line. — Mobile design.

Our sales for the rebrand year grew 40%+ over the prior year. It is hard for us to separate how much of our growth during that time was due strictly to the rebrand as we were steadily delving into the wholesale market; however, our typical growth had been around 20% year over year. With that in mind, we feel confident that the rebrand played a significant role in our success.