vapanada reBrand
Vapanada is a chain of specialty vape stores with 10 shops across Ottawa. They had established a brand identity, but it was not consistently executed throughout the various locations. I worked with Vapanada to update their brand, then rolled out new designs for their storefronts, uniforms, and in-store signage.
Establishing The New Brand Identity
Vapanada was started by a small (but mighty) team in 2019. As they expanded and opened new locations, they suffered the growing pains of a mom-and-pop shop becoming a corporate entity. Designs for various collateral items were being created as needed, but there was never an established brand package.
Building upon the existing brand identity, I worked with the Vapanada team to update their visual motifs and standardize internal design processes. The first step was to create design guidelines, as informed by a collaborative analysis of Vapanada's target demographic. Consistency and impact were the keywords.
Here, you can see the brand kit we settled on. The colours and typefaces were chosen to be bold and recognizable, while still aligning with the original logo. Vapanada's core demographic are local consumers between the ages of 19-35 with an even gender split. We wanted to appeal to this consumer's sensibilities and differentiate Vapanada from the other specialty vape stores in the area.
Ideally, we wanted Vapanada's branding to be distinctive from any other business in the region, regardless of industry. It's typical for Canadian businesses to rely heavily on a red, white, and black colour combination. That is why the bluish-purple (colloquially called 'blurple') is so important. The addition of this one accent colour is unexpected enough to set Vapanada apart from the crowd while sticking with it's signature red palette.
Storefronts
In Ontario, vape stores must abide by both SFOA guidelines and federal tobacco laws. In this context, that means Vapanada storefronts can only feature one instance of the company name and logo on the exterior of shop. Additionally, pedestrians should not be able to see into the interior of the store. That meant all the windows needed to be covered with vinyl wraps.
Instead of seeing this as a restriction, I saw it as an opportunity. Each storefront would have ample square footage to broadcast the company's brand. However, it needed to be visually distinct, eye-catching, and instantly recognizable. I redesigned Vapanada's original 'wave' motif into a newer, sleeker and more modern pattern that spanned the entirety of each storefront. Below, you can see a before and after example.
Because each storefront had different dimensions and requirements, I created customized appliqué elements for each location. This was done using a combination of vinyl wraps, coroplast boards, illuminated box signs, and letter channel signs. We also continued the wave motif holistically across all way finding signs and sandwich boards.
Uniforms
Since Ontario's tobacco laws prohibit vape retailers from using paid advertising, I saw the uniform redesign as a potential tool for guerilla marketing. I wanted to make the uniforms attractive and memorable; something cool enough that staff might even wear it outside of work, like a walking billboard.
To appeal to our core demographic, I referenced current streetwear trends, specifically skateboard brands for design cues. The uniforms needed to be comfortable and casual. They also needed to stand out from the interior of the stores so store staff didn't blend into the background. So, we chose black and blurple as the base colours for the designs.
In-store Signage
When designing the new store interiors I thought, 'why restrict the signature Vapanada waves to the outside of the stores?' We continued the visual motif of the waves inside each shop as vinyl murals for instant impact. This repetition was key to reinforce brand recognition among Vapanada's clientele.
Later iterations of the vinyl murals wrapped the entire store above the product cabinets, creating an immersive Vapanada 'world'. The rest of the store was kept a stark white to provide contrast to the ever-present red waves, and to project a clean, fresh vibe for visiting customers.
A few other elements that completed the in-store experience were the coroplast gondola signs that acted as end-caps to finish the look of the central product shelves, as well as magnetic blackboards and acrylic stands for displaying promotional material while keeping display counters clean.
The final touches to create a consistent brand experience across all locations were the in-store print items. Menus and marketing collateral like postcards and business cards all underwent a redesign to meet the new brand kit specifications.
Using a holistic approach to visual design across all mediums, I was able to execute Vapanada's rebrand in a way that was impactful, fresh, and true to the brand's identity.