Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, businesses worldwide have witnessed disruptions. However, whilst some industries struggled to recover, their employees had the chance to revisit old hobbies without fearing having their productivity reduced at work. Some of them even learnt how to monetise it.

The Vancouver-based ceramist and concrete artist Shannon Kelly is part of the small group that opened a manufacturing business in Canada during the lockdown. However, as the practice improved her well-being and multiple partnerships were secured with other companies, a decrease in B2C sales had her fear the commoditisation of her small business.

As young entrepreneurs become increasingly hesitant about traditional business models, finding alternative ways to operate, profit and scale have become the mission of our collaboration. Our goal was to find a way to revert the retraction of B2C transactions by strengthening Inhabt's brand recognition to gain leverage in B2B negotiations.

1

As assessed by Pine and Gilmore (1998) in their book The Experience Economy, the best way to defeat commoditisation is by turning a product into an experience. To create a memorable and consistent experience, understanding the type of person that cares about artisanal, ethical, female-led businesses was critical to drawing an efficient brand strategy. Then, having agreed on an approach that brings Shannon's lifestyle and her newly found passion together, it was time to identify who would appreciate the artefacts Inhabt produces.

More than ever, sustainability is dominating consumer priorities. People want to know where materials are sourced, how products are crafted, and whether the people involved are treated fairly. From a geographic perspective, women from the United States were the standout Inhabt's customers in 2021, whilst Canadians occupied the second most representative percentage of buyers. The company's future growth will likely be driven by a more diverse demographic, provided the new price point will make shipping costs seem worthwhile.

In the meantime, it is mandatory to shift focus from current trend-led customers towards a more independent, mature customer base that is appreciative of arts and environmentally aware. Studio Faceless' provided the tools for Shannon to embody her cultural role as an artisan instead of solely supplying demands. To support its newly embodied potential to influence culture, it made sense to shift the company's positioning and the owner's mindset from a small local business to a craftsmanship practice delivering worldwide.

2

Whilst the concept was heavily inspired by the modernist movement, the brand sought freshness to belong in this decade. Designed to respond flexibly to B2B and B2C needs, Inhabt's brand identity is clean, refined, artistic, and contemporary. For this project, Studio Faceless proposed a hand-drawn line that connects past and present, creating a brand that, as its products, has the potential to outlive its founder.

Contemporary and yet deeply rooted in tradition, Inhabt emphasises the art of simplicity, featuring natural and fluid shapes throughout industrially-shaped physical and digital elements. The clean and minimal identity proposed works as a white canvas for Shannon's artistic expression. By communicating only the strictly necessary, Inhabt allows space for the trivial and the extraordinary acts of living.

Similar to the artefacts designed by Inhabt, this visual identity aims to start conversations whilst leaving plenty of room for individual interpretation. The logotype presents glyphs reminiscent of stone carving and a wide horizontal axis typical of Victorian display types and portrays an unusual combination of influences. Designed by Frederic W. Goudy in 1901, the typeface summarises Shannon's quest for the new.

3

Instead of diluting the brand identity to accommodate the wholesale market, the rebrand promoted partnerships with homeowners, interior designers, architects and gift shops that appreciate uniqueness of a product. Commodities belong to the present, whilst art belongs to history.

Additionally, doing so through online mediums becomes a significant challenge. For this reason, in the last stages of the project, numerous experiments were conducted to ensure Inhabt's offline experience would live up to the expectation promoted on their online channels.

A connecting line was drawn by hand in each packaging using a roughly sharpened pencil. Touching most faces of the packaging, a line of intentional imperfection produces a simultaneously terribly human and exceptionally exclusive result.

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"The process was extremely helpful and gave me a clear understanding of how you translated our conversations into the design. It's the first time I have been part of a process like this and I fully trust you in the direction presented.”

— Shannon Kelly, Founder of Inhabt

Sources

¹ Business formation statistics (2019).
United States Census Bureau.

² Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022) Trends in manufacturing resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions.