Case Study: Mud Brothers
Brand Design
The Story of Mud Brothers
Mud Brothers is an exciting new artisan pottery brand, born in 2023 as a "brother" brand to the well-established Great Bay Pottery. With a playful and modern twist, Mud Brothers isn't afraid to get a little quirky, experimenting with bold shapes and fun glazes that brighten any home. While they’re all about pushing the creative envelope, they’re also deeply rooted in the rich tradition of handmade pottery, blending the old with the new to create pieces that tell timeless stories.
Project Scope
Mud Brothers reached out for a complete brand identity overhaul, from market research and identifying target audiences to designing the entire visual brand and website. My role involved everything from developing customer personas and product photography to crafting their brand story and designing their funky, modern website.
My Role:
I jumped in as their brand and marketing strategist, helping bring Mud Brothers to life from concept to creation. I conducted market research using tools like Google Trends and designed their visuals with Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. I also shot and edited product photos, handled all the website design mockups using Adobe XD, and brought a fresh, modern look to this innovative pottery brand.
Research & Discovery
I started by diving deep into the market for handmade pottery and discovered significant overlap between pottery enthusiasts and West Elm shoppers. Using West Elm's audience as inspiration, I developed detailed buyer personas and mapped out the ideal target demographic for Mud Brothers.
Buyer Persona
Stephanie Burke
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Education: Bachelor’s Degree Profession: Independent Bookkeeper
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Salary: $90,000
Lifestyle: Homeowner, living with life partner
Stephanie prefers to shop on her iPhone and commonly finds inspiration for her home on Pinterest, and lifestyle inspiration from Instagram. She is concerned about the Earth’s future because of the way people have drained its resources. She loves to support brands with a great story and is committed to creating products sustainably. She becomes loyal to brands that she feels personally aligned with and is less concerned about the price tag when she finds them.
Concept Development
During discussions with the client, the importance of pottery’s rich tradition became clear. This insight drove my focus on blending the craft's ancient roots with modern design to create a unique, meaningful brand identity.
Design Execution:
Mud Brothers Pottery celebrates the gritty, hands-on artistry behind each piece. To capture this essence, I designed a logo featuring an arrangement of circles symbolizing a pottery wheel in motion. The vintage Americana-inspired font gives the brand a rugged, enduring feel, while the “O” in Brothers was swapped with a brick kiln icon as a nod to the craft's history.
I had the exciting opportunity to categorize and name the brand’s inaugural product line, weaving the copy to align with Mud Brothers' aesthetic. Additionally, I photographed each product, ensuring the visuals complemented the overall brand identity and communicated its unique, handmade charm.
Next, I brought together all the brand elements to design a visually captivating webpage. The site needed to balance Mud Brothers' playful spirit with the sophistication expected from a high-end artisanal product. The final result was a seamless blend of fun and elegance, embodying the brand's identity while ensuring an elevated experience for its audience.
The final piece of the puzzle was to design custom packaging and product tags to ensure a seamless customer experience from beginning to end!
