Illustration

I worked with the Head of Brand and Marketing on refining Patch’s brand guidelines. A big part of this work was establishing an illustration style. The horticultural industry can look old-fashioned, quite serious and a little elitist, so illustration was a great way to help the brand feel modern, friendly and inclusive.

I sourced and commissioned an illustrator called Miguel Ángel Camprubí who has an approachable, hand-drawn style. Miguel has worked with The New York Times and Creative Review among others.

With my art direction, Miguel illustrated Patch’s first box design. The old plant boxes were an off-the-shelf design with no Patch branding. There was an opportunity to make the box much more exciting, to make the delivery experience joyful from the moment it arrives. I wanted to do something fun, shareable and memorable. 

I came up with the concept for the box to look like a house, with abstract characters tending to their plants. The boxes were used in 70% of nationwide deliveries from early December.

I briefed Miguel on establishing a set of 5-6 permanent characters that Patch use across everything, so people would start to associate them with the brand. The characters appear in different comms, e.g. all plant care comms show the plant doctor character. Miguel will continue illustrating Patch’s plant care content, helping the audience imagine themselves in the scene being portrayed.