Telling a Brand's Story through Hand-Lettered Signage

Walking into Raw Sugar's event at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, you could immediately feel a sense of calm, mindfulness, and intentionality.

With gorgeous floral arches, custom branded yoga mats, and hand lettered messages displayed throughout the room, event guests were visually immersed in all things Raw Sugar.

Katie Austin, a popular fitness instructor, leads a group of VIP guests and influencers in a group exercise class for a Raw Beauty event at Hotel One West Hollywood

The vibe: raw, real, authentic, and clean.

It started with a thank you message to the attendees, with a nod to the Raw Sugar's "The Sensitive One" shampoo and conditioner that they were highlighting at the event.

Every design choice we made was intentional and meaningful, starting with the handmade welcome signage -- the custom cut and stained wood matched the brand's bamboo bottle cap; and the affixed acrylic sheet was custom lettered, highlighting the brand's clean and simple typography.

To connect guests with the messaging around sensitivity, and as a nod to the "Sugar Notes" that Raw Sugar writes in the product descriptions on their website, I got to hand letter the following messages around the room:

"Finally, hair care that's as thoughtful as you."
"It's okay to be sensitive."
"Some call it sensitive, we call it sophisticated."
"Love is in the hair; and nothing extra!"
"Hair care is self care."

These messages, written in light blue, incorporated the brand's mission and story, while also bringing life to the venue.

We even incorporated their messaging in the restroom, for a cute photo moment:

Last, but not least, they wanted to ensure their logo was integrated thoughtfully in the event space. I printed and cut custom colored vinyl of their logo to fit exactly in the window space, to serve as a backdrop to the fitness instructor and sound bath guide.

Because my client took the time to mindfully plan and execute each part of the day, the event was a total success!

Most all the photos shared online incorporated Raw Sugar's branding in some way, whether it be their logo, their playful messages, or their thoughtful aesthetics. (I, of course, only screenshotted the ones I could find of the signage and lettering.)

There truly is a raw, organic quality of hand-done versus printed that made everything feel less commercial and more genuine.

It wasn't just about branding; it was about creating a memorable experience that was cohesive with the brand’s identity and connected with the event guests on a deeper level. While subtle in nature, it was a powerful way to reinforce Raw Beauty's messaging, and build a strong emotional connections with its products.