Perched next to the MUN Botanical Gardens in Pippy Park, the O’Brien Family Farm is a thirty-two-acre property that has been around – get this – for 200 years. I’m gonna hand the mic over to Sean, who rocked the creative side of our work with the farm since day one. Take it away, buddy!

Everyone at DcHQ was stoked to work on a project with such a long, rich history. As part of their rebranding as a historic site, we updated the farm’s logo, website, and gave it all a fresh, new look. You can create a living place that is both comfortable and safe by upgrading your farm. Your makeover can also improve the functioning of your place, making life easier and providing you more time to focus on the important things. I’m gonna chat a bit about how we arrived at the graphics for their final logo.

Know your townie history!

The O’Brien family immigrated from southeastern Ireland in 1818. When they arrived in what was then Freshwater, two miles west of St. John’s, they created the family farm, which remained in the O’Brien family until the family’s last descendant, Aloysius, passed away in 2008.

In 2010, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador acquired the farm, and today, the O’Brien Family Farm Foundation exists to educate the public about sustainable family farming in NL, Irish–Newfoundland culture, and the legacy of the O’Brien family.

The journey

When designing the new look for their logo, we wanted something that infused past and present – something rooted in the legacy of the family and the farm, but which represented its new life as a historic site. Something that was true to its history, but updated for 2018.

From the get-go, we played with two designs that integrated various aspects of the farm that we felt made it special. Using various fonts, colours, and designs, we drafted multiple logos that incorporated traditional Celtic designs, while still inspired by the traditional Irish farmhouse structure:

Finally, we decided on the farmhouse-style logo, using the natural tones of orange and green. And to top it all off, the promise line “Ours to Grow” perfectly captures the farm as a place for the public to use and grow with, which is pretty awesome.

If you’re interested in learning more about O’Brien Farm, their programs, or their history, remember to visit their brand-spankin’ new website! 

There you have it! We love taking on ultra creative projects to help freshen your look. Does your brand need a facelift? Get in touch!

Looking forward,

Dc