Support Small

Feb 26

The client

Support Small is a business that is passionate about promoting various small independent businesses and encouraging people to ‘shop small’. They provide a platform for these businesses to advertise and market their creations. Support Small offers their clients the opportunity to become part of a community of creative and passionate small businesses, where they can interact, share knowledge, and grow and thrive in their fields.

In addition to this, Support Small also offers virtual markets for small businesses to showcase their products, allowing them to reach a wider market as compared to physical stalls, as well as social media support and marketing.

THE PROJECT

Signature Branding: Brand Strategy + Full Brand Identity

Web Design + Development on Wordpress

Social Media style guide + templates

BEHIND THE BRAND

The concept direction that we created for Support Small is centered around creativity in all its forms. Warm tones are used throughout the palette to create a feeling of support and dependability while also maintaining a high level of quality. The brand personality is further translated through the Sans Serif type used, which adds a more playful and light element to the tone

In line with this concept, the color palette highlights creative sparks with both warm and cool tones to create a balanced overall effect. The warm tones establish a connection and sense of support, while the cooler tones ground the palette and add a sense of quality.

The brand name's typeface is inspired by the various small businesses that Support Small supports. The illustration under the 'O' is symbolic of a vase for handmade products, while the arch in the 'A' adds depth to the brand name and represents creativity. The 'LL' highlights 'supporting small businesses,' with the large 'L' supporting the small 'L.' The three dots within the 'U' represent your three brand values: aspirational, supportive, and quality. The tagline, located beneath the brand name, is 'For the biggest impact, shop small.'

BRAND TONE

Aspirational, Supportive, Quality, Creative, Reliable, Community.

Similar to the brand tone and identity, for their socials its all about letting your creativity shine. In order to achieve this, various illustrations and patterns are dotted throughout posts utilising the brands bright and warm colours.

BUILDING A DIGITAL WORLD

Support Small has two types of audiences: small businesses who want to gain more exposure, connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs, and learn about growing a thriving business, and people looking to shop from small businesses.

To cater to both audiences, we created a site with a split ‘curtain page’ (a page before the home page). It offers two options: “I’m a small business” and “I’m looking to purchase from a small business”. Each button takes users to a separate homepage (still on the same site), tailored to that specific audience's needs.

For small businesses, we built a directory and a membership platform. Businesses can purchase a membership to access exclusive content, guest speakers, competitions, offers, and have their business listed within the directory. Members can access the platform from the front end, upload their details, and submit them for review. Once approved, their store is automatically published on the directory.

For people looking to shop from small businesses, they can browse through the directory, which is divided into purchasing categories, and shop directly from the small businesses.

Building Support Smalls site had multiple facets: not only did we have to keep in mind a cohesive and consistent brand tone with various interactive elements that increase conversion, but we also had to design 2 types of user journeys.