NaticakesBrand Book
About Naticakes
Naticakes was founded with the explicit purpose of not only baking great cupcakes and serving up a unique in-store experience, but also to invest heavily in a sister foundation. The foundation was created in honor of the founder's niece - Natalie (whom they called Naticakes), who inexplicably passed away as a young child.
The Challenge
Naticakes approached KA+A to assist in the development of an integrated brand concept for a chain of gourmet cup cakes shops that would be opened in secondary US markets over the next several years. Establishing a new brand in an established niche market, such as the red hot segment of gourmet cupcakes, is a challenge in and of itself. This challenge was compounded by the company's focus on secondary markets.
Naticakes was founded with the explicit purpose of not only baking great cupcakes and serving up a unique in-store experience, but to invest heavily in a sister foundation. The foundation was created in honor of the founder's niece - Natalie (whom they called Naticakes), who inexplicably passed away as a young child.
The brand had to be sufficiently differentiated from its counterparts in larger cities and flexible enough to work in a variety of, as of yet, undetermined markets.
The Process
Our work began with discovery, opportunity assessment, and market research and observation. Once we had a clear understanding of both the opportunity and the challenges, we translated our findings into a clear design brief.
KA+A worked to craft a distinctive brandmark and conceptual framework for Naticakes that successfully captured the essence of the Naticakes brand. Our team created a cohesive visual identity, tied together by corporate identity, graphic standards, brand imagery and representative expressions of the brand. Our work culminated in a "brand book" - a beautifully, hand-crafted book that tells the story of the Naticakes brand to potential partners, investors, staff persons, and the media.
The Result
Refined yet wistful, the Naticakes identity is the perfect marriage of youthful exuberance and victorian charm. While the Naticakes concept is still in the development stages, initial response to the brand concept is exceptionally strong. As the brand continues to mature, the work that KA+A completed on behalf of Naticakes will continue to play an invaluable role in concept vetting, raising seed funding, and generating excitement and awareness.
