826 Delaware
Overview
This playful visual identity created for The Clever Cabinet of Curios is a fictional boutique focusing on a sense of mystery and charm through a rich color palette, dramatic type, and intentional spacing, all crafted to immerse the viewer in the brand’s world of curated curiosities. This style guide demonstrates a cohesive visual language that extends across packaging, signage, print, and digital experiences.
This playful visual identity created for The Clever Cabinet of Curios is a fictional boutique focusing on a sense of mystery and charm through a rich color palette, dramatic type, and intentional spacing, all crafted to immerse the viewer in the brand’s world of curated curiosities. This style guide demonstrates a cohesive visual language that extends across packaging, signage, print, and digital experiences.
Type
Brand Identity
Year
2025
Role
Lead Brand Designer
Client
College for Creative Studies
PROCESS
First, the ideation started as a colonial supply store, conceptually playing with time travel and tying to Delaware’s colonial roots. After further developing the idea, the idea evolved from a colonial store to focusing more on Delaware’s heavy farming industry. The Blue Hen is a major symbol for the state, and this led the way to exploring several ideas. Eventually, the Blue Hen became a distraction from what the main concept was developing into, and removing the Blue Hen simplified the magical ideas that were being introduced, leaving us with the Clever Cabinet of Curios.
First, the ideation started as a colonial supply store, conceptually playing with time travel and tying to Delaware’s colonial roots. After further developing the idea, the idea evolved from a colonial store to focusing more on Delaware’s heavy farming industry. The Blue Hen is a major symbol for the state, and this led the way to exploring several ideas. Eventually, the Blue Hen became a distraction from what the main concept was developing into, and removing the Blue Hen simplified the magical ideas that were being introduced, leaving us with the Clever Cabinet of Curios.
Rooted in childhood wonder, storytelling, and magic of oddities
role
As lead designer, I focused heavily on evoking a sense of childhood wonder, mystery, and charm through a rich purple palette, dramatic typography, and intentional spacing, all crafted to immerse the viewer in the brand’s world of curated curiosities. To bring this brand to life, the Clever Cabinet of Curios was designed in the Adobe Suite, mostly Illustrator and Figma.
As lead designer, I focused heavily on evoking a sense of childhood wonder, mystery, and charm through a rich purple palette, dramatic typography, and intentional spacing, all crafted to immerse the viewer in the brand’s world of curated curiosities. To bring this brand to life, the Clever Cabinet of Curios was designed in the Adobe Suite, mostly Illustrator and Figma.
CHALLENGE
The primary challenge involved translating an abstract concept, a K-12 literacy center and store, into a structured identity that could guide real-world design decisions. This required researching historical references related to the state, experimenting with type, and balancing ornamentation with clarity.
The primary challenge involved translating an abstract concept, a K-12 literacy center and store, into a structured identity that could guide real-world design decisions. This required researching historical references related to the state, experimenting with type, and balancing ornamentation with clarity.
CONCLUSION
The final deck presents a comprehensive and versatile brand system that provides a clear roadmap for future marketing, packaging, and visual storytelling, which taught me how to make everything created under the 826 Delaware name feel unified, polished, true to the brief and concept, and full of character.
The final deck presents a comprehensive and versatile brand system that provides a clear roadmap for future marketing, packaging, and visual storytelling, which taught me how to make everything created under the 826 Delaware name feel unified, polished, true to the brief and concept, and full of character.
