Birdsfoot Native Nursery is a plant nursery in Northern Michigan. The owners, Blythe Webster and Garrett Noyes, specialize in growing Michigan-native genotypes for use in landscaping, as well as conservation work. Their operation revolves around fostering plant species which are a functional part of local ecosystems and contribute to habitat, and which really “belong,” rather than being commodities prized for their appearance.
The name “Birdsfoot” refers to the Birdsfoot violet, or Viola Pedata, named for the distinctive shape of its leaves; it’s no surprise that the species became the chief visual reference behind the logo.
This project was a collaboration between myself and my wife, Rachel, of Wee Fish Designs; you can see more of her work here. She helped conduct meetings, did the lion’s share of preparatory research, and art-directed much of the logo development process. I handled the bulk of client communication, along with the execution of the final icon, logotype, and the [fairly minimal] color & typography specifications we handed over at the end of the project.
This one was a lot of fun; the client was very pleased with the end result, and it’s hard to argue with a great-looking t-shirt. It’s also always a treat to be able to work with people who are passionate about what they do, and are really putting themselves into it. There’s a lot of excitement around those types of projects, and this was no exception.
