The Commonage

The Commonage founder Heather Holiday describes her work here as “restoring the Dickinson House built in 1754 and creating a modern B&B to allow ALL to find connection and explore history, nature, and craft”.

We had worked together before on her Philadelphia-based, artisan shoe brand Rooted Soles and Heather approached me again to create the branding for her new community-centered homestead space in Salem County, NJ. The branding needed to feel warm and approachable, polished but maintain a handmade quality, and nod to the historic nature of the Dickinson house. Also, it should not specify what demographic or income bracket this place will cater to – it is for everyone, and approachability is key.

The final mark features a mix of old timey and modern typography, all hand drawn and crowned by a tangle of flax flowers to lend movement and spirit. (Flax is one of the main crops at The Commonage.)

The pictorial illuminated capital C is pulled from the logo lettering and modified slightly in shape to stand on its own, and incorporates a tiny sprig of flax. While the logo itself will be used for their website and physical use on signage and collateral, the C icon is for abbreviated use like wax seals and social media profile images. We also worked together on a set of 10 icons to highlight their special features and offerings for Instagram.