Sow Good is a freeze-dried candy company based in Irving and Dallas, Texas. I joined the team at a pivotal moment as the company transitioned from health-oriented freeze-dried foods - such as apples, smoothies, and granola - to an exciting new focus on candy products. Recently, we've further diversified our offerings by introducing product lines for babies, pets, and gummies, each requiring distinct branding.

In my role as Creative Lead, I've led and executed transformative improvements across our entire creative ecosystem, including digital content, print and packaging designs, retail displays, and marketing collateral. My proactive leadership and collaboration with executives, the marketing manager, and the talented creative team I oversee have significantly raised both the quality and volume of creative output. My vision and careful attention to detail have helped redefine and elevate Sow Good’s visual identity, enhancing our storytelling, reinforcing brand consistency, and positioning the company as a majority market shareholder in the freeze-dried candy space.

Role: Principal Designer, Creative Lead

Team: Web Developer, Jr. Designer, Videographer/Editor, Marketing Manager

Scope: Brand Identity, Art Direction, Product Design

Role: Principal Designer, Creative Lead

Team: Web Developer, Jr. Designer, Videographer/Editor, Marketing Manager

Scope: Brand Identity, Art Direction, Product Design

// LOGO

SEC. 01 OF 05

Sow Good's first logo had a problem - the manner in which it was constructed lacked versatility. The lack of a border/stroke around the text made it hard to implement on certain backgrounds without a drop shadow, which has the potential to look haphazardly thrown together. There were two color configurations for the wordmark - white & black. It only incorporated one of the brand's colors.

Trademark considerations prevented me from making extensive changes, but the changes that I was able to implement are subtle, yet effective as an attractive update. They include the addition of a thick stroke around the entire logo to assist with placement on backgrounds of all types. The stroke around the 'mouth' portion has also been increased to match the 'heft' of the text & the stroke.

The next change is to the colors - instead of the wordmark portion of the logo being restricted to black/white, It's now either white &/or borderless, or red, based on the context of it's placement. And finally, it was skewed five degrees to add dynamism & movement. These same changes were made to the horizontal orientation.

SEC. 02 OF 05

// ICONS

As a candy company with SKU's paving the way for a new confectionary category to compete with chocolates & gummies, specific callouts were created to pair with the presentation of our product. The very nature of freeze-dried candy is that it's light & airy, crunchy, and concentrated with flavor.

Other pairings include modifications to the logo to succinctly express the nature of our company - for instance, "Sow Good Freeze Dried Candy". Our slogan, "Sweeten the Revolution", marks the underside of every bag in every store.

//COLORS

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//TYPE

For functional and text-heavy applications, the Sow Good selected the DIN Condensed font family, chosen for its visual similarity and complementary nature to Sohne Schmal. DIN Condensed's tall, condensed form ensures proper readability, at smaller sizes, ideal for packaging details and body text.

Sow Good adopted the Sohne Schmal font family designed by Klim Type Foundry, prominently expressing this typeface through the logo itself in the distinctive "Dreiviertelfett" weight, as well as in headlines utilizing the slightly heavier "Fett" style. This pairing creates a bold yet refined visual hierarchy.

Lastly, Socafe provides playful charm and youthful exuberance inspired by the infamous Comic Sans. Used for short headlines and playful accents, Socafe features sticky, tight kerning, haphazard character rotation, and an irregular baseline, capturing the carefree joy and whimsy associated with candy.

//VOICE

SEC. 05 OF 05

For Corporate Communication, Stakeholders: This voice asserts our status as confident, forward-thinking industry disruptors - mirroring the founder's immigrant spirit and their journey of turning adversity into agility. It sends a clear message: we transformed a niche food category into a trailblazing presence in the confectionary space, setting a new industry standard that larger brands like Skittles & Jolly Rancher would soon follow.

For Corporate Communication, Stakeholders: This voice asserts our status as forward-thinking industry disruptors - mirroring the founder's immigrant spirit and their journey of turning adversity into agility. It sends a clear message: we transformed a niche food category into a trailblazing presence in the confectionary space, setting a new industry standard that larger brands like Skittles & Jolly Rancher would soon follow.

For Consumers: This style of voice is exuberant, cheeky, and irresistibly playful; witty, engaging and unpretentious. By employing vivid, sensory language, I aim to evoke both the taste and the texture of our products, much like a friend enthusiastically sharing a secret. We weave seasonal and timely cues into the narrative, ensuring our messaging stays dynamic and relevant throughout the year.

// WEBSITE

SEC. 01 OF 05

Our website should fully embody our brand identity, as it’s often the first touchpoint for new consumers. People judge a brand’s legitimacy by its branding - Sow Good outperformed competitors by choosing refined, branded packaging over basic alternatives. I plan to extend this refinement to our website, positioning us as freeze-drying experts and establishing our legitimacy in this emerging category.

SEC. 02 OF 05

// PRINT

// Digital

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// PHOTO

Product photography is a cornerstone of modern product marketing, serving as the critical bridge between consumer perception and purchase decision in the candy/snack industry. Therefore, I make sure whenever, wherever consumers see our product, it is presented in the most vibrant, appetizing light possible, & as close a representation as possible to the real thing. This'll be on sell sheets, advertisements, and the packaging.

I handle every step of the process, from snapping the raw images with my company-provided Canon T7i (due for a major upgrade) to post-processing through Adobe Lightroom, then dropping it into Photoshop for background removal, pinpoint edits, color corrections, and more to make the image as high-quality as possible.

// RETAIL

SEC. 05 OF 05

Sow Good's B2C strategy has shifted away from direct-to-consumer sales and towards retail placement in brick & mortar locations, which has landed us in major stores like:

Retail displays play a major role in the success of emerging niche categories like freeze-dried candy. Before we can get to the shelf, consumers have to show interest in picking up the product at all - an attractive display does just that.

Retail displays play a major role in the success of emerging niche categories like freeze-dried candy. They not only draw eyes and interest, but provide context on what the product actually is.

// DESIGN

SEC. 01 OF 04

Sow Good wasn't always a pioneer in the confectionary category - their roots harken back to their namesake - to sow good throughout the world by creating healthy, sustainable and shelf-stable foods like granola, smoothes, and freeze dried fruits. During this period, their packaging, containing simple colors & noisy gradients against a stark white background, perfectly captured what a health-based food item should look like.

The problem is, we're in a different lane now: Candy, which is already defined by vibrant packaging, playful typography, and messaging presented so sweetly, you get a sugar rush just by reading it. This was the opposite of our candy packaging. And although it was low (read: not at all) on the priority list of management, one of the first major projects I initiated upon my arrival at Sow Good was a wide-scale redesign of our packaging. Below is an analysis of the state of packaging at Sow Good from 2023 to 2025, and the changes I managed to get approved.

SEC. 02 OF 04

// COMPARISON

An analysis of competitor branding indicated that our closest competitor in sales, Andersen's Crazy Candy, also had the most developed branding & art direction. While Sow Good had done it's due diligence at one point in this respect, it was time for a major refresh. I began the project with only a few objectives in mind - make color a focal point, increase the fidelity of the product photography, and incorporate elements from our brand identity, like fonts and icons. The ultimate goal was to design packaging that put us directly on par, or at least in the same realm as Crazy Candy.

An analysis of competitor branding indicated that our closest competitor in sales, Andersen's Crazy Candy, had the most developed branding & art direction. While Sow Good had done it's due diligence at one point in this respect, it was time for a major refresh. I began the project with only a few objectives in mind - make color a focal point, increase the fidelity of the product photography, and incorporate elements from our brand identity, like fonts and icons. The ultimate goal was to design packaging that put us directly on par, or at least in the same realm as Crazy Candy.