Old World Market
Old World Market is a family-owned grocery store in Chicago's north side since 1982. They’re known for carrying West African products that are hard to find anywhere else. For the first time in 40 years, they now have a cohesive brand identity. What used to be hand-drawn signs and MS Word posters became a clear, manageable brand system. This lets Vanessa's small team maintain consistency and delegate the small stuff.
Brand Identity
Creative Direction: Javier Suarez
Design: Javier Suarez
Old Logo
Redesigned Logo
When Vanessa, big boss at Old World Market, reached out in 2021, her brand was just a dated logo slapped on everything. She knew it was time for a change, but this was a 40-year-old brand that had never been updated. There was apprehension about updating something so established, but our process allowed us to break things down and make decisions mindfully together.
Our collaboration resulted in a fresh identity that met customer expectations while respecting the store's legacy. We kept the African continent at the center of our rebrand, but refined it to be cleaner and more modernized. With gentrification being a harsh reality, this new look had changing demographics in mind to stay competitive.
We launched the rebrand alongside Old World Market's 40th anniversary, using a "Thank you for 40 years" campaign to center customers in the soft rebrand. We were worried the core, older demographic would reject the modern look, but it was met with enthusiasm. Since then, we've continued working together on marketing materials, outdoor store signs, anniversary employee uniforms, in-store signage, HR documents, invoices, and more. Brand guidelines now make it possible for their small operation to maintain consistency even when creating their own assets.
