Roots educates the people about organic gardening and helps them realize the benefits of living sustainably. The organization’s name is inspired by how much we’re rooted to the earth—we’re born in a world that was given to us and gives us what we need to survive. Getting to the root of the problem is the organization's agenda—that problem being the usage of harmful chemicals and the lack of knowledge regarding organic practices. The target audience is primarily millennials who are single or starting a family. Roots educates, supports, motivates, and empowers those who wish to be aware and in control of the food they eat.
Society of Adventist Communicators 30
Roots was awarded the Reger C. Smith Cutting Edge award and the Best of Print Design at the 30th annual Society of Adventist Communicators conference in Albuquerque, New México.
Annual Almanac
Roots makes the organic life common practice. This is done primarily through an almanac that details essential information on how to be a successful gardener. The following documents the contents of the Southern Edition. All photography throughout this book was captured by myself. The almanac was laser printed on 80 lb matte cardstock and saddle-stitched with hemp cord.
Table of Contents
Inspired by the engineering of circular gardening and the rotation of time on a dial, the table of contents is an engaging presentation who's sections are divided by month.
Section Openers
Each section opener provides a short article on the month it represents along with a photo of a plant(s) that are ideal to sow at that time.
Embedded Seed Packets
Every section comes with embedded seed packets based on the month ideal for planting. In this case, Fordhook Zucchini, Beef Steak Tomato, Country Gentleman Corn, and Provence Lavender are ideal for planting in the month of April in the Southern region.
Edition Covers
The almanac varies from region to region. Shown above are the covers for the Western and Midwestern editions.
Identity
Flipped upside down and combined with the leaf, the hand can be interpreted as roots. This symbol conveys that our food—and nature itself—is kept alive by human nurturing.
Process
The ideation stage involved exploring how the word "roots" could be envisioned as a forced connection, abstract mark, pictorial mark, or logotype. The top left symbol was ultimately chosen as it's unique form communicated the mission of Roots more effectively than the rest.
Typography
A slab serif was chosen for the wordmark to provide a sense of friendliness and sturdiness. This emphasizes the idea of community—being down-to-"earth"—associated with farming and gardening.
Colors
The color palette is based on three important plants for any garden: Beef Steak Tomato, Fordhook Zucchini, and Country Gentlemen Corn. The assorted browns simulate a natural earth look, especially when printed on paper.
Illustration
These illustrations consist of essentials for any garden: Albion Strawberry, Barred Rock Chicken, Beef Steak Tomato, Blue Lake Green Bean, Bumble Bee, Country Gentleman Corn, Dragonfly, Fordhook Zucchini, and Provence Lavender. Single-line style was used as it communicates a sense of openness, lightness, and friendliness with the organic curves as well as rounded points.
Stationery
The stationery is meant to have a natural paper look being printed on creme paper with tan typography. The red, yellow, and green colors with overlaid patterns are used as accents: red on the business card, yellow on the letterhead back, and interior of the envelope. Overall, the stationery is friendly and fun yet sophisticated. The business cards and envelope were laser printed on 80 lb matte cardstock. The letterhead was laser printed on semi-gloss 24 lb paper.
Photography
To create an intimate, down-to-earth feeling, imagery was captured closeup with overhead or angled compositions. All photography used throughout this project was shot by myself.
Website
The website offers a range of resources from educational videos to a weather calendar. The homepage presents users with a feature where they can progress by clicking the button or arrow below. The sidebar is scrollable and details of each tab can be accessed by clicking the downward-facing arrows to the right.
Videos
Contains films to educate users about gardening. Videos need to be purchased. Users have four options—view full list, play, favorite, or download for offline usage.
Search Field
Accessible by clicking the magnifying glass icon on the upper right of the screen. The Background cycles between photography and patterns each time it is opened.